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Analysis
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LAFC fire their coach, Miami winless in a month: Why are the best teams in MLS struggling?
28 Sep 2026 19:30 CDT |
4 min read
Analysis
The 2026 regular season in Major League Soccer has entered its decisive stretch, yet many of the division's supposedly best teams are struggling.
Despite the current international break, MLS is throwing some of its teams into the meat grinder, pressing ahead with a mercilessly compressed schedule because of this summer's World Cup.
While most top leagues around the world have been halted, MLS played a full slate of games this weekend to make up for time lost during the six-week break in the summer. This hiatus was necessary because the league failed to ratify its calendar change in time.
The logical thing to do would have been to shift the calendar already this year, having a sprint season pre-World Cup and then starting the real thing after the tournament, like the J. League in Japan. MLS didn't do that and will instead move to a European-style schedule next year.
The effect of the World Cup interlude can't be denied. It was effectively a second pre-season, and several teams that had struggled in the early stages of the campaign used it as an opportunity to reset. Others, including many of the big hitters, have stuttered since the break.
MLS's giants are struggling
The weekend's matchday continued a noticeable trend. Inter Miami, LAFC, Vancouver Whitecaps, Houston Dynamo, San Diego, Cincinnati and New York City FC all failed to win - again.
With the exception of maybe Houston, all of those teams should be revving up now and cruising into the postseason. The Dynamo are on this list because, at one point this year, they looked like a genuine top team in the West. Those days are gone; they seem to be regressing to the mean.
In terms of pure talent, the squads listed above are some of the best in the league, certainly Miami and LAFC. However, they just can't seem to string consistent results together anymore.
Incredibly, Miami haven't won in MLS in a month. In fact, they've only won three league games since the World Cup break, two of them coming against Montreal, who are rock bottom in the East.
Of course, they recently won Campeones Cup by beating Cruz Azul - which was impressive - but the fact of the matter is that Miami have been a rudderless ship in MLS basically since Javier Mascherano quit. Even before that, they weren't particularly scary opposition.
Giving the ball to a 39-year-old Lionel Messi and simply hoping for the best will keep you in the playoffs, but it won't make you Supporters' Shield contenders anymore. Nashville, who look like a well-oiled machine, are head and shoulders above Miami right now in the East.
As for LAFC, their post-World Cup bounce only lasted for three games, when Son Heung-min suddenly figured out how to score goals again. Since then, it's been mostly back to the dull sit-back-and-counter soccer that has now cost Marc dos Santos his job.
He was fired after the weekend's 1-0 loss to Dallas, with LAFC having won just once since July. In that span of 10 games, they have, remarkably, scored just seven goals despite having two of the most potent attackers in MLS in Son and Denis Bouanga. LAFC now sit sixth in the West.
Vancouver, who are still top of the West, haven't been as bad, but they, too, have been dropping points left, right and center since the World Cup break, winning just five of the 12 games they've played.
Selling Sebastian Berhalter mid-season, which looked like good business at the time due to his expiring contract, may have been a bad decision in hindsight. They were playing like one of the MLS Cup favourites with the USMNT star in their team. Now, they look vulnerable.
After the success of their 2025 expansion season, San Diego have been one huge disappointment in 2026, and they could conceivably miss out on the playoffs altogether. They are currently 12th in the West and didn't win a single game in September.
The same applies to Cincinnati and NYCFC in the East. They should be competing with Miami and New England for the top-four, yet they might end up battling each other for the Wild Card spots instead.
Cincinnati can't defend - despite assembling one of the most expensive backlines in all of MLS - while NYCFC can't score. Big-money summer signing Benie Traore has given them absolutely nothing so far.
The Seattle Sounders should also be on the list of underperformers. The fact that they are unbeaten in seven and have won back-to-back matches shouldn't paper over their eight-game losing run that started pre-World Cup and stretched into late August.
The Sounders got too comfortable. Because their "next man up mentality" has worked so well over the years, they rested on their laurels and thought they could just keep moneyballing and relying on academy kids. That losing run was a much-needed reality check.
The Columbus Crew are equally guilty of getting too comfortable because of previous success. They have consistently failed to adequately replace outgoing talent, and this season has ruthlessly exposed that they are no longer the well-oiled machine of the Wilfred Nancy era.
Atlanta, Austin, Toronto and the LA Galaxy could be mentioned here, too, but is anyone even surprised anymore that these teams are "meh" at best?
What is important to say here, though, is that there is no single, unifying reason why a lot of the supposedly best teams in MLS are underperforming. Injuries, bad coaching hires, poor signings and fatigue are just some of the possible explanations.
The summer and the period right before the playoffs are always hectic and punishing. With games coming thick and fast, especially this year due to the World Cup, it is best not to read too much into the struggles of certain teams.
The postseason is ultimately what matters most, and it wouldn't be surprising if some of those currently stuttering suddenly started cooking again when the lights are brightest. Big-game players and the best teams thrive when the pressure is on.
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