Matchday 1 on Feb. 25/26 is now front and center for MLS clubs, having played final preseason games on Friday and Saturday to set the stage for the 2023 campaign.
Nashville SC 6, FC Cincinnati 3
On Friday, these Eastern Conference clubs finished the first 90 minutes deadlocked at 3-3. Wholesale lineup changes from both squads saw Nashville pull away in the extra 30-minute period to beat Cincy 6-3.
Nashville's Alex Muyl and Cincinnati's Sergio Santos led all scorers with two goals apiece, though the highlight of the match belonged to Nashville's Randall Leal, who snagged the opener with a stunning Olimpico.
Goals
- 6' - NSH - Randall Leal
- 21' - NSH - Jacob Shaffelburg
- 28' - NSH
- 34' - CIN - Sergio Santos
- 49' - CIN - Sergio Santos
- 65' - CIN - Luciano Acosta (PK)
- 95' - NSH - Alex Muyl
- 98' - NSH - Alex Muyl
- 118' - NSH
Lineups
- CIN starting XI: Roman Celentano - Santiago Arias, Matt Miazga, Yerson Mosquera, Nick Hagglund, Álvaro Barreal, Yuya Kubo, Junior Moreno, Luciano Acosta, Sergio Santos, Brandon Vazquez
- NSH starting XI: Joe Willis - Shaq Moore, Jack Maher, Walker Zimmerman, Daniel Lovitz, Aníbal Godoy, Sean Davis, Randall Leal, Fafà Picault, Jacob Shaffelburg, Teal Bunbury
Atlanta United 2, St. Louis CITY SC 1
Behind a match-winning penalty kick from Thiago Almada just before halftime, Atlanta took a 2-1 victory over newcomers St. Louis at CITYPARK.
Goals
- 10' - ATL - Luiz Araújo
- 28' - STL - Eduard Löwen
- 1H - ATL - Thiago Almada (PK)
Lineups
- ATL starting XI: Brad Guzan - Andrew Gutman, Juan José Purata, Miles Robinson, Brooks Lennon, Franco Ibarra, Matheus Rossetto, Thiago Almada, Luke Brennan, Jackson Conway, Luiz Araújo
- STL starting XI: Roman Bürki - Jake Nerwinski, Tim Parker, Kyle Hiebert, John Nelson, Eduard Löwen, Njabulo Blom, Tomáš Ostrák, Rasmus Alm, Jared Stroud, João Klauss
Austin FC 2, Inter Miami CF 2
A late equalizer from Austin FC homegrown midfielder Owen Wolff salvaged a 2-2 draw with Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium, negating a would-be winner from Rodolfo Pizarro for the hosts.
Goals
- 53' - ATX - Emiliano Rigoni
- 62' - MIA - Corentin Jean
- 68' - MIA - Rodolfo Pizarro
- 86' - ATX - Owen Wolff
Lineups
- ATX starting XI: Brad Stuver - Zan Kolmanic, Julio Cascante, Leo Vaisanen, Nick Lima - Dani Pereira, Owen Wolff, Sebastian Driussi - Emiliano Rigoni, Diego Fagundez, Gyasi Zardes
- MIA starting XI: Drake Callender - DeAndre Yedlin, Christopher McVey, Sergii Kryvtsov, Franco Negri - Jean Mota, Gregore, Rodolfo Pizarro, Nicolás Stefanelli - Josef Martinez, Leonardo Campana
Real Salt Lake 3, Chicago Fire FC 0
A first-half brace from RSL winger Jefferson Savarino paced a 3-0 win over Chicago at the Desert Showcase in Tucson, Arizona.
Goals
- 22' - RSL - Braian Ojeda
- 40' - RSL - Jefferson Savarino
- 44' - RSL - Jefferson Savarino
Lineups
- RSL starting XI: Zac MacMath - Andrew Brody, Justen Glad, Marcelo Silva, Bryan Oviedo - Jasper Loffelsend, Braian Ojeda - Mikael Chang, Damir Kreilach, Jefferson Savarino - Anderson Julio
- CHI starting XI: Chris Brady - Rafael Czichos, Wyatt Omsberg, Miguel Navarro, Justin Reynolds, Federico Navarro, Xherdan Shaqiri, Jairo Torres, Chris Mueller, Brian Gutiérrez, Kacper Przybyłko
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, Minnesota United FC 0
A stunning volley from Julian Gressel and a late insurance strike from Ryan Gauld were enough as Vancouver downed Minnesota, 2-0, at the Coachella Valley Invitational.
