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MLS Power Rankings: LAFC No. 1 after win over Miami, Messi

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MLS Power Rankings: LAFC No. 1 after win over Miami, Messi


It’s Tuesday, MLS action is back for 2026, and it’s time for ESPN’s Power Rankings.

Who looks the strongest in the first days of 2026? Who’s in for a long year? Our writers studied the action from across Matchday 1 to come up with this week’s order. Let’s dive in.

– Messi tracker: Goals, assists, key moments in 2026 for Miami and Argentina
– Can Africa’s players make an impact in MLS the way they have in the NWSL?

– Messi struggles in MLS opener against LAFC, will it impact his World Cup hopes?


Already looking like a title favorite before the season began, LAFC dominated Inter Miami with a 3-0 victory. Denis Bouanga and Son Heung-Min certainly were involved, but getting goals from attackers David Martínez and Nathan Ordaz will only make fans more hopeful at this early stage.

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That attack looks pretty good! Offseason addition Warren Madrigal had a goal and two assists in a 4-1 win over the Revolution, and the Costa Rica international wasn’t even the big-name signing. That was Cristian Espinoza, who also had a nice debut.

After the controversial decision to freeze designated player Hirving Lozano out of the squad, all SDFC did to start the year was get past Pumas in the Concacaf Champions Cup and thump Montréal 5-0 on Saturday. That game was more one-sided than expected because of a sending-off, but five goals from five different scorers is always impressive. Maybe they really are better without Chucky?

The Whitecaps earned a 1-0 home win over RSL thanks to a goal from AZ Jackson. Jackson arrived in the winter to help cover the Caps, moving two wide attackers on. It’s a great early showing and an important win ahead of the Concacaf Champions Cup second leg against Cartagines this week.

Losing Evander in the first 15 minutes of the match wasn’t ideal, but FCC still managed to overcome the loss and earn a 2-0 win over Atlanta United. Without the Brazilian star, the defense stepped up by totally outplaying the Five Stripes, and Gerardo Valenzuela did create three chances in his absence. Still, FCC will hope he’s back soon.

The Sounders overcame an early injury to Jordan Morris and a stop-start first half that saw a goal called off after video review for a 2-0 triumph over the Colorado Rapids to open their campaign. No one wants Morris hurt, but Paul Rothrock immediately stepped up in his absence, scoring the second goal of the night.

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This wasn’t the start to the season the defending champions were looking for. The Herons fell 3-0 to LAFC at the Coliseum, and Lionel Messi’s frustration with the officials carried into the tunnel, capturing the headlines after. The real story might be how Miami’s defensive woes from last season continued, and the jelling time forward Germán Berterame could need. That said, this team still will rack up plenty of points.

Red Bulls manager Michael Bradley raised eyebrows before his first-team managerial debut, starting a 17-year-old forward, a 16-year-old midfielder (Adri Mehmeti) and a 17-year-old defender (Matthew Dos Santos) on the road at Orlando City.

That forward, Julian Hall, scored two goals in a 2-1 win that saw the Red Bulls dominate as they ran up an xG of 4.64 thanks to a rollicking first half. It’s very early, but why not choose to believe?

The Timbers opened the season with a 3-2 win at home over the Crew. There were some nervous moments — and some confusion at the back — but they earned the three points thanks to Ariel Lassiter’s late goal. Colombian Diego Chará made his 400th start for the Timbers in midfield and went the full 90.

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It’s an auspicious MLS debut for Guilherme, who scored both Dynamo goals in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Fire. Fellow offseason addition Mateusz Bogusz had three shots, but manager Ben Olsen will hope he’s more involved as the season progresses.

The defending Supporters’ Shield winners had a Concacaf Champions Cup trip to the Caribbean (which they won convincingly), but a 1-0 loss to D.C. United was not the start to 2026 they hoped for. Seeing former forward Tai Baribo score the winning goal only made it hurt more for the Union and their fans. Ezekiel Alladoh had a good CCC debut but then was sent off in this one for an obscene gesture and language.

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DC United vs. Philadelphia Union – Game Highlights

Watch the Game Highlights from DC United vs. Philadelphia Union, 02/21/2026

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It took a bit of penalty luck for NYCFC to find the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with the Galaxy, but Nico Fernández did well to convert from the spot as the visitors overcame an early deficit. It was a deserved point with the Pigeons creating more chances after conceding in the second minute.

An unlikely double from center back Daniel Munie helped San Jose open the season with a 3-0 romp over Sporting KC. It’s a nice opener, but the Quakes will rise further in the rankings if they can do it against teams with more established rosters than an SKC very much in transition.

