Major League Soccer

·26 July 2026

Major League Soccer

·26 July 2026

By Jonathan Sigal

Star names gave teams a big lift, derby matches raised the intensity, and young players grabbed their opportunities — Matchday 18 had a little bit of everything.

Before 2026 MLS All-Star Week gets underway in Charlotte, here is a look back at Saturday’s packed schedule.

As with Matchday 17 in midweek, let us begin with a certain French superstar who may be driving a historic turnaround in Central Florida.

The Griezmann Effect

We are only two matches into Antoine Griezmann’s Orlando City chapter, and the early signs are outstanding.

The Lions opened with a 4-0 midweek win at Western Conference co-leaders San Jose, a game in which the Atlético Madrid icon scored his first MLS goal and delivered five key passes.

Orlando then backed that up with an impressive 1-0 win over Supporters' Shield leaders Nashville SC on the weekend, and the 2018 FIFA World Cup champion once again had a major influence all over the match.

This is very much a case of “a rising tide lifts all boats,” because Orlando were among the league’s biggest underperformers before this summer’s 2026 World Cup break.

But with Griezmann’s world-class quality setting the standard, the atmosphere around Inter.co Stadium has completely changed. All this has come with Martín Ojeda sidelined through injury and transfer talk also circling Marco Pašalić.

Lions supporters are dreaming about how far Griezmann can take them, and with good reason.

Casemiro shows his class

Inter Miami have a well-known edge in the transfer market, meaning players who are eager to chase trophies alongside Lionel Messi and, perhaps, accept less money to do so.

The latest example is Brazilian great Casemiro, who was officially introduced last week as the Herons’ newest superstar after nearly 15 years competing for the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and FC Porto.

The veteran midfielder’s debut came quickly, as he played the full 90 minutes on Saturday night in a 1-0 win at CF Montréal — a match decided by Luis Suárez’s late penalty kick.

Of course, Casemiro is still settling into his new club. Argentina teammates Messi and Rodrigo De Paul are also not yet back from their well-earned World Cup break. And there are still questions about how Guillermo Hoyos can best make use of Casemiro’s varied skill set.

Still, Inter Miami now have their new midfield metronome, and Casemiro only adds to the club’s hopes of defending their MLS Cup crown. That is the impact of bringing in a five-time UEFA Champions League winner who has played at three World Cups.

Two more notes:

Miami are now only two points behind Nashville in the race for the Supporters' Shield and Eastern Conference lead, after winning six straight matches.

Inter Miami confirmed that Germán Berterame, after a frightening head/upper-body injury, is heading home and beginning his recovery. Excellent news.

Son & Bouanga deliver – again

Stop us if you have heard this before: Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga were at it again for LAFC on Saturday night.

The dynamic duo powered a 4-0 rout of Sporting Kansas City, with Son opening the scoring in the fifth minute and Bouanga (2g/1a) adding a brace that came on either side of David Martínez’s first-half goal.

Son and Bouanga have now scored in all three of LAFC’s matches since the World Cup break, and together they have produced a striking 13g/16a this season.

They are beginning to show the level — and the steady end product — that grabbed MLS attention last summer and autumn, when Son arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in a league-record move.

A few more notes:

With Saturday’s display, Bouanga reached double-digit goals for the fourth straight season and moved to 75 total career goals in the MLS regular season.

Son appears to have put South Korea’s disappointing World Cup showing behind him. He is back among the goals and now has a league-leading 10 assists.

The Black & Gold now sit on a Western Conference joint-best 33 points… and they also have the flexibility to sign another Designated Player this summer!

Columbus take Hell is Real

When the latest edition of Hell is Real kicked off on Saturday night, FC Cincinnati had the upper hand. Kévin Denkey scored in the ninth minute, and Evander was controlling the tempo.

But the Columbus Crew turned the match around before half-time, much to the delight of their home crowd. Jamal Thiaré equalised and Dániel Gazdag converted a penalty kick, giving Columbus a 2-1 lead that held until the final whistle.

Was it the Crew’s best performance? No, and they would likely say the same. Even so, it was a very valuable three points during a period of transition, with marquee summer signing Brais Méndez watching from the sidelines and centre-back Eric Bailly still waiting to make his debut.

For now, they have Ohio bragging rights, and they have shown they will not go down without a fight this season — even with star forward Diego Rossi having moved to LIGA MX’s CF Monterrey and striker Wessam Abou Ali recovering from a season-ending knee injury.

Meanwhile, Cincinnati’s 42 goals conceded this season are “good” for the third-most in MLS. As dangerous as they are in the final third, their chances of winning silverware are limited by issues at the back.

DPs drive Houston forward

Houston’s attack was transformed this past winter, with Mateusz Bogusz and Guilherme arriving on DP deals. Bogusz was signed from LIGA MX side Cruz Azul for reportedly up to $10 million, while Guilherme joined from Brazilian Série A club Santos FC.

It is fair to say the Dynamo’s front office had nights like Saturday in mind — a 3-0 home win over Texas rivals Austin FC — when they made that investment in the squad.

