MLS is back! These are the must-watch games on opening weekend

Tom Weber

• 21 Feb 2026 11:30 CST
• 6 min read

Analysis

The 2026 Major League Soccer season kicks off today.

The top division of football in the United States returns on Saturday when St. Louis CITY SC play host to Charlotte FC in the opener of the 2026 season. All games can be watched on Apple TV in the US and the UK.

Inter Miami and record Ballon d'Or winner Lionel Messi will look to defend their crown after winning their first MLS Cup in 2025, and they have certainly invested as if they are intent on dominating MLS for years to come.

However, other franchises will offer stiff resistance this term. Last year's other finalists, the Vancouver Whitecaps, are coming off their best campaign in club history, and star forward Thomas Muller vowed that the Caps will be back after their loss to the Herons.

Elsewhere, LAFC look as strong as ever. They will have a full season of the deadly Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga relationship, while Canada star Stephen Eustaquio has joined on loan from Porto to upgrade the midfield.

San Diego FC, who enjoyed a historic expansion season in 2025, started 2026 off with a bang after overpowering Liga MX giants Pumas in the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of unknown commodities. Will the 2024 champions, the LA Galaxy, bounce back after a miserable 2025 season? Can record signing Josh Sargent lift Toronto back into the playoffs? How will Supporters' Shield winners Philadelphia Union look after losing several key players?

Below, FootballTransfers has picked out five must-watch games from Matchday 1 of the 2026 MLS season...

FC Cincinnati - Atlanta United

To be sure, the opener between St. Louis and Charlotte will be worth watching, but we are more excited about the second game of Saturday, which will see FC Cincinnati host Atlanta United.

Cincy finished second in the East in 2025 before losing to eventual champions Miami in the Conference semi-finals. The Five Stripes, meanwhile, endured a horror campaign, finishing second bottom in the East despite having one of the biggest payrolls in MLS.

We're not really concerned about Cincinnati as they are likely to be good again in 2026; we want to see how Atlanta respond to last year's disappointment.

Tata Martino, who won MLS Cup with the Five Stripes in 2018, has returned to lead the team again, but he surprisingly opted against making wholesale changes.

Atlanta have refrained from overhauling their underwhelming attack, so the pressure will be on their Designated Players (DPs) Miguel Almiron, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Aleksey Miranchuk to step their game up this year.

DC United - Philadelphia Union

The second game we're focusing on is DC United against the Philadelphia Union. It is bottom of the East versus top, a team that has hugely underperformed in recent years versus one that has overperformed.

Despite frequently having some of the lowest spending in MLS, the Union have been one of the best teams of the 2020s due to smart recruitment and their excellent youth development.

However, the Union have lost a host of key players. Kai Wagner has joined Tom Brady's Birmingham City, defensive powerhouse Jakob Glesnes moved to the Galaxy and top scorer Tai Baribo was signed by, you guessed it, DC.

But Baribo wasn't the only major attacking signing for the Black and Red. They also splashed the cash on Romania international Louis Munteanu. Together, they will be tasked with replacing the goals of Christian Benteke.

Will DC still be also-rans? And will the Union still be a dominant force after losing yet more key players? This game could give us an early indication.

Houston Dynamo - Chicago Fire

Next up, we've got the Houston Dynamo welcoming the Chicago Fire to Shell Energy Stadium. This is an interesting matchup because both sides could be surprise packages this season.

After missing the playoffs in 2025, the Dynamo have invested significantly, particularly in the attacking department. Guilherme has joined from Santos, while Mateusz Bogusz was brought back to MLS after a year at Cruz Azul.

Additionally, veteran midfielder Hector Herrera has returned to Houston. Many therefore expect the Dynamo to be much-improved in 2026. For Chicago, it could be a different story.

The Fire made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 last year and they recorded their first postseason win since 2009 when they beat Orlando City in the wildcard game. Homegrown Brian Gutierrez was a crucial part of this run, and he is no longer at the club after getting his Mexican passport and joining Chivas.

Gutierrez has been replaced by former Minnesota star Robin Lod, but at 32, he is not the most exciting of reinforcements. Indeed, the Fire appear to have put all their eggs in the Robert Lewandowski basket. They are trying to sign the Barcelona forward when his contract expires in the summer.

Hugo Cuypers' goals were enough to get Chicago into the playoffs last season, but it will be trickier to achieve it this time around. The game against Houston will give an indication as to how the Fire will be able to cope without Gutierrez and major reinforcements.

LAFC - Inter Miami

This one doesn't really require much of an explanation. LAFC versus Inter Miami, Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga versus Lionel Messi and German Berterame.

For LAFC, it will be interesting to see if the coaching transition from Steven Cherundolo to Marc dos Santos will be as seamless as they hope. Dos Santos previously had an underwhelming stint in charge of Vancouver after impressing in the now-defunct NASL.

For Miami, it is more a question about their new signings. Can Rodrigo de Paul and David Ayala adequately replace the retired Sergio Busquets, and can Sergio Reguilon have anywhere close to the same impact Jordi Alba had?

Going forward, Miami should have no problems scoring goals. Tadeo Allende has returned to the club after breaking the record for postseason goals in 2025, Luis Suarez has signed a new contract and Berterame is expected to compete for the Golden Boot.

Defensively, Miami have added Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair and former Houston star Micael. They should also be fine in that department, but Javier Mascherano may find that his side are too top-heavy for their own good.

LA Galaxy - NYCFC

One of two Sunday games and the final match on our list, the LA Galaxy will host NYCFC in what will be a hugely intriguing clash. The former experienced a disastrous 2025, while the latter reached the Conference final.

The two had contrasting 2025 campaigns, and their off-seasons couldn't have been more different, too. While NYCFC were relatively quiet, the Galaxy have made major moves.

NYCFC looked to be on the verge of signing a star striker when they agreed a deal with Schalke 04 for Moussa Sylla, but they bizarrely pulled out of the agreement at the last minute. Talles Magno, who has surprisingly returned from a loan at Corinthians, may have to lead the line again.

The Galaxy, meanwhile, have assembled the Bundesliga all-stars by teaming up Marco Reus with Erik Thommy and Joao Klauss. The latter has replaced Riqui Puig as a Designated Player after the 2024 championship hero suffered another ACL injury.

It is difficult to predict whether this will be enough to turn the Galaxy into contenders again. Similarly, it will be interesting to see if NYCFC can repeat their success of last season or if they will regret pulling out of the Sylla deal.

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