The Loons were able to earn a point on the road with a 2-2 draw at Austin FC, showing some hints they might adapt under new manager Cameron Knowles while keeping the identity built over the past few seasons. That might all change, of course, when winter addition James Rodríguez is up and running.

St. Louis opened the scoring thanks to a team move capped by Marcel Hartel but had to settle for a 1-1 draw after conceding 13 minutes later. Yoann Damet will take heart that many of the principles of play were on display, as St. Louis created scoring opportunities but couldn’t finish enough of them.

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Charlotte had a sluggish start but got a goal from Pep Biel to head home with a point in a 1-1 draw. The real hero, however, was goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. The Croat made 10 saves to help secure the point. Charlotte had only two draws all of last season but might be starting a new trend this time around.

As Petar Musa goes, so go FC Dallas, and on Saturday, he had a pair of goals in a 3-2 victory over Toronto. It was a back-and-forth game, and for FCD to keep earning victories, they will need to tighten up at the back. As long as the Croatian forward is in form, though, FC Dallas will earn points.

Offseason signing João Klauss got things off and running for the 2026 season with a second-minute goal, but the Galaxy couldn’t keep the lead. Carlos Garcés was sent off, conceding a penalty with the foul that earned his second yellow, and it was a 1-1 draw with NYCFC. The Galaxy need to turn the page quickly with the second leg of a Concacaf Champions Cup series with Sporting San Miguelito coming Tuesday.

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LA Galaxy vs. New York City FC – Game Highlights

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LA Galaxy vs. New York City FC – Game Highlights

The Crew got off to a good start in Portland with a goal from Wessam Abou Ali and also enjoyed a golazo from Diego Rossi, but they weren’t able to get anything from the match, losing 3-2 after Lassiter hustled onto a ball sitting in the box that no one could clear. It will take more effort to match the heights of past seasons.

It was a fantastic start to the season for D.C., with new signing Tai Baribo scoring a tidy goal in a 1-0 victory over the Philadelphia Union. Last season was so rough, however, that it’s tough to put D.C. much higher than 20 until we see some consistency.

After controlling the first half, the Fire couldn’t handle Dynamo attacker Guilherme, who scored twice as the hosts beat the Fire by a 2-1 scoreline. The opening 45 minutes will give them something to build on.

Unlike last season, the goals were there for Austin in a 2-2 draw with Minnesota United, but conceding on a pair of headers when that certainly was part of the tactical talk heading into a contest with the Loons will leave Nico Estévez frustrated.

A trip to Vancouver is a tough assignment for the first match of the season, but RSL weren’t able to rise to the occasion. The Caps looked crisper in a 1-0 contest that saw the home team take all three points.

The Lions didn’t really answer the bell as the New York Red Bulls sent wave after wave of attack. It wasn’t until far too late that Orlando was able to score in a 2-1 home defeat to open the campaign.

At this point, it’s hard to know if Atlanta United want a new era or the old one with Tata Martino back on the bench. Whatever the case, the performance wasn’t good enough in a 2-0 loss to FC Cincinnati.

Things are still coming together for TFC with Josh Sargent soon to arrive to lead the line, but a 3-2 loss to FC Dallas showed just how far they have to go.

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The Rapids closed out the MLS weekend by traveling to Seattle and falling 2-0. The first half of the game lacked momentum because of several video reviews, but the Rapids didn’t offer much to get excited about with three shots on goal in the defeat, none of them all that dangerous.

The Revs had no answer to Nashville SC’s dominant attack, falling 4-1 on the road in Marko Mitrovic’s managerial debut. Leonardo Campana did link with Carles Gil, but more of that will be required in addition to the obvious improvements in defense.

This is a team still coming together, and it showed in a 3-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes. Raphael Wicky has a lot of work to do, even as more bodies arrive.

Tomás Avilés’ red card in the 50th minute of Montreal’s match with San Diego FC certainly didn’t make things easier, but the Quebecois side already was down 2-0 at that point en route to a 5-0 thrashing. It could be a long season.



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Miami, FL

Jaylen Brown bidding war? Haslem drove this? All the fallout from Antetokounmpo trade to Miami

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Jaylen Brown bidding war? Haslem drove this? All the fallout from Antetokounmpo trade to Miami


It was the blockbuster deal of the NBA offseason: After years of will-he/won’t-he, two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has been traded to Miami.

It also feels like the first domino of what will be some other big moves — including possibly a Jaylen Brown bidding war and trade. At NBC, we’ve explained the Antetokounmpo trade, named its winners and losers, and broken down how it will impact fantasy teams. Still, the fallout from this trade just keeps coming. Here are some other notes and analysis surrounding Antetokounmpo’s move to Miami.

Jaylen Brown bidding war?

