Soccer
With more goals scored across Saturday and Sunday than in any previous opening weekend in league history (and more teams scoring four-plus goals than in any opening weekend in the modern era), it’s safe to say the 2025 MLS season kicked off with a bang.
As we look back on Matchday 1, what burning questions popped up across the first set of games? And how will the answers to those questions impact Matchday 2 and beyond?
Let’s dive in.
After playing a midweek game against Sporting Kansas City in the Concacaf Champions Cup, new manager Javier Mascherano rotated a chunk of his squad for Saturday’s clash with New York City FC. Specifically, he swapped newcomer Gonzalo Luján for homegrown Noah Allen at center back, with the 20-year-old starting next to Tomás Avilés in the heart of the backline.
Against NYCFC, the backline didn’t hold. Avilés earned himself a red card less than 25 minutes into the match at Chase Stadium, forcing his teammates to play with 10 men. And Allen, for all of the value added via his positional versatility, isn’t exactly a towering presence through the middle. With David Martínez recovering from an ankle injury and Luján on short rest, Miami’s pool of quality available center backs quickly dried up in the 2-2 draw.
With another CCC game this week and Leagues Cup and Club World Cup games coming later this year, Inter Miami’s defensive depth will be tested in a real way. Sure, Maxi Falcón and Luján should be able to play regular minutes as the year goes on. Martínez should get back to full fitness soon, too. But even then, Falcón and Luján are new to the league, and Avilés and Allen (plus potentially Sergio Busquets) post questions at center back.
We’ve already seen how defense remains Miami’s weakness – and we’re literal days into the 2025 season. It’s fair to wonder if they’ll find solutions when visiting Houston for Sunday Night Soccer (7 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).
For almost 40 minutes, the new-look Chicago Fire were taking it to the Columbus Crew.
Defensively, new manager Gregg Berhalter encouraged his team to defend with aggression both in a high press and in a compact 4-3-3 mid-block – to the point where they even managed to fluster Wilfried Nancy’s Crew team at times. In possession, Berhalter clearly instructed his players to control the ball with short passes in their own half while looking for space to release new Designated Player left winger Jonathan Bamba.
There was a whole lot of beautiful ball from Chicago in the opening stages…
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 23, 2025
…and then, well, they crumbled. Playing out of the back went wrong. Multiple times. Continued defensive aggression turned into poorly executed tackles. Adjustments were slow to arrive after Nancy tweaked his team’s positioning midway through the first half. The result? A 4-2 defeat.
But, again, there were legitimately promising signs from the Fire. They truly owned the beginning of this game on the road against a well-drilled, albeit short-handed, Crew squad.
It’s too early to tell if Berhalter’s Chicago will be a great (or even good) team in 2025. But with matches against D.C. United, FC Dallas, and Toronto FC coming up next on the schedule, it shouldn’t shock anybody if they start to stack points.
I have to say: I’m fascinated by what’s going on in San Diego.
Judging by how Sunday’s performance at the LA Galaxy backed up the stylistic comparisons the club has been making between themselves and the Columbus Crew, it’s safe to say we haven’t seen an expansion team commit to controlling the ball like San Diego FC are doing this year.
They smothered the Galaxy in the first half of their 2-0 debut win, progressing the ball with ease out of their clearly defined 3-2-5 attacking shape:
There were big issues in the final third all night, but San Diego FC looked so comfortable progressing the ball.
Clear ideas and strong execution in the controlled possession phase. pic.twitter.com/SEV8i63Sae
— Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) February 24, 2025
And on the defensive side, even the stars were bought in on the counter press:
“[Chucky Lozano] plays both ways,” San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps told me earlier this month.
Safe to say he was right. Lozano was a genuine defensive asset for San Diego tonight. pic.twitter.com/vaIvT3okmX
— Joseph Lowery (@joeclowery) February 24, 2025
I think San Diego FC’s progression play and defensive effort will be close to constants when their first-choice starters are on the field. Still, there are big questions about their ability to create in the final third. After all, San Diego created nothing in the first half and their two goals arrived via a brutal LA Galaxy giveaway inside the 18-yard box and a counterattack in second-half stoppage time.
Exactly how willing Mikey Varas is to slide up the risk scale in the final third against a compact block is absolutely something to watch on Saturday in their first-ever home game against St. Louis CITY SC (10:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).
Don’t look now, but the San Jose Earthquakes are on top of the Supporters’ Shield standings!
Okay, fine, that distinction is just about as meaningless as it gets after only one weekend’s worth of games. Still, San Jose looked incredibly competent in their season-opening 4-0 win against Real Salt Lake.
Under new manager Bruce Arena, the Quakes set up in a 3-4-1-2 attacking shape, with Hernán López playing underneath Josef Martínez and Chicho Arango while Cristian Espinoza and Jamar Ricketts operated as wingbacks. Despite the star power up front, it really was Espinoza (two assists) and Ricketts (a goal in his first MLS start) who stole the show.
Defensively, San Jose weren’t airtight. Diego Luna found looks from his spot in the left halfspace and Salt Lake managed a 21-to-14 shot edge over their hosts. There’s work to do without the ball, a fact that showed even against a rotated RSL squad amid Concacaf Champions Cup play.
But for the team that allowed more goals last season than any other in MLS history? It’s worth celebrating a massive win ahead of next weekend’s road trip to Kansas City (8:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+).
As it turns out: Emmanuel Latte Lath isn’t just fast. He’s bouncy, too.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 23, 2025
The reported $22 million man, who arrived for an MLS-record fee this offseason, became the first player in Atlanta United history to score a brace on his debut. Latte Lath was an absolute menace in the Five Stripes’ 3-2 win over CF Montréal, showing off his aerial ability, predatory scoring instincts inside the 18-yard box and line-stretching pace. It’s early days, but Atlanta United’s attack looked reborn with Latte Lath up top and Miguel Almirón floating inside from the right wing to drive the ball downhill.
Atlanta’s visit to Charlotte FC on Saturday will provide a tougher test for Latte Lath against Dean Smith’s traditionally solid defensive outfit (2:15 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+; FOX, FOX Deportes).
Of course, Latte Lath wasn’t the only big-money striker signing to find the back of the net this past weekend. Kévin Denkey, who arrived from Belgium for a then-record $16.2 million transfer fee early in the offseason, scored the game-winner for FC Cincinnati against the New York Red Bulls:
KÉVIN DENKEY DEBUT GOAL! ????@FCCincinnati takes the late lead. pic.twitter.com/LGyPUM4mSk
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) February 23, 2025
His mixture of off-ball movement, size, strength and crisp hold-up play gave Pat Noonan’s team a valuable reference point ahead of Evander, who made his first start for Cincinnati since an MLS-record trade with the Portland Timbers.
With a trip to Philadelphia on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, Apple TV+) after a midweek CCC clash with Motagua, we won’t have to wait long to see more of Cincy’s new stars.
Read MoreMargherita Buresh