Sports
MLS Power Rankings: Nashville displaces LAFC, Caps to go No. 1
It’s Monday, MLS action is back, and it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.
Who looks the strongest? Who’s in for a long year? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 5 to come up with this week’s order. Let’s dive in.
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Previous ranking: 3
It was a dream week for Nashville SC, building upon their elimination of Lionel Messi and Inter Miami during the week in Concacaf Champions Cup play with a 5-0 thrashing of Orlando City at the weekend. Sam Surridge netted a hat trick, taking him to seven goals and an early lead in the Golden Boot race.
Previous ranking: 2
While LAFC was able to create more chances than Austin FC in a 0-0 draw, they couldn’t find a truly dangerous opportunity to beat opposing goalkeeper Brad Stuver. It was a long travel week after a Concacaf Champions Cup triumph in Costa Rica, so LAFC will appreciate the upcoming international break.
Previous ranking: 1
In the stretch of four days, the Caps were eliminated from the Concacaf Champions Cup, then fell 1-0 to the San Jose Earthquakes at home. The sky isn’t falling: It’s their first defeat of the season, and both Thomas Muller and Sebastian Berhalter came into the match as substitutes, but the exuberance from last week’s 6-0 win over Minnesota United has faded.
Previous ranking: 5
It was hardly the prettiest free kick of Lionel Messi’s career, but Inter Miami won’t care. The Argentine scored the equalizer, and Micael’s header in the 74th minute ended up being the winner in a 3-2 victory over NYCFC.
1:27
Lionel Messi scores as Inter Miami downs NYCFC
Inter Miami grabs the 3-2 win as Lionel Messi finds the back of the net in the second half.
Previous ranking: 4
What was a chance for three points turned into a mission to hang onto one, but San Diego accomplished that mission with a 2-2 draw against Real Salt Lake. Despite a late goal conceded and a red card before stoppage time, SDFC stayed undefeated to bounce back from a midweek loss to Toluca in Concacaf Champions Cup action.
Previous ranking: 7
A Beau Leroux stunner just before the halftime break was enough for the Quakes to return to winning ways with a 1-0 triumph over the Vancouver Whitecaps. It’s the fourth clean sheet this season for San Jose, who will be a contender if they can keep defending this well.
Previous ranking: 6
Fresh off a CCC series win over the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Sounders traveled to Minnesota and came away with a point in a 0-0 contest. They also had some decent chances, but couldn’t beat Minnesota United goalkeeper Drake Callender.
Previous ranking: 8
Victor Olatunji popped up at the back post to finish off a cross in the 85th minute and secure a 2-2 road draw for Real Salt Lake against San Diego FC in the Sunday nightcap. While it ends a stretch of three straight wins, it’s another result that will convince RSL fans that Pablo Mastroeni has a team that will be in the hunt this season.
0:56
San Diego FC vs. Real Salt Lake – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from San Diego FC vs. Real Salt Lake, 03/22/2026
Previous ranking: 9
Nico Fernandez scored his fifth goal of the season and Agustin Ojeda put NYCFC ahead against Inter Miami in the 59th minute. But Messi struck just after that goal, and NYCFC fell 3-2. It’s a result that snaps a three-game winning streak and is the first loss of the season for the Pigeons.
Previous ranking: 11
FC Dallas is creating a bad habit of falling behind and letting Petar Musa bring them back, but it worked once again in a 4-3 rivalry win over the Houston Dynamo. A Logan Farrington double had FCD up 2-0 early, but three goals conceded in five minutes meant Musa was needed as a halftime sub, and he found the winning goal.
1:08
FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo – Game Highlights
Watch the Game Highlights from FC Dallas vs. Houston Dynamo, 03/21/2026
Previous ranking: 12
James Rodriguez had a better time in his second MLS match than his first, but the Loons still weren’t able to earn three points, settling for a 0-0 result against the visiting Seattle Sounders. A positive: James created two chances in 13 minutes of play in his home debut.
Previous ranking: 13
Joao Klauss scored in the 30th minute, 10 minutes after suffering a foul that drew a red card, but the LA Galaxy couldn’t find a second and left Portland with a 1-1 draw against the Timbers. It’s a long way from Jamaica, where the Galaxy won in CCC play during the week, but they’ll need to be crisper with Toluca looming in the quarterfinals.
Previous ranking: 10
It’s fair to say the sheen has come off the young Red Bulls, who fell 6-1 to Charlotte FC on Saturday and are now winless in their last three. Four of those goals came after Gustav Berggren was sent off for a second yellow earned by pulling down Idan Toklomati, but it still was a night to forget.
Previous ranking: 14
Just when it looked like FC Cincinnati was going to suffer a fourth consecutive MLS defeat, Tom Barlow and Kévin Denkey came to the rescue with late goals that pushed FCC to a 4-3 win over CF Montreal. It may somewhat soften the blow of the 5-1 loss they took to Tigres during the week that saw them eliminated from CCC play.