Boston tried to say, “We weren’t shopping Brown, it was only because this was Giannis Antetokounmpo.” Except a few years back, they said the same thing when Brown was rumored to be part of a trade offer for Kevin Durant. From Brown’s perspective, you don’t want to be the person in the relationship where your partner is always looking around for an upgrade.

Other teams are expecting Boston to make Brown available, and there could be a bidding war, something articulated well by ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on the network’s “Get Up.”

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“What I expect to happenis a bidding war for Jaylen Brown. In the most recent days, teams have been preparing for this eventuality, that it wouldn’t be the Boston Celtics who won the Giannis sweepstakes and that there would be a Jaylen Brown market. And now we’re going to watch that. I think it’ll take time to play out.”

If Brown becomes available, look for Houston and Atlanta to be at the front of the line for him, with a number of other teams — Portland has said it’s interested — in the mix. The challenge will be matching his salary, which is $57.1 million next season and totals about $183 million over the next three years. Brown is coming off his best season as a pro, averaging 28.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game.

Boston kept young players out

Why did Milwaukee ultimately choose the Miami offer over Boston? In part because, while Brown would have been the best individual player the Bucks could have gotten in return, they wanted more — specifically a young player like Baylor Scheierman and Hugo Gonzalez, and Boston would not put them in the offer, reports Shams Charania of ESPN.

Boston’s final offer was Brown and two unprotected first-round picks. Milwaukee preferred Miami’s offer… or at least one key person did.

Bucks co-owner Haslam pushed for Miami trade

Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam also owns the NFL’s Cleveland Browns — a team that dealt with a trade demand from future Hall of Famer Myles Garrett. Then came the Antetokounmpo saga with the Bucks.

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That led Haslam to push for the “certainty” of the Miami offer because he didn’t want to see Brown come to Milwaukee and force his way out in a couple of years, something Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports reported right after the trade went down.

Report: Haslam a ‘driving force’ in Giannis trade

Mike Florio looks at Jimmy Haslam’s reported role in the blockbuster Giannis Antetokounmpo trade and analyzes Haslam’s involvement as owner of the Cleveland Browns.

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That was a concern of others in the Milwaukee front office, reports Sam Amick and Eric Nehm at The Athletic, who add there had been signs in recent weeks that Brown didn’t really want to land in Milwaukee.

Herro happy

Brown may not have wanted to go to Milwaukee, but Tyler Herro — who is a Milwaukee native — is excited to go home in the trade, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes.

Except Herro may not be staying in Milwaukee—there are multiple reports that the Bucks are listening to offers to trade him again. At the front of that line may be Detroit, which is looking for shooting and secondary ball-handling to pair with Cade Cunningham, and Herro fits that bill.

Is Anthony Edwards next?

Once one superstar is traded, the insatiable NBA trade rumor machine starts looking for the next star who might be on the move.

Is it about to be Anthony Edwards’ turn in the spotlight? ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the latest Hoop Collective Podcast, “The NBA vultures are swirling around Ant in anticipation of him potentially becoming the next superstar who’s available in the trade market.” Multiple reports in recent years have said Edwards has been frustrated with the team building in Minnesota, dating back to when it traded away Karl-Anthony Towns to save money.

This is not happening fast. Minnesota has no intention of trading Edwards right now, and he still has three fully guaranteed years at $156.9 million left on this contract. There is no pressure to move him, and Edwards would deny he is even thinking about leaving.

That said, teams file these kinds of things away and just wait.

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Miami, FL

Fiery, fatal crash shuts down southbound lanes of Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade

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Fiery, fatal crash shuts down southbound lanes of Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade



An investigation is underway after a man was killed in a fiery crash with a truck on the Don Shula Expressway in southwest Miami-Dade early Tuesday morning, according to officials.

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The Florida Highway Patrol said that a white Mercedes coupe was headed south on SR 847 (Don Shula Expressway), near Southwest 104th Street when it crashed into the back of a truck.

A large fire broke out after the crash, and investigators said that the driver of the Mercedes, who was only identified as an adult Hispanic male, died at the scene.

The fiery crash forced officials to shut down the southbound lanes of the roadway, and drivers were being asked to seek an alternate route.

Heavy delays were reported behind the crash, and delays also started to build in the northbound lanes near the scene.

The southbound lanes have since reopened.

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No other information was released.



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Miami Heat slip behind Boston Celtics in Giannis Antetokounmpo race

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Miami Heat slip behind Boston Celtics in Giannis Antetokounmpo race


The Miami Heat woke up Monday no longer in control of the chase they had led for weeks. With the 2026 NBA Draft set for Tuesday and the Milwaukee Bucks closing in on a resolution to the Giannis Antetokounmpo saga, Miami suddenly finds itself in a two-team race it is no longer favored to win.

ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Monday that Antetokounmpo is expected to be moved before the draft, with the Heat and Boston Celtics emerging as the two finalists. The Bucks have narrowed their talks to those clubs, sources told Charania, and are weighing two dramatically different packages for the former two-time MVP.

For a fan base that spent the better part of a month believing Miami was the team to beat, the shift landed hard. The Heat are still in it. They are simply no longer the favorite.

A two-team race with a Tuesday deadline

Milwaukee set the timeline itself. Bucks ownership signaled in May that it wanted Antetokounmpo’s future settled by the start of the draft, and Charania reported Monday on ESPN’s “Get Up” that a trade is expected to land in line with that cutoff.

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Charania framed the two bids as opposites. One is built around an established star, the other around youth and draft capital, and he described the negotiations bluntly.

“These conversations have been a blood bath,” Charania said.

He also stressed that whatever happens, it will not balloon into a multi-team construction the way other blockbusters have. Whether the deal closes Monday or Tuesday, Charania said, it is expected to be a one-to-one trade between Milwaukee and one of the two finalists, with no third team folded in. That detail matters for Miami, because it removes one of the lifelines the Heat had been counting on.

Boston changed the math with Jaylen Brown

For most of the buildup, Miami held the perceived edge because the Celtics were reluctant to part with Jaylen Brown. That changed over the weekend. The Stein Line’s Marc Stein reported Monday that Boston emerged “with a real shot” to win the race built around a Brown-centric offer, with Milwaukee willing to consider a swap even without a third team to absorb his contract.

That is the development that flipped the race. Brown is a five-time All-Star and a former NBA Finals MVP coming off the best statistical season of his career, having averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game as Boston’s centerpiece. He is also a bona fide star Milwaukee can plug in immediately, which speaks directly to ownership’s stated preference to get a recognizable face back rather than a stack of prospects.

The money works, too. A Brown-for-Antetokounmpo framework lines up cleanly under the salary cap, and from Milwaukee’s vantage point, flipping one star for another carries better optics than entering a full teardown empty-handed.

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Prediction markets moved with the news. Per Kalshi data, Miami’s implied odds slid from the low 60s into the mid-30s on Monday while Boston vaulted toward roughly 70 percent. Those figures shift by the hour and should be read as a temperature check rather than a forecast, but the direction of the swing is the story.

What Miami is putting on the table

Tyler Herro Miami Heat

The Heat’s pitch leans on volume and flexibility rather than star power. Reported frameworks have centered on Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic, with Kasparas Jakucionis and multiple future first-round picks also in the mix, and Miami holds the No. 13 overall pick in Tuesday’s draft.

It is a thoughtful offer for a rebuilding team. It is also, by definition, not a star, and that is the gap Boston is now exploiting.

There is a limit to how far Miami is willing to go. Bam Adebayo is the only player truly untouchable in the Heat’s discussions, and Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald reported that the front office does not want to strip the roster and its draft capital down to the studs to get a deal done. That restraint is understandable given the franchise’s history of swinging big and missing, most painfully on Damian Lillard three years ago, but it also means Miami may be unwilling to match a price Boston now appears ready to meet.

The case for the Heat to lose this race

There is a real argument, voiced by some of the league’s most prominent analysts, that Miami should be careful what it wishes for. Zach Lowe and Bill Simmons both cautioned against the Heat gutting their young core for an aging star, with Lowe warning that the long-term cost could hollow out the roster.

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“The concerns I think are very real for Miami,” Lowe said.

The basketball context behind that caution is hard to ignore. Antetokounmpo is 31 and coming off the most injury-plagued season of his career, appearing in just 36 games amid groin, calf and knee issues while the Bucks finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs, snapping a run of nine straight postseason appearances.

He still produced when available, averaging 27.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game, but his looming free agency in 2027 is depressing his trade value across the league. For a Heat team that went 43-39 and has been hunting a co-star for Adebayo since dealing Jimmy Butler to the Golden State Warriors, the math of trading a future for a 31-year-old’s prime window is genuinely fraught.

What happens next

The next 24 hours should decide it. Milwaukee has telegraphed the draft as its internal deadline, and the expectation is a resolution before Tuesday night, though multiple insiders have noted the saga could still spill into free agency if the Bucks decide their leverage is better served by waiting.

For Miami, the stakes are stark. Landing Antetokounmpo would end years of frustrated superstar pursuits and reset the franchise’s ceiling overnight. Losing him to Boston, again on the doorstep of a deal, would sting in a way Heat fans know all too well. Either outcome arrives soon, and for the first time in this chase, the Heat are watching it unfold without holding the best hand.



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