2026 MLS Western Conference: Preview, Season Predictions—Repeat Success in Store

Major League Soccer’s 31st regular season tips off on Feb. 21, and the Western Conference once again looks wide open. Parity has ruled MLS since its inception; last year’s evidence came when 2024 champions LA Galaxy tumbled to 14th place. With every club believing the door is ajar, here is a team-by-team roadmap to what awaits in 2026.

St. Louis CITY SC overhauled both roster and front office after a turbulent 2025. Sporting director Corey Wray and manager Yoann Damet inherited a squad that had already said goodbye to 12 players, including former DP striker João Klauss. Incoming reinforcements include 22-year-old midfielder Daniel Edelman, fresh from a 2024 MLS Cup run with Red Bull New York, and towering center-back Mamadou Mbacke Fall, returning to MLS after a stint with Barcelona. The makeover is ambitious, yet the payoff may lie beyond 2026.

Sporting Kansas City endured a winter of sweeping change under new general manager David Lee and manager Raphaël Wicky. Twenty roster moves later, the club still revolves around 18-goal scorer Dejan Joveljić. Whether trade acquisitions Justin Reynolds and Calvin Harris can raise the floor will decide if the perennial Western power can escape the cellar.

Colorado Rapids bet their future on Paxten Aaronson, the $8.5 million replacement for departed creator Djordje Mihailovic. The 22-year-old’s first seven matches yielded only one goal, leaving questions about his readiness to anchor the attack. First-time MLS head coach Matt Wells must also fill the voids left by Cole Bassett, Andreas Maxsø and Oliver Larraz.

Real Salt Lake said goodbye to the core that eked into last year’s Wild Card round. Fifth-year manager Pablo Mastroeni will lean on teenage attacker Chance Cowell and Dutch loanee Zach Booth to reignite an offense that slipped from third in the West in 2024 to the playoff fringe in 2025.

Portland Timbers manager Phil Neville begins his fourth season with a remodeled spine. David Ayala, Felipe Carballo and Maxime Crépeau are gone, while David da Costa and James Pantemis step into larger roles. Free-agent defender Brandon Bye adds 192 games of MLS savvy, but the fitness of DP striker Jonathan Rodríguez—limited to 150 minutes last year—could determine whether Portland stays in the playoff hunt.

Minnesota United’s trademark counterpress faces stress tests after the departures of leading scorer Tani Oluwaseyi, 2025 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, midfielder Robin Lod and manager Eric Ramsay. Interim boss Cameron Knowles will hope Colombian star James Rodríguez, signed through at least June, can recapture top form and paper over a squad suddenly short on identity between the sticks.

San Jose Earthquakes lured German forward Timo Werner for a reclamation project under Bruce Arena. With Cristian Espinoza, Josef Martínez and Cristian Arango gone, the club will rise or fall on whether a player with 24 goals for Germany can rediscover his scoring touch in MLS.

FC Dallas ended 2025 on an upswing after severing ties with Luciano Acosta. Petar Musa’s 18-goal benchmark remains the reference point, while goalkeeper Michael Collodi, U22 midfielder Ran Binyamin and Swedish full-back Herman Johansson aim to accelerate the growth curve under second-year manager Eric Quill.

LA Galaxy missed Riqui Puig for the entire 2025 campaign and finished second-bottom. Puig’s continued rehab leaves the creative burden on Marco Reus, Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil, with new DP striker João Klauss—acquired from St. Louis—tasked with supplying instant offense. Manager Greg Vanney, now under a fresh contract, believes the 2024 champions can rebound toward the top.

Austin FC cleared cap space and imported difference-makers in Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres and Canadian attacker Jayden Nelson. A healthy Brandon Vázquez pairs with Torres to give manager Nico Estévez the strike force that never materialized during last season’s first-round exit.

Seattle Sounders FC welcome a clean injury report after an injury-riddled 2025 that limited Paul Arriola to cameo appearances. Cristian Roldan anchors midfield in a season that will be played without Obed Vargas, whose eleventh-hour transfer to Atlético Madrid leaves a 26-start hole. Depth additions Ryan Sailor, Hassani Dotson and re-signed homegrown Paul Rothrock could prove pivotal as Seattle chases silverware in a World Cup-host city.

Houston Dynamo believe an aggressive winter haul lifts them back into the postseason. Polish attacker Mateusz Bogusz, Brazilian DP winger Guilherme and veteran Mexican midfielder Héctor Herrera join a squad managed by Ben Olsen, who guided the Orange and Black to the 2023 MLS Cup final.

San Diego FC, the expansion darlings who captured the West with a record 63 points, now juggle Champions Cup obligations. How the sophomore side handles continental travel could shape the entire conference race.

From Galaxy redemption stories to Werner’s rebirth, the 2026 Western Conference promises another year where any club can surge—or stumble. Picking a repeat champion feels foolhardy in MLS, yet the ingredients are there for several sides to chase a familiar throne.