Bogusz scored his first brace for the club, with the Polish international producing his best performance for Houston since a stoppage-time winner earlier this season.

And Guilherme? It was more of the same, as he delivered 1g/2a before joining up with the MLS All-Stars to face the LIGA MX All-Stars. That took the Brazilian veteran’s team-leading goal contributions tally to 16 (9g/7a).

Houston are quietly one place outside a home Audi MLS Cup Playoffs match, sitting fifth in the West on 26 points. That is the result of losing just once in their last seven games.

Cali Clásico craziness

When Timo Werner stepped up for a 95th-minute penalty kick, the winner was on his right boot.

His San Jose Earthquakes, then level at 1-1 with the LA Galaxy, were effectively handed a chance to score a walk-off winner — and it would have sent Stanford Stadium into chaos with more than 43,000 fans packed in for the latest Cali Clásico.

However, Galaxy goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski had other ideas. The experienced shot-stopper and former Quakes keeper dived to his left and kept out the German star’s effort, preserving a draw for the visitors.

LA are still without a win in four games and have a major roster gap to fill after moving out DP winger Gabriel Pec. But perhaps Marcinkowski’s save can help spark a turnaround.

St. Louis CITY are on a roll

The most in-form team in MLS, apart from Inter Miami? That is none other than St. Louis CITY SC.

Yoann Damet’s side has gone unbeaten in seven games, winning six of them. Their latest success came on Saturday night, when Tomáš Ostrák’s 83rd-minute stunner sealed a 1-0 win over the Colorado Rapids.

St. Louis have moved up to seventh in the West and are on track to reach the playoffs for the first time since their 2023 expansion season.

That comes as St. Louis continue to integrate newcomer Alexandru Mățan and are reportedly preparing to make Carlo Holse a DP, signing the Danish international from Samsunspor in the Turkish Süper Lig.

We will be watching closely to see how far St. Louis can push this revival in Damet’s first season.

Harrison sees Revs in full flight

Just before kick-off against Atlanta United on Saturday night, the New England Revolution officially announced Jack Harrison as their new DP signing.

That was not especially surprising: fans had already spotted him at Gillette Stadium, and reports had circulated all week that the club would sign him from English Premier League side Leeds United.

But did the Revs expect Harrison to watch as his new team stormed to a 4-1 win over Atlanta United? Probably not.

The Englishman saw Carles Gil run the attack, Dor Turgeman return to the scoresheet, and US youth internationals Peyton Miller and Brooklyn Raines add goals of their own.

The Revs are now third in the East on 29 points, and they have added a proven, high-end winger in Harrison. He is very familiar with MLS, having begun his professional career with New York City FC in 2016-17. He also knows the region well, having attended prep school as a teenager.

New England have become a strong side under first-year head coach Marko Mitrović, and now they get a boost in the final third at a position of need on the left wing.

Mora’s emotional exit

It was straight out of a storybook at Providence Park on Saturday night.

Felipe Mora, playing his final match in Portland Timbers colours, scored a brace in the club’s 2-1 win over Real Salt Lake.

The Chilean international is reportedly set to join LIGA MX side Atlético de San Luis soon, bringing an end to a run of more than six seasons and 173 matches in Portland.

So when Mora was taken off in the 72nd minute… emotional does not even begin to describe it.

Trouble in Chicago?

So, this is not ideal!

Mbokazi was arguably Chicago’s best player in the first half of the season and had come off a strong World Cup with South Africa. His long-term injury is a massive setback for the club.

Chicago do have options at centre-back. Jack Elliott and Joel Waterman are proven in MLS, and there is major upside in homegrown Christopher Cupps, although he is currently with the US U-20s. Sam Rogers and Mauricio Pineda are other possibilities.

But Mbokazi was so important to the way the Fire play, and replacing his emergency defending, line-breaking passes and strength in duels is no easy task. That was clear in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at New York City FC.

On top of that, Chicago are still waiting for Robert Lewandowski’s first goal for the club. The Polish superstar came off the bench for this away match.

Philly find momentum

The Philadelphia Union have won back-to-back matches under interim coach Ryan Richter, with their latest being a 1-0 win over injury-hit Seattle Sounders FC thanks to Milan Iloski’s team-high ninth goal of the year.

We are paying close attention to how teenage homegrowns and USMNT prospects Cavan Sullivan and Neil Pierre have earned starting roles. Sullivan has found another gear since the World Cup break, creating chances and showing a willingness to try s--t on the ball.

Reminder: he is still only 16 years old.

Vancouver… without Berhalter?

Whitecaps fans have recently had a glimpse of life without Sebastian Berhalter, beginning with a 4-3 defeat at FC Cincinnati in midweek and continuing with a 0-0 draw at Minnesota United FC on Saturday.

The reason? The USMNT midfielder is reportedly set to join EFL Championship side Middlesbrough soon, moving abroad for a $2 million fee before his contract expires this winter.

That would be a major blow for Vancouver, who still share the lead in the West on 33 points. But replacing Berhalter will not be easy, and we are watching closely to see what they plan to do in the summer transfer market.