2026 MLS season: 5 things we learned from Matchday 1

Analysis

The 2026 MLS season has kicked off, providing a clean slate for all 30 of the league’s clubs.

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami will look to defend its MLS Cup championship, while the reigning Supporters’ Shield-winning Philadelphia Union will look to make it two seasons in a row with the most regular-season points in the league.

But neither team got off to a winning start, which sets the tone for what should be a fascinating season in one of the world’s most evenly-matched competitions.

Here are the five things we learned from matchday one in the 2026 MLS season.

1. LAFC look dominant against Inter Miami in first match of post-Steve Cherundolo era

Speed and space made the difference in Los Angeles FC’s 3-0 victory over Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami on Saturday.

In the first MLS match since Steve Cherundolo ended his successful four-season tenure and his former assistant, Marc Dos Santos, took over, it looked like LAFC did not skip a beat.

Miami played a high line against a front three of Heung-min Son, Denis Bouanga, and David Martinez. The Herons’ defenders found themselves chasing after those attackers on multiple occasions, including in the build-up to each of the first two goals of the match.

LAFC held just 32 percent of possession in a home match, but they game-planned to perfection, allowing little space for Messi and company to operate while blocking six of Miami’s 12 shots.

2. Inter Miami need to show flexibility

As the last entry indicates, Miami dominated possession but could not get close to LAFC’s goal. The Herons averaged the most goals per game (2.5) last season, and the third-highest share of possession (55.9%).

LAFC allowed Miami to have the ball but provided the visitors no space to operate, and it worked like a charm. Miami’s best chance arrived when Messi curled a shot between two LAFC defenders, but the ball sailed past the upper left corner.

This match showed Miami that they will not always win by passing the ball in front of the opposing defence. Sometimes their talent will see them through, but LAFC just gave the rest of the league a blueprint to frustrate Messi and company.

This is Javier Mascherano’s first managerial job at the senior level, but he will need to alter his approach when facing disciplined low blocks.

3. Sam Surridge and Warren Madrigal lead Nashville SC to huge win

None of Nashville SC’s four goals in its 4-1 win over the New England Revolution will be considered for any goal of the season awards, but the team will find it hard to find any faults with such an emphatic performance in its season-opening match.

Sam Surridge scored twice in the first 16 minutes, 2022 MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar found the scoresheet just before halftime, and offseason signing Warren Madrigal often found himself in the right areas and produced a goal and an assist in his MLS debut.

After scoring 25 goals in 37 MLS appearances last season, Surridge looks set to build upon what was his best MLS season to date. The ex-Nottingham Forest centre-forward, signed for €5.8 million in 2023, more than doubled his goal tally from 12 in 2024 to the 25 he scored in ’25.

Cristian Espinoza, one of the best crossers in MLS who was signed on a free this offseason, plays to his usual standards on the wing opposite Madrigal, Nashville might suddenly have one of the best attacking units in the league.

The Revolution are likely not going to be close to the top of the Eastern Conference, but if this performance is indicative of the season to come, Nashville will be a surprise Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup contender.

4. New York Red Bulls the only youth-focused team to triumph

A handful of teams started first XIs with an average age of 25 or lower this weekend, but of those clubs, only the New York Red Bulls were able to emerge victorious.

The Philadelphia Union (25.0 average age) lost 1-0 to DC United, CF Montreal (24.3) were blown out 5-0 by San Diego FC, Sporting KC (24.0) were defeated 3-0 by the San Jose Earthquakes, and the Colorado Rapids (23.5) fell 2-0 to Seattle Sounders FC.

The Red Bulls, meanwhile, started three players aged 17 or younger: Julian Hall, Adri Mehmeti, and Matthew Dos Santos. New first-team manager Michael Bradley, the former United States Men’s National Team midfielder who coached the Red Bulls reserves last year, also brought 17-year-old Tanner Rosborough off the bench for a late cameo.

NYRB beat Orlando City SC 2-1, with Hall scoring both goals and Mehmeti assisting the second. They could have won by more if Orlando goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau had not saved 11 of the Red Bulls’ 13 shots on target, but they also could have drawn had new signing Justin Che, who spent time with the reserves of Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim, had not made a clearance off the line.

5. Charlotte FC’s Kristijan Kahlina may be in for long season

St. Louis City hosted Charlotte FC in the first game to kick off on matchday one, and while it ended in a 1-1 draw, it felt at times like City were dominating.

Statistically, they did.

The hosts out-shot the visitors 22-8 and had 11 shots on target to Charlotte’s three. St. Louis took 15 shots from inside the penalty area. That’s in a game which saw a nearly even balance of possession at 52-48 percent in favor of St. Louis.

Charlotte’s 33-year-old Croatian goalkeeper Kristjian Kahlina, the 2024 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, was in peak form as he made 10 saves. It was the first game with double-digit saves in his MLS career, which began in 2022.

Dean Smith, the ex-Aston Villa manager who now leads Charlotte, should expect better from the outfield players. A team with Wilfried Zaha leading the attack and former Premier League players Tim Ream and Harry Toffolo in defence should be able to prevent a team that missed the playoffs in each of the last two seasons from making inroads so frequently.

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