Goals
- 71’ - VAN - Julian Gressel
- 88’ - VAN - Ryan Gauld
Lineups
- VAN starting XI: Yohei Takaoka - Javain Brown, Tristan Blackmon, Ranko Veselinović, Mathías Laborda - Julian Gressel, Andrés Cubas, Alessandro Schöpf - Cristian Dájome, Pedro Vite - Brian White
- MIN starting XI: Dayne St. Clair - Zarek Valentin, Michael Boxall, Miguel Tapias, Kemar Lawrence - Wil Trapp, Robin Lod, Molik Khan - Bongokuhle Hlongwane, Luis Amarilla, Franco Fragapane
Orlando City SC 1, New England Revolution 2
Giacomo Vrioni was a game-changer for New England at Exploria Stadium, scoring an equalizer and helping force the own goal that sealed a 2-1 comeback win over Orlando. The DP striker subbed on at halftime for the Revs.
Goals
- 17' - ORL - Ivan Angulo
- 70' - NE - Giacomo Vrioni
- 82' - NE - Own Goal
Lineups
- NE starting XI: Djordje Petrović - DeJuan Jones, Dave Romney, Henry Kessler, Brandon Bye, Jack Panayotou, Matt Polster, Dylan Borrero, Carles Gil, Damian Rivera, Bobby Wood
- ORL starting XI: Pedro Gallese - Luca Petrasso, Robin Jansson, Rodrigo Schlegel, Michael Halliday, Ivan Angulo, Cesar Araujo, Mauricio Pereyra, Facundo Torres, Martin Ojeda, Duncan McGuire
Portland Timbers 1, New York City FC 0
Portland center back Zac McGraw rose highest to nod home Evander's corner kick, earning a 1-0 win over NYCFC as both clubs concluded their stay at the Coachella Valley Invitational.
Goals
- 72' - POR - Zac McGraw
Lineups
- NYC starting XI: Luis Barraza - Tayvon Gray, Thiago Martins, Maxime Chanot, Braian Cufré, Alfredo Morales, Matías Pellegrini, Keaton Parks, Gabriel Pereira, Thiago Andrade, Talles Magno
- POR starting XI: David Bingham - Pablo Bonilla, Dario Zuparic, Zac McGraw, Justin Rasmussen, Diego Chará, Eryk Williamson, Marvin Loría, Evander, Yimmi Chará, Jaroslaw Niezgoda
New York Red Bulls 2, San Jose Earthquakes 0
Tom Barlow's six-minute brace helped RBNY overcome San Jose 2-0 at the Coachella Valley Invitational, completing their preseason slate with an undefeated record.
Goals
- 11' - RBNY - Tom Barlow
- 17' - RBNY - Tom Barlow
Lineups
- RBNY starting XI: Carlos Coronel - Dylan Nealis, Sean Nealis, Andres Reyes, Frankie Amaya, Cristian Casseres Jr., Cameron Harper, Lewis Morgan, Luquinhas, Tom Barlow, Elias Manoel
- SJ starting XI: JT Marcinkowski - Miguel Trauco, Tanner Beason, Rodrigues, Paul Marie - Carlos Gruezo, Jackson Yueill, Jamiro Monteiro - Cade Cowell, Jeremy Ebobisse, Cristian Espinoza
Philadelphia Union 4, Colorado Rapids 1
The Rapids got another preseason goal from wintertime trade arrival Kevin Cabral, but it wasn't enough to derail Eastern Conference powerhouse Philadelphia from booking a 4-1 victory. Daniel Gazdag, the Union's Best XI midfielder, opened the scoring in a game that included three, 45-minute sessions.
Goals
- 48' - PHI - Daniel Gazdag
- 102' - PHI - Nathan Harriel
- 106' - PHI - Joaquin Torres (PK)
- 108' - COL - Kevin Cabral
- 125' - PHI - Chris Donovan
Lineups
- PHI starting XI: Andre Blake - Kai Wagner, Jack Elliott, Jakob Glesnes, Olivier Mbaizo - Jose Martinez, Alejandro Bedoya, Leon Flach, Daniel Gazdag - Julian Carranza, Mikael Uhre
- COL starting XI: William Yarbrough - Keegan Rosenberry, Andreas Maxsø, Lalas Abubakar, Alex Gersbach, Connor Ronan, Ralph Priso, Cole Bassett, Michael Barrios, Darren Yapi, Sam Nicholson
Columbus Crew 2, Hartford Athletic 1
The Crew stayed tight-lipped as their first preseason under head coach Wilfried Nancy winds down, beating USL Championship side Hartford Athletic 2-1 in Florida.
