With the 2023 MLS campaign three short weeks away, over a dozen clubs played preseason matches on Saturday and Sunday at home or abroad.
All participants except Houston Dynamo FC (at Mexico's Tlaxcala FC) and Columbus Crew (vs. USL Championship's Pittsburgh Riverhounds) reported scores and game details.
Austin FC 5, El Paso Locomotive 0
Austin FC earned their first victory of 2023 preseason camp, steamrolling USL Championship (second division) side El Paso Locomotive by a 5-0 scoreline across a 120-minute match.
Superstar attacker Sebastián Driussi opened the scoring at Austin's St. David's Performance Center, before veteran striker Maxi Urruti iced the match late on.
Goals
- 15' - ATX - Sebastián Driussi
- 33' - ATX - Owen Wolff
- 70' - ATX - David Rodríguez
- 72' - ATX - Ethan Finlay
- 110' - ATX - Maxi Urruti
Lineups
- ATX starting XI: Brad Stuver - Žan Kolmanič, Leo Väisänen, Julio Cascante, Nick Lima - Alex Ring, Owen Wolff, Sebastián Driussi - Diego Fagundez, Emiliano Rigoni, Will Bruin (trialist)
Charlotte FC 1, Vancouver Whitecaps FC 1
An 85th-minute strike from Vancouver striker Simon Becher salvaged a 1-1 draw with Charlotte FC, who first went ahead on Kerwin Vargas' deflected cross that goalkeeper Thomas Hasal couldn't parry away.
Both teams were playing their second match at the Coachella Valley Invitational in Indio, Calif.
Goals
- 65' - CLT - Own goal
- 85' - VAN - Simon Becher
Lineups
- CLT starting XI: George Marks - Jaylin Lindsey, Adilson Malanda, Derrick Jones, Jan Sobociński, Brandt Bronico, Chris Hegardt, McKinze Gaines, Karol Świderski, Kerwin Vargas, Enzo Copetti
- CLT second XI: George Marks - Nathan Byrne, Jack Neeley, Hamady Diop, Felipe Mora, Ben Bender, Harrison Afful, Nuno Santos, Vinicius Mello, Kamil Jozwiak, Andre Shinyashiki
- VAN starting XI: Thomas Hasal - Luís Martins, Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Javain Brown, Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Russell Teibert, Ryan Gauld, Cristian Dájome, Brian White
- VAN second XI: Thomas Hasal - Ryan Raposo, Mathías Laborda, Karifa Yao, Ali Ahmed, Kamron Habibullah, Sebastian Berhalter, Alessandro Schöpf, Pedro Vite, Levonte Johnson, Simon Becher
Sporting Kansas City 2, Louisville City FC 2
A second-half brace from Sporting KC midfielder Remi Walter clawed back a 2-2 draw against perennial USL Championship contender Louisville City during a closed-door preseason game in Phoenix, Ariz.
Walter first deposited a penalty kick that SKC winger Marinos Tzionis drew, then he cleaned up Jake Davis' corner kick as full-time neared.
Goals
- 54' - LOU - Jorge Gonzalez
- 67' - LOU - Wilson Harris
- 75' - SKC - Remi Walter
- 90' - SKC - Remi Walter
Lineups
- SKC starting XI: John Pulskamp - Kayden Pierre, Kortne Ford, Andreu Fontàs, Ben Sweat - Felipe Hernández, Cam Duke, Danny Flores - Johnny Russell, Shaun Joash (trialist), Yeison Mejía (trialist)
- SKC second XI: Kendall McIntosh - Graham Zusi, Chris Rindov, Robert Voloder, Logan Ndenbe - Roger Espinoza, Remi Walter, Jake Davis - Marinos Tzionis, Pau Vidal, Daniel Salloi
Atlanta United 1, Atlante FC 4
Atlanta opened their Mexican preseason stay by battling Liga de Expansión MX side Atlante (second tier) to a 4-1 loss on aggregate.
Playing two 60-minute games (30-minute halves) with two different lineups, the Five Stripes drew the first encounter 1-1 before losing the second clash 3-0. Brazilian midfielder Matheus Rossetto was Atlanta's sole goalscorer on the day.
