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

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

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

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

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