Charlotte FC 3, Birmingham Legion 2
Charlotte got one first-half goal apiece from each of their Designated Players, beating USL Championship outfit Birmingham 3-2 at Bank of America Stadium. Newcomer Enzo Copetti's strike in the 34th minute stood as the game-winner.
Goals
- 11' - CLT - Kamil Jozwiak
- 26' - CLT - Karol Swiderski
- 34' - CLT - Enzo Copetti
- 45'+1' - BHM
- 71' - BHM
Lineups
- CLT starting XI: Pablo Sisniega - Nathan Byrne, Adilson Malanda, Derrick Jones, Harrison Afful, Ashley Westwood, Brandt Bronico, McKenzie Gaines, Karol Swiderski, Kamil Jozwiak, Enzo Copetti
Houston Dynamo FC 2, FC Dallas 0
Goals from Coco Carrasquilla and Corey Baird gave Houston a 2-0 win over Texas Derby rival Dallas, making the most of their clash at Shell Energy Stadium.
Goals
- 1H - HOU - Coco Carrasquilla
- 2H - HOU - Corey Baird (PK)
Lineups
- DAL starting XI: Not available
- HOU starting XI: Not available
Sporting Kansas City 4, Phoenix Rising FC 2
Sporting KC rode the momentum wave before their Matchday 1 fixture at Portland, beating USL Championship side Phoenix by a 4-2 scoreline. Goalscorers and lineup details weren't shared.
LAFC 3, San Diego Loyal 1
LAFC closed out their preseason slate with a 3-1 win over USL Championship side San Diego. The defending MLS Cup and Supporters' Shield champions got goals from Carlos Vela, Kwadwo Opoku and Denis Bouanga – all of their starting forwards.
Goals
- 21' - LAFC - Carlos Vela
- 38' - SD - Nick Moon
- 57' - LAFC - Kwadwo Opoku
- 83' - LAFC - Denis Bouanga
Lineups
- LAFC starting XI: John McCarthy - Ryan Hollingshead, Jesus Murillo, Giorgio Chiellini, Diego Palacios - Kellyn Acosta, Jose Cifuentes, Timothy Tillman - Kwadwo Opoku, Denis Bouanga, Carlos Vela
LA Galaxy 2, Toronto FC 1
Mark Delgado's long-range blast was the game-winner as LA Galaxy took a 2-1 win over Toronto FC. Homegrown midfielder Efrain Alvarez also scored a fantastic solo goal at their Dignity Health Sports Park home.
Goals
- 27' - LA - Efrain Alvarez
- 52' - LA - Mark Delgado
- 89' - TOR - Ayo Akinola
Lineups
- LA starting XI: Jonathan Bond - Kelvin Leerdam, Jalen Neal, Chris Mavinga, Raheem Edwards - Mark Delgado, Gaston Brugman, Riqui Puig - Efrain Alvarez, Dejan Joveljic, Memo Rodriguez
- TOR starting XI: Sean Johnson - Raoul Petretta, Sigurd Rosted, Matt Hedges, Richie Laryea - Michael Bradley, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Jonathan Osorio - Lorenzo Insigne, Adama Diomande, Federico Bernardeschi
Seattle Sounders FC 2, Louisville City FC 1
Seattle, playing their first game since competing at the 2022 FIFA Club World Cup in Morocco in early February, got back to their winning ways.
First-half goals from Héber and Cristian Roldan created enough cushion for a 2-1 result against perennial USL Championship contender Louisville. The sides met at Seattle's Starfire Sports training complex.
Goals
- 6' - SEA - Héber
- 21' - SEA - Cristian Roldan
- 74' - LOU - Dylan Mares
Lineups
- SEA starting XI: Stefan Frei - Alex Roldan, Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Jackson Ragen, Nouhou - João Paulo, Albert Rusnák - Cristian Roldan, Nico Lodeiro, Jordan Morris - Héber
