Soccer
Matchday 4 of the 2026 MLS regular season is in the books. Here’s what you might have missed and what decided every match.
Toronto FC 1, Red Bull New York 1
A 98th-minute equalizer from Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting spoiled Toronto FC‘s home opener and gave Red Bull New York a vital road point in a 1-1 draw.
Choupo-Moting’s late goal also spoiled Josh Sargent‘s debut for Toronto.
The USMNT striker, acquired last month from English Championship side Norwich City for a reported $22 million fee, subbed on in the 70th minute and looked lively.
Atlanta United 3, Philadelphia Union 1
Miguel Almirón turned back the clock in Atlanta United‘s 3-1 win over the Philadelphia Union by dishing out a trio of assists.
Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alexey Miranchuk, the Paraguay international’s fellow Designated Players, each scored as Atlanta secured their first victory of head coach Tata Martino’s second stint.
For the Union, it’s more frustration after they won the 2025 Supporters’ Shield with a regular-season best 66 points. Bradley Carnell’s side has lost all four league games to start the year.
Columbus Crew 0, Nashville SC 1
Hany Mukhtar scored the 25,000th regular-season goal in MLS history, getting on the end of a dazzling Cristian Espinoza assist in the 94th minute of Nashville SC‘s 1-0 win at the Columbus Crew.
Columbus still await their first win under new head coach Henrik Rydström; they have been held scoreless in back-to-back home games.
Charlotte FC 0, Inter Miami CF 0
Charlotte and Miami settled for a 0-0 draw, with the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions opting to rest Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul as they juggle a Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series vs. Nashville.
The Herons nonetheless turned in a strong performance, with left back Sergio Reguilón making his MLS debut and seven academy products featuring for the visitors.
Charlotte had promising looks, especially in the second half through Wilfried Zaha, but weren’t quite firing on all cylinders.
New York City FC 3, Colorado Rapids 1
Thanks to a brace from Nicolás Fernández Mercau, NYCFC cruised to a 3-1 victory over the Colorado Rapids and sit atop the Eastern Conference standings with 10 points.
The Argentine, playing as a No. 9, was joined on the scoresheet by fellow DP attacker Talles Magno. The Brazilian last scored for NYCFC in July 2024 (he was on loan at Corinthians).
Orlando City 2, CF Montréal 1
Orlando got a new-coach bounce after parting ways with Oscar Pareja, as interim boss Martín Perelman led the hosts to a 2-1 win over Montréal.
Duncan McGuire and Martín Ojeda scored in the first half, and the Lions held on for their first victory of the season.