Although we’ve only seen each team play twice, some clubs already look like genuine threats to make noise deep into the season, while others are flashing early warning signs that their hot starts may not be built to last. With the 2026 World Cup halting the season in June, now should be the time to note who’s hot and who’s not. Here are five contenders and five pretenders that you need to keep in your mind as matches continue.
Contenders
5. San Jose Earthquakes (2-0-0)
Hold on, the San Jose Earthquakes in the contenders club? Oh yeah! It’s already hard to believe San Jose hasn’t been in the playoffs since 2020. Bruce Arena’s Quakes are off to a 2-0-0 start, scoring five goals while setting franchise-record clean sheets against Sporting KC and Atlanta United. It’s real too: small changes in Arena’s approach and the introduction of star designated player Timo Werner have given San Jose a refreshed, ruthless edge that’s looking like a West contender right now.
4. Red Bull New York (2-0-0)
WAIT, TWO teams that missed the playoffs in 2025 in the top five contenders? You better believe it! Red Bull New York is back. Their shocking playoff miss last year feels like a distant memory, with Michael Bradley’s Bulls now 2-0-0 and roaring back via teen-fueled dominance. Seventeen-year-old Julian Hall’s brace blistered Orlando away in week one, followed by his free kick header against New England in week two sums up their hot star perfectly. This isn’t some black magic, it’s Bradley Ball using hungry academy youngsters to blitz teams with speed and intensity. Eastern Conference take note, come wit’ it now, Bulls on parade.
3. Vancouver Whitecaps
The 2025 MLS Cup runner ups are back to prove that this year can be their time to seize victory. Sitting with six points from two MLS starts and another shutout at home, the Vancouver Whitecaps have certainly looked like the contenders they were expected to be. Dropping three goals on Toronto FC 3-0, star DP Thomas Müller found the back of the net twice while Brian White registered his 80th club goal. The Whitecaps have now registered a clean sheet in each of their first two games across all competitions, looking like they're building steam toward another MLS Cup run.
2. LAFC
Beating the defending MLS Cup champs is one thing, but LAFC backed up that talk with actions in Houston, handing the Dynamo a 2-0 defeat to move to 2-0-0 to start the year. The Black & Gold now are undefeated while keeping opponents scoreless in the first two games of MLS play and showed their depth as Stephen Eustáquio and Mark Delgado combined for the shutout win against Houston after the Dynamo were reduced to nine players late in the match. Staying sharp defensively while having pieces on the attack step up early are stacking up their resume as a team that can make a run for silverware once again.
1. San Diego FC
Rounding out the ranks are arguably the strongest force this year in San Diego FC. A 5-0 thrashing to start your campaign is enough to get you into the contenders club, but earning a second consecutive dominant victory will give you the crown for now. So far for San Diego, everything that can go right has gone right. They found the back of the net from five different players in their opening match against CF Montréal, and have since followed that up by blanking strong competitor St. Louis City SC 2-0 in match two, proving that they can win matches and dominate from whistle to whistle. Taking advantage of an early lead has allowed the Azul & Chrome to not only stack goals, but pile on the pressure while commanding the midfield and suppressing opposition attacks at home. They’re an elite Western Conference threat and MLS Cup candidate for sure.
Pretenders
5. Seattle (1-0-1)
Coming in at five in the pretenders category happens to be the only team here that won in a somewhat convincing fashion, but don’t let that fool you. Seattle’s story had all the makings of a contender after a clean sheet opening 2-0 victory at home, but they got a rude awakening in Salt Lake. They dominated possession but lost 2-1 when their late rally fell short. Dropping games you should win on the road while dominating from the front four suggests regression to problematic scoring issues and defensive vulnerabilities that Brian Schmetzer's team can't have if they hope to contend among the West's elite.
4. Charlotte FC (0-1-1)
Charlotte's gritty road warrior persona that produced a point at St. Louis disappeared in California as they were carved open for a humbling 3-0 defeat at the hands of the Galaxy. They were manhandled with possession and created almost nothing after their promising opening weekend performance. Dean Smith's side acquitted themselves early on but now appear outmatched against top sides. Draws will not get them far in a slog-fest East.
3. Portland Timbers (1-0-1)
The team that won a hard fought battle on opening night against Columbus completely slept through their alarms for their second contest of the season. The Colorado Rapids absolutely silenced the Timbers 2-0 on their turf, outshooting their opponents by a whopping 25-10 comparison. One convincing home victory can conceal many things, but being outworked and outgunned like they did in Colorado, reveals genuine concerns about Portland's core when the altitude catches up and the calendar gets hectic.
2. Columbus Crew (0-1-1)
One of the most consistent contenders every season has gotten off to a rocky start in 2026, managing only 1 point across two matches. A demoralizing 3-2 defeat in Portland revealed vulnerabilities defensively, followed by an infuriating 2-2 stalemate on the road against a Sporting KC team that few thought would even challenge for a playoff spot. Coach Henrik Rydström is still in his honeymoon period, so some degree of growing pains is understandable, but giving points away to less than stellar Sporting KC, a team Rydström admitted after the game "should've won" — isn't going to fly when the East also features squads like Nashville or Red Bull New York who always hit their stride at the right time. When teams fighting for playoff spots are giving up draws to anybody, there is no margin for error.
1. Orlando City SC (0-0-2)
You would think a team that has made the playoffs every season since 2020 wouldn’t be at the top of the pretenders mountain, right? Wrong! Forget the coaching record, Óscar Pareja’s squad couldn’t be any more dysfunctional at this moment. After getting absolutely outplayed by Red Bull New York, Orlando faced an Inter Miami team whose defense has been on the weak side as of late yet they still managed to squander a 2–0 lead and lose 4–2 at home. They gave up four goals while only allowing nine shots and seven shots on goal while possessing the ball only 38 percent of the game. If they’re conceding goals at that rate, racking up cards instead of scoring chances and generally looking like the better team for minutes at a time against a suspect defense, that screams collapsible over dark horse any day. At this rate, Orlando fans will be burning purple flares by May, trying to understand how they lost another season that had great potential.
In total, it's still early, but we've already begun to see teams that are built for the long grind separate themselves from teams that are relying on miscues and preseason hype. Once the schedule ramps up and injuries, depth, and pressure become factors, we will soon see which of these stories are legitimate and which were just February illusions.
MATCHDAY THREE SCHEDULE
*ALL matches streamed on Apple TV
Saturday March 7
Orlando City SC @ New York City FC 2:30 p.m. EST
Inter Miami CF @ D.C. United 4:30 p.m. EST
San Jose Earthquakes @ Philadelphia Union 7:30 p.m. EST
Austin FC @ Charlotte FC 7:30 p.m. EST
Real Salt Late @ Atlanta United 7:30 p.m. EST
Chicago Fire @ Columbus Crew 7:30 p.m. EST
San Diego FC @ Sporting Kansas City 8:30 p.m. EST
Seattle Sounders @ St. Louis City SC 8:30 p.m. EST
Minnesota United @ Nashville SC 8:30 p.m. EST
LA Galaxy @ Colorado Rapids 9:30 p.m. EST
Vancouver Whitecaps @ Portland Timbers 10:30 p.m. EST
FC Dallas @ LAFC 10:30 p.m. EST
Sunday March 8
CF Montréal @ Red Bull New York 4:30 p.m. EST
Toronto FC @ FC Cincinnati 7:00 p.m. EST
*Houston Dynamo @ New England Revolution (scheduled for March 7) postponed to a later date due to inclement weather in the Northeast. New England will play next on March 15 at home against FC Cincinnati. Houston will play next on March 14 at home against the Portland Timbers.