Goals
- 2H - ATL - Matheus Rossetto
Lineups
- ATL first XI: Brad Guzan - Miles Robinson, Juan José Purata, Brooks Lennon, Andrew Gutman, Franco Ibarra, Matheus Rossetto, Caleb Wiley, Luiz Araújo, Thiago Almada, Machop Chol
- ATL second XI: Clément Diop - Aiden McFadden, Noah Cobb, Kofi Twumasi, Ronald Hernández, Santiago Sosa, Nick Firmino, Alan Carleton, Tyler Young, Jackson Conway, Luke Brennan
Orlando City SC 3, Florida International University 1
Martín Ojeda, Orlando's new Designated Player, scored twice after a scoreless first half to power a 3-1 victory over collegiate side FIU. Ojeda joined this offseason from Argentine top-flight side Godoy Cruz.
Duncan McGuire, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas, also scored for the Lions. The Creighton University product remains unsigned and last month won the 2022 MAC Hermann Trophy award, which is presented annually to college soccer's top player.
Goals
- 47' - ORL - Duncan McGuire
- 50' - ORL - Martín Ojeda
- 59' - ORL - Martín Ojeda
- 2H - FIU
Lineups
- ORL starting XI: Pedro Gallese - Iván Angulo, César Araújo, Wilder Cartagena, Jack Lynn, Shak Mohammed, Martín Ojeda, Luca Petrasso, Mauricio Pereyra, Abdi Salim, Rodrigo Schlegel
LA Galaxy 1, New York City FC 2
NYCFC spoiled LA's preseason match at Dignity Health Sports Park, despite Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez scoring a temporary equalizer for the hosts.
Go-ahead tallies from Thiago Andrade and John Denis sealed the 2-1 victory, while new NYCFC goalkeeper Matt Freese stopped a late Douglas Costa penalty kick to frustrate the Galaxy. Denis spent last year in MLS NEXT Pro playing for NYCFC II.
Goals
- 37' - NYC - Thiago Andrade
- 51' - LA - Chicharito
- 83' - NYC - John Denis
Lineups
- LA starting XI: Jonathan Bond - Martin Caceres, Séga Coulibaly, Jalen Neal, Raheem Edwards, Daniel Aguirre, Gaston Brugman, Mark Delgado, Riqui Puig, Dejan Joveljic, Chicharito
- NYC starting XI: Luis Barraza - Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Maxime Chanot, Kevin O'Toole - Alfredo Morales, Keaton Parks, Justin Haak - Andres Jasson, Talles Magno, Thiago Andrade
San Jose Earthquakes 2, Monterey Bay FC 1
The Earthquakes did just enough to overcome USL Championship side Monterey Bay, 2-1, getting goals from Jeremy Ebobisse and Daniel Munie on either side of halftime.
Ebobisse capped a flowing move with a near-range finish, while Munie headed home Niko Tsakiris' out-swinging corner kick. Munie was San Jose's first-round pick (No. 10 overall) in the 2023 MLS SuperDraft presented by adidas.
Goals
- 28' - SJ - Jeremy Ebobisse
- 44' - MBFC - Walmer Martinez
- 85' - SJ - Daniel Munie
Lineups
- SJ starting XI: Not available
Philadelphia Union 2, New England Revolution 0
The Philadelphia Union stayed undefeated in preseason, beating the New England Revolution behind goals from Dániel Gazdag and Jesús Bueno during Sunday's lone match. The Eastern Conference foes went face-to-face in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
Deploying two vastly different formations in each half, the MLS Cup 2022 runners-up opened the score 10 minutes before the break through familiar means, with Gazdag – the club's top scorer last season (22 goals) – connecting with attacking partner Julián Carranza.
With 20 minutes left on the clock, Bueno put the game to bed by slotting home Mikael Uhre's partially saved shot.
Goals
- 35' - PHI - Dániel Gazdag
- 70' - PHI - Jesús Bueno
Lineups
- PHI starting XI: Andre Blake - Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Brandan Craig, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo - Jack McGlynn, Jose Martinez - Dániel Gazdag - Julián Carranza, Quinn Sullivan
- PHI second XI: Andre Blake - Matt Real, Brandan Craig, Damion Lowe, Nathan Harriel - Jesús Bueno, Leon Flach, Alejandro Bedoya - Andrés Perea, Joaquín Torres - Mikael Uhre
- NE starting XI: Djordje Petrović - Ryan Spaulding, Dave Romney, Christian Makoun, Brandon Bye, Joshua Bolma - Latif Blessing, Jack Panayotou, Carles Gil - Dylan Borrero, Jozy Altidore
- NE second XI: Earl Edwards Jr. - Dave Romney, Christian Makoun, Brandon Bye - Joshua Bolma, Carles Gil, Jack Panayotou, Latif Blessing, Emmanuel Boateng - Justin Rennicks, Giacomo Vrioni