Previous ranking: 15
Hugo Cuypers and Jonathan Bamba got on the scoresheet for the Fire in a 2-1 road win over the Philadelphia Union, and the team kept creating chances even after Philip Zinckernagel went off with a head injury just after the half-hour mark. All good signs for Gregg Berhalter’s club.
Previous ranking: 17
Charlotte enjoyed a goal explosion, thumping the New York Red Bulls 6-1 to extend their unbeaten run to three matches. Pep Biel had an early assist and scored from a low free kick after the Red Bulls went down to 10 men in the 53rd minute.
Previous ranking: 18
An early goal by the visitors seemed to snap St. Louis City to attention, as Yoann Damet’s side ran off three unanswered goals in a 3-1 victory over the New England Revolution. The win, capped by Marcel Hartel’s must-see half-volley from distance, snapped a three-match losing run from St. Louis.
Previous ranking: 19
A late push was rewarded with an 83rd-minute goal from Walker Zimmerman, who headed in a corner from Djordje Mihailovic to give TFC a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew. That makes it seven points from five matches this season: a modest return, perhaps, but it took them nine weeks to hit the same mark in 2025.
0:44
Walker Zimmerman’s fine header wins it for Toronto
Walker Zimmerman rises to the moment to score the winner for Toronto over Columbus.
Previous ranking: 16
The Dynamo tasted a frustrating 4-3 defeat in a Texas Derby contest, taking a 3-2 lead into the halftime break after a wild first half, but ultimately unable to head back down I-45 with even a point. Erik Sviatchenko’s second yellow card in the 68th minute came just after substitutions, making it all the more difficult to rescue anything from the contest.
Previous ranking: 20
Rapids matches this season look to promise plenty of goals, and this weekend it was the Rapids themselves who delivered them in a 4-1 win at Sporting Kansas City. Paxton Aaronson scored twice and also had a hockey assist in a performance that hinted at big potential for an attacking unit led by him, Darren Yapi and Rafael Navarro.
Previous ranking: 22
D.C. United settled for a drab draw with Atlanta United, returning home after a 0-0 result that saw D.C. try just four shots, and only two inside the box. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson will be pleased with his second clean sheet of the season.
Previous ranking: 24
The good news for Austin FC? They were able to keep LAFC’s powerful attack from finding the back of the net. The bad news? Those creativity issues that have dogged them for the last two years are still present, and they couldn’t score in a 0-0 stalemate.
Previous ranking: 29
While the Timbers conceded after going a man down thanks to Kamal Miller’s red card, they were able to limit the damage and see out a 1-1 draw with the LA Galaxy. James Pantemis made six saves to help Portland hold on.
Previous ranking: 26
After winning 6-1 last time out, the Revs took an early lead thanks to a 14th-minute strike by Ilay Feingold. But they couldn’t make it stick, falling 3-1 to St. Louis City SC.
Previous ranking: 21
An early goal from Wessam Abou Ali had Columbus hoping it would be able to secure a first win of the season, and Diego Rossi nearly doubled the lead with a shot off the post in the 52nd minute. But the Crew conceded twice in the second half and fell 2-1 to Toronto FC. Though the coach just arrived in the winter, it’s not too early to wonder if Henrik Rydstrom is already on the hot seat.
Previous ranking: 28
One step forward, two steps … sideways? The week after the first win of the campaign, Tata Martino’s Atlanta United offered little in a scoreless home draw with D.C. United, putting just three shots on target.
Previous ranking: 23
Bidding farewell to Oscar Pareja certainly hasn’t solved Orlando’s issues. Two weeks after making a managerial change after a 5-0 defeat, it was another loss by the same scoreline as the Lions were dominated by Nashville SC. Antoine Griezmann’s reported arrival would help, but there’s much to be done.
Previous ranking: 25
The Union are the defending Supporters’ Shield champions but look very far from a trophy right now. A 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire could’ve been even worse had the visitors been more efficient. Out of the Concacaf Champions Cup and sitting on a 0W-5L-0D record in league play, Alejandro Bedoya called it the “worst rut” he’s seen during his decade-long run in Chester.
Previous ranking: 27
While Shapi Suleymanov was able to respond to the Colorado Rapids’ opener, SKC didn’t have any answer for the visitors in the second half of a 4-1 defeat. The loss plummets SKC into the Western Conference basement.
Previous ranking: 30
Montreal was up a goal and up a man on FC Cincinnati in the 64th minute but managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in a 4-3 loss Sunday. That’s not the way to climb out of the bottom spot in the power rankings.
Zinedine Zidane will succeed Didier Deschamps as France national team head coach in the summer, with a verbal agreement already reached between the former Real Madrid star and the Fédération Française de Football (FFF), sources have told ESPN.
Didier Deschamps departing from the France national team after 14 successful years has been the worst kept secret in French football and Zidane, who finished his second stint as Los Blancos manager in 2021, has been long destined for the role.
At 53, Zidane had been waiting for his fellow 1998 World Cup winner to leave in order for him to take the job.
