Major League Soccer

·23 July 2026

Major League Soccer

·23 July 2026

By Charles Boehm

After a burst of action in the closing days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup last week, MLS came back in full force on Wednesday with 15 matches featuring all 30 clubs from coast to coast.

With so much going on, evenings like this can feel like trying to drink from a firehose, so here is a guide to help make sense of a frantic Matchday 17.

Lions catch Grizi vibes

Can one big-name signing really transform an entire team?

That is the question being tested at Orlando City, who travelled across the continent to produce a superb 4-0 thrashing of the San Jose Earthquakes on the MLS debut of French great Antoine Griezmann.

With ‘Grizi’ scoring and creating a match-high five chances, and Eduard Atuesta delivering a hat trick of assists, the Lions looked like an entirely different side from the flawed group whose defensive softness in the first half of the season had put them on course to break league records for the most goals conceded.

It was harsh on Timo Werner and the Quakes, especially since the teams’ expected-goals figures were almost the same, while the away side were lifted by seven excellent saves from Canada international Max Crépeau.

“Antoine has been such a success for the club, on and off the field, already,” said Crépeau of Griezmann. “In the locker room, such a beautiful soul, such a good person that wants to work – you've seen him running up and down the whole 90, gives us a lot of freedom on and off the ball, and the discipline – you can see what he brings onto the field when we combine with one another close to him.

"So it’s delightful, amazing to play with one of those top-class players.”

Sonny: Sizzling, suddenly

Wednesday’s late games produced fireworks across California, in fact. Down in Los Angeles, Son Heung-Min delivered 1g/1a to lead a 3-1 LAFC home win over Real Salt Lake, with the Korean star showing his top-level quality after scoring his first league goal of the season in last week’s El Tráfico victory over rivals LA Galaxy.

That makes it three straight wins for the Black & Gold, with the Sonny-Denis Bouanga frontline finally looking like the dangerous pairing from last season’s run-in. For Son, it is a welcome reset after a hugely disappointing World Cup campaign with South Korea.

“That wasn't easy for Son. He loves the national team very much,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said in Spanish after the victory. “But when he returned with us, he knew that the national team was one thing and our world at LAFC was another. Our approach was to give him as much confidence as possible, which is exactly what we did.

"So look, I hope he can keep going. We’ll always be careful with his minutes, because we want him to reach the playoffs in good shape.”

Another wild one in Miami

Inter Miami began the second half of their season in, let us say, less than ideal fashion: an early mistake from goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, who missed a back pass from teammate Ian Fray as Chicago Fire FC’s new star Robert Lewandowski pressed him, and was punished with an ugly own goal at Nu Stadium.

There is some steel under those bright pink kits, though.

With new signing Casemiro watching on, the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions fought back to claim a 3-2 win, even with stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul getting some required rest after their roles in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.

And it was all about the front-line partnership of Germán Berterame and 39-year-old legend Luis Suárez, who combined beautifully to create the Herons’ second and third goals, with a major assist from 20-year-old homegrown youngster Preston Plambeck, who smashed in the rebound for the winner in only his fourth MLS appearance.

No team has scored more goals so far this season than Miami, who remain must-watch viewing even while their biggest names are away.

A Cincy barnburner

Speaking of goals scored, FC Cincinnati are just behind the Herons in that category, and they showed that attacking power to break open the tightest defence in the Western Conference as Vancouver Whitecaps FC visited TQL Stadium for a thrilling 4-3 shootout.

While the ‘Caps were boosted by the long-awaited return of star playmaker Ryan Gauld after months out with a tricky knee injury, this match was all about Evander.

FCC’s Brazilian playmaker scored once and set up another, with the assist going to Pavel Bucha to complete a brace for the versatile Czech and put Cincy in a strong position for their Hell is Real clash with Ohio rivals Columbus Crew at the weekend.

Also worth noting here: Vancouver’s midfield metronome Sebastian Berhalter did not play, amid reports that he could soon be moving to an unnamed European club. His fellow All-Star Thomas Müller also did not feature, having been left on the bench by coach Jesper Sørensen.

DametBall? St. Louis strengthen

After a difficult start to life under first-year head coach Yoann Damet, in which they managed only one win in their first 10 league matches (1W-6L-3D), St. Louis CITY SC are now in full flow.

The Ravioli Boyz followed last week’s cross-Missouri derby victory over Sporting Kansas City with a deserved 3-1 win over LA Galaxy in their own stadium, with Marcel Hartel outshining fellow German Marco Reus with 1g/2a as STL grow more confident in Damet’s game model with every passing matchday.

That is five wins and no losses for the Midwestern side since mid-May, and they have now moved above the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line in the Western Conference table.

Seattle’s struggles

Long seen as a model of steady competitiveness, the Seattle Sounders suddenly find themselves in a bad spell, now on an unattractive four-game losing run. Last week’s shocking, historic 5-1 Cascadia Cup home defeat to bitter rivals Portland Timbers has now been followed by a 3-1 loss to Austin FC on a fiercely hot July night in central Texas.

After the two teams exchanged first-half goals, it looked like the Rave Green would leave with a point on the road, but teenage homegrown Ervin Torres came off the bench and produced two late assists for ATX – the first goal contributions of his early first-team career – to spark celebration at Q2 Stadium.

The Sounders’ frustration was obvious as veteran Albert Rusnák dropped an S-bomb to stress the need for a turnaround when they travel to Philadelphia this weekend.

“With four losses in a row, yeah, we may need to shift to more focus on results rather than performance. Because I don't really think that any of us give a sh** how it's going to happen,” he said.

“We're just going to have to get a win. I mean, if you play ugly for 100 minutes, none of us care at this moment in time. Looking at the next game, which is in a couple days, we need the result. That's the only way to get out of this hole that we find ourselves in.”

Signs of DOOP life

Seattle’s trip to Philly looks more difficult than it did a few weeks ago, given that the last-place Union looked much more like their old, Supporters’ Shield-winning selves in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Red Bull New York.

Milan Iloski’s early goal gave the DOOP side a dream start, teenage prodigy Cavan Sullivan impressed, Kai Wagner made a happy return from English club Birmingham City and homegrown Neil Pierre scored on his season debut as Philly earned their first home win in 2026 league play in their first game under interim head coach Ryan Richter, who took over from last season’s MLS Coach of the Year Bradley Carnell.

Subaru Park remains a nightmare venue for RBNY, whose ongoing winless run at the ground goes back to 2018.

“You could feel the energy in the stadium from everyone that was involved,” said Richter, “and it's so important for us to start this in the right way.”

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