MLS Power Rankings: Lionel Messi's Inter Miami back on top while Real Salt Lake and FC Cincinnati close in

Woof, New England. The Caleb Porter era has been a disaster so far. At 1-1-7 through nine matches, they're bottom of the Eastern Conference -- and all of MLS -- after being blanked by Inter Miami and Lionel Messi on Matchday 10.

Virtually everything possible has gone wrong for the Sounders in recent weeks. Two-straight losses where they saw red and were reduced to 10-men on the pitch have the Sounders falling back into the habits that haunted them in March.

Just one win through nine matches this season? It's been a disaster of a spring.

The Earthquakes nearly pulled off a remarkable matchday 10 result, before falling 4-3 to the LA Galaxy. They followed it up with their first draw of the season against Nashville SC.

With two so-so performances in previous weeks, could this be the start of a change?

It's hard to overstate how poor Nashville have been this season. Behind the power curve in every sense, matchday 10 saw them thumped by Lionel Messi and company. while they scraped together a 1-1 draw against the San Jose Earthquakes at the weekend.

Gary Smith's time in charge may be coming to an end if they can't turn things around.

Portland are ... well, not doing so well. Phil Neville's squad is nearing free-fall, with the club winless in seven-straight matches.

The good news? At least they're entertaining. The Timbers have scored at least two goals in five straight matches. The bad news? They've conceded as many or more during that same span.

It's a bit baffling at how the Fire can't find the back of the net despite investing $12m in new DP Hugo Cuypers. Scoreless and winless in three-straight matches, Frank Klopas is now on the hot seat.

FCD picked up their first win since matchday one at the weekend. With a much-needed 2-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo, they finally gave their fans something to cheer about.

However, Dallas are still in limbo.

The club invested nearly $13m in Petar Musa, but the Croatian scored just his third goal of the season Saturday. And U.S. international Jesus Ferreira hasn't found his shooting boots, either, with just one goal this season.

If there's one thing Oscar Pareja has learned in recent weeks, it's this: start Duncan McGuire. They're a better team with him in the lineup, despite some inconsistent results of late.

A matchday 10 draw with CF MTL followed by a loss to TFC doesn't have the club in high spirits, but they're showing signs of improvement from the start of the season.

One win in their last six matches, a home draw against rivals St. Louis CIT SC, and a road thumping in the I-35W derby to Minnesota United, has Peter Vermes' side in low spirits.

Daniel Salloi has not been at his best, but the good news is that Alan Pulido has bagged goals in back-to-back matches. If he can get firing, they can climb up the West.

A rough patch of form has hit CLT. A 3-0 loss to Minnesota United at home followed by a loss on the road to NYCFC has Dean Smith's side struggling heading into an important matchday 12.

With just one win in their last six matches, Atlanta fans have a right to start to be nervous. Neither Giorgis Giakoumakis or Thiago Almada have been at their best this season. A week 10 loss to FC Cincinnati and a week 11 scoreless draw against a struggling Chicago Fire side have Atlanta falling in the rankings.

The Dynamo had a dream start to the campaign, but they've hit a reality check over the past four weeks. Two-straight losses to intra-state rivals in Austin FC and FC Dallas should have Ben Olsen's squad rethinking their approach.

Matchday 11 was a bye week for City, but the week prior, they battled it out with Sporting KC in what may have been the best match of the season. A thrilling 3-3 draw, the Missouri rivals played a fantastic match.

Still, City look like a fringe playoff team, as they go through their sophomore slump.

The Union came off a week 10 bye in sluggish fashion, falling to Real Salt lake 2-1 at home. An 89th minute winner saw them fall short, but it's nothing to worry about for Jim Curtin's side.

The Union are right where they should be in the East.

Two-straight draws, first against Orlando City and then against reigning MLS Cup winners Columbus Crew, have CF MTL coasting in the Western Conference. They'll need to start finding consistency in their attack as the season heats up.

After losing four out of their first five matches to begin the year, they've now gone unbeaten in five-straight. A very young squad, NYCFC are slowly coming together.

A 2-0 win over D.C. United followed by a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC has Nick Cushing's side flying.

It's Christian Benteke's world and we're just living in it. He now has eight goals on the season, scoring a brace in week 11 to lead D.C. to a big 2-1 victory over the Seattle Sounders.

However, the Belgian's club has lacked defensive composure all season.

John Herdman and Federico Bernardeschi finally look to be figuring things out in Canada. The Italian star is finding his feet under his new head coach, and TFC have pulled off wins over the Revolution and Orlando City.

With two cheeky back-to-back wins against Western Conference rivals, Austin are slowly turning their season around. A 1-0 win over the Houston Dynamo and a 2-1 win over the LA Galaxy have Josh Wolff's team climbing.

Don't look now, but they have four wins in their last five.

LAFC are in a odd spot. Their defense has been leaky, but their offense has bailed them out in recent weeks. A 2-2 draw with the New York Red Bulls and a 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers have them cruising, but they need more consistency to make their way back to the top of the league.

They continue to surprise. An impressive win over FC Dallas followed by a tight loss to FC Cincinnati have the Rapids nearing the top of the West. However, they've struggled on the road, meaning they need to avoid any hiccups at home in the coming weeks.

The Loons are Looning -- and that means they're soaring. New head coach Eric "Chef" Ramsay is cooking up something special in St. Paul, and Tani Oluwaseyi has been one of the best stories across MLS this season.

A 3-0 win over Sporting KC and being the first team to beat Charlotte FC at home in 13 matches isn't a bad two-week stretch.

Brian White became their all-time leading scorer at the weekend in a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls, and that came following an absolutely dominant 2-0 win over the Sounders the week prior. The Whitecaps have been a lovely surprise in 2024, with Vanni Sartini's side playing some of the best footy in MLS.

The Crew look like reigning champions, and are the MLS team most likely to earn the first trophy of 2024 in the CONCACAF Champions Cup -- and appropriately, that' their current priority.

They've drawn five-straight in MLS action, not a bad thing considering their double-matchweeks at the moment. However, three points would do wonders after a recent 0-0 draw with CF Montreal.

RBNY have drawn four out of their last five matches, but only have one loss on the season. Lewis Morgan looks MVP-quality with yet another goal in week 11 in a 1-1 draw with the Whitecaps.

It's the most impressive start for the Red Bulls in recent memory, but they need to start executing late-match tactics to secure three points consistently.

After tough losses in weeks eight and nine, FC Cincy bounced back with two strong performances against the Colorado Rapids and Atlanta United in weeks 10 and 11. Although the goals aren't coming as efficiently as 2023, they still look like one of the most dominant sides in the league.

A brilliant Matchday 11 win over the Philadelphia Union has RSL cruising among the best in MLS.

Riding a six-match unbeaten streak, Chicho Arango and company sit atop the Western Conference -- and the Colombian is a favorite for April's MLS Player of the Month.

LA had a slight hiccup in week 11, as the Galaxy fell to Austin FC on the road. They put forth a valiant performance, but couldn't get the job done without star forward Dejan Jovelic. Their strong form to start the campaign allows for a setback, but it has to be the exception.

The Herons and Lionel Messi look unstoppable at the moment, especially with the way the Argentine superstar is performing. The eight-time Ballon d'O winner has six goal contributions in his last two games, with 13 total on the season. At this point, Messi has led them to the top of the MLS rankings.