He has had to wait longer than he first thought he would but he will officially be appointed once the 2026 World Cup is concluded for France.
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The last detail to iron out before he can sign his contract is over his staff and how big his team can be.
In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro published on Sunday, the head of the FFF, Philippe Diallo admitted for the first time that he knew who Deschamp’s successor was going to be.
“I know who it is” was his answer. He didn’t reveal Zidane’s name but sources have told ESPN that it will be him.
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Houston Astros star Carlos Correa detailed a harrowing ordeal he and his son faced on a Minnesota lake last summer.
Correa and his 3-year-old son were swimming in Lake Minnetonka when his legs began to cramp up. With his son clinging to him, Correa noticed a buoy a few feet away and swam to it in a last-ditch effort to stay alive.
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Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa celebrates with teammates after scoring a run against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Sept. 12, 2025. (Brett Davis/Imagn Images)
He said he turned to God to help him through the strenuous time.
“’Lord, save me,’” he told MLB.com. “‘I promise you that if you save me from this one, I will serve you and I will serve you forever.’”
Correa wasn’t out of the woods yet when he got to the buoy. He slipped and fell under the water. As he struggled to stay above the water, he yelled out to a boat for help. Correa’s father-in-law, who was on the boat, noticed the MLB player struggling and swam out to help him.
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Houston Astros infielder Carlos Correa works during spring training at CACTI Park of The Palm Beaches on Feb. 15, 2026. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
“I was like, ‘From that moment on, I’m going to serve you,’” Correa said he told God in that moment. “I am going to keep my promise. And from that moment, I’ve been fully devoted.”
Houston acquired Correa in a trade with the Minnesota Twins last July. It ended up being his second stint with the Astros as he continues to be on the team at the start of the 2026 season.
He played 51 games for the Astros in 2025, hitting .290 with six home runs.
Correa played eight years for the Astros from 2015 to 2021 before he signed a deal with the Twins. He was a two-time All-Star in his first run with Houston, won a World Series and was the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year.
Houston Astros third baseman Carlos Correa warms up for the Texas Rangers game at Daikin Park on Sept. 15, 2025. (Erik Williams/Imagn Images)
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He’s set to be in the lineup once again for opening day. The lineup includes Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez.
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Former U.S. soccer star Megan Rapinoe spoke out in support of the Iranian women’s soccer team amid the players’ trials and tribulations over the last few weeks while competing in Australia.
The Iranian women’s soccer team was in Australia earlier this month to compete in the Women’s Asian Cup. Players were seen refusing to sing their country’s national anthem as the U.S. and Israel launched a joint military campaign on the Iranian regime. The players were dubbed “wartime traitors” by an Iranian broadcaster for their decisions during the tournament.
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Retired United States soccer player Megan Rapinoe looks on before a SheBelieves Cup match against Colombia at Sports Illustrated Stadium on March 7, 2026, in Harrison, New Jersey. (Brad Smith/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images)
Australian officials then raced to try to get the players asylum in the country. At least two players stayed in Australia while the rest of the team made it back to Iran.
Rapinoe praised the “bravery and courage” of the women.
“I’m just thinking about this in the context of, like, the immense pressure that these young adults and these young women are under to make a decision like this,” she said on the “A Touch More” podcast. “Like, the incredible courage and bravery it would take knowing what that could potentially mean for their family back home. The bravery and courage to protest the national anthem, basically in protest of the Iranian regime and not singing the national anthem during a match. The stress and uncertainty they’re facing – their family, their loved ones. What does that all mean for back home?
“I, of course, fully support their decisions to seek asylum and seek a better life and to try to escape an incredibly oppressive regime in that situation. I don’t know what’s going on with them and why some of them left and however that is. I hope the ones that returned home have done so under their own free will and choice and that their families are safe, that they’re safe, and their friends are safe. I hope the ones that have chosen to stay feel a sense of peace and hope about a potential for a new life in Australia or otherwise.”
Iran players react during their national anthem ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
Rapinoe added that she was “in awe of their courage.”
The former U.S. soccer star faced scrutiny for not speaking out as the saga was unfolding in the country. Piers Morgan was among those who labeled Rapinoe as “hypocritical.”
“The silence over this from Rapinoe, and so many supposed ‘feminists’ like her, is so telling, damning, and hypocritical,” he wrote in a social media post. “They’d rather campaign for biological men to wreck women’s sport than campaign for these heroic young sportswomen to help save their lives.”
She didn’t address her critics in her latest podcast episode with Sue Bird.
Initially, seven of the Iranian women’s soccer players accepted asylum but turned around and declined the opportunity at the last minute. Two players who stayed were seen training with one of the country’s premier clubs last week.
The Australian government faced criticism for not working fast enough to get to the players.
“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” Graham Thom, an advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, told The Associated Press.
Iran players pose for a team photo ahead of the Women’s Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia on Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)
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“Hopefully the two who are remaining get the protection they need, but we just hope that those who have returned are also safe.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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