GOAL takes a look at five of MLS' most underperforming squads, examining how and why things are going wrong to begin 2025
Three weeks into the MLS season, there are clear frontrunners at the top. The Columbus Crew are unbeaten, as Wilfried Nancy's men continue to impress, while Inter Miami joins them among the East elite. The Vancouver Whitecaps and Philadelphia Union, however, are the only teams to win their opening three games of the season as both unexpectedly surge.
Opposite, at the bottom of the standings though, three teams sit without a point: Sporting Kansas City, CF Montreal, and… reigning champions, LA Galaxy. Two others, the New England Revolution and the Portland Timbers, are struggling mightily as well.
All five teams, in their own way, were looking to build off positive momentum from the 2025 offseason. So far though, it's been nothing short of woeful, and they've become the Not-So-Fantastic Five.
GOAL examines how and why this group of clubs, in particular, is struggling to begin the campaign.
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The Galaxy, 2024 MLS Cup champions, are officially off to the worst start to an MLS season by any reigning champion in league history. Three losses through three matches with a negative-6 goal-differential, LA has struggled mightily in all aspects of the game to start the campaign in unexpected fashion.
However, is it that shocking? Yes, it is – but looking big picture – there are understandable reasons why things don't appear the same on the pitch.
They're without the key centerpiece of their midfield in midfielder Riqui Puig, who is sidelined with an ACL tear, and star winger Joseph Paintsil – who is dealing with a calf injury to begin the season. Then, they lost their leading goalscorer Dejan Joveljic to Sporting Kansas City this offseason after the Serbia international departed for a reported $4M fee. That's three key members of the attack alone.
In fact, their MLS Cup winning XI from December and their opening day XI in 2025 had five different faces representing the Galaxy – signaling significant changes.
Manager Greg Vanney has his hands full to turn their form around, but it's still very early in the season, and there are truly no doubts that the Galaxy will find their way back into the competitive mix in the Western Conference. The one positive LA has going for them is they turned around a 1-0 deficit in the CONCACAF Champions Cup to Herediano, defeating the Costa Rican side 4-1 in leg two to advance to the quarterfinal of the competition.
Matchday 4 presents them with a favorable matchup against the Timbers as well. The likes of Marco Reus and Gabriel Pec, if they trust each other and those around them, could finally unleash their attacking prowess and get their first points of the season.
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Phil Neville’s Timbers are off to a rough start, sitting at 1-2 through the opening three matches. Their lone win came on Matchday 2, a late 89th-minute free kick from David Da Costa that secured a victory over Austin. The strike was more fluke than precision, but three points are three points. Still, it doesn’t change the troubling trajectory the club is on.
They opened the season with a humbling 4-1 loss to the Whitecaps and followed it with a 2-0 shutout defeat to Nashville SC on Matchday 3 – both marked by the same glaring issue: poor defending.
The backline collapsed against Vancouver, conceding four avoidable goals after veteran centerback Kamal Miller was sent off just 11 minutes into the match. Against Austin – a struggling side in their own right – Portland’s defense showed some improvement but was rarely tested. Any progress, however, was undone in Nashville.
The Timbers gave away two penalty kicks within the opening 18 minutes, but goalkeeper James Pantemis bailed them out with two stunning saves. His reward? His defenders collapsed twice — conceding in first-half stoppage time and again midway through the second half in a 2-0 loss.
Neville has every right to be frustrated with his defense’s shaky start, but ultimately, it’s his responsibility to fix it. Questions about Portland’s lack of defensive reinforcements in the offseason are already looming over Neville and the club’s decision-makers. But regardless of the roster, the Timbers’ backline hasn’t even reached the basic standard expected in MLS so far in 2025.
New England Revolution
The Revs were arguably MLS' most shocking performers in 2024. They brought in a former MLS Cup-winning manager in Caleb Porter, some high-profile signings, and expected to return back to the top of the East. Instead, it was a disaster – from Porter feuding with players and media alike – to his roster critically underperforming. Despite a 14th place in the East, he returned in 2025 and completely overhauled the roster seeing more than 11 players depart the club over the offseason. In terms of incomings, they spent an MLS record GAM fee of $2.5M on Leonardo Campana and brought in a handful of MLS veterans to surround him with. The result?
One point through three matches courtesy of a 0-0 draw with Nashville SC. Since? They've been shut out two times, a shocking return on investment in their attack.
"I think just overall we need to stick to our process, and we need to stay in our reality. Our reality is an honest one, it's an objective one. It's a reality where we look at everything and look at the film, and we understand the good and we understand what needs to improve. So, I think that's really important and that gives us perspective on where we're at. We're three games into a season, and we have a bunch of new players. We need time," Porter shared with the media after their Matchday 3 loss to the Philadelphia Union.
Apple TV's Taylor Twellman said it best: New England needs Porter to be better.
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Sporting missed the postseason in 2024 and have opened 2025 winless in five matches across all competitions, without a single point to their name. In MLS play, they've now suffered 10 straight losses dating back to the 2024 regular season. It’s been nothing short of a disaster for the Western Conference side, with underperformance across every part of the pitch.
MLS’s new documentary series pulled back the curtain on Sporting’s struggles, with the club’s ownership openly discussing the possibility of firing Peter Vermes in the offseason. Vermes himself admitted that it would have been a fair decision – but also explained why sticking with him made sense. In the end, Vermes, who has been with the club since before its 2010 rebrand to Sporting KC, is now tasked with steering the ship back on course.
So far, though, there’s little reason for optimism.
The big-money signing of Dejan Joveljic was supposed to be a turning point, but Sporting has struggled to build the right supporting cast around him. New Designated Player Manu Garcia has shown flashes of quality, but he’s still adjusting to the physicality and pace of MLS.
Defensively, it’s been even worse. USMNT prospect Jake Davis has been forced to play at right back despite his natural position being in midfield. Meanwhile, centerbacks Joaquin Fernandez, Danny Rosero, and Robert Voloder have failed to show they are MLS-caliber options. Individual mistakes have piled up, repeatedly letting down Vermes and the squad.
Ultimately, it’s up to Vermes and Sporting’s ownership to decide if this group of players has what it takes to compete in MLS. If not, Sporting could be headed for another forgettable season – and Vermes could be out of a job for the first time in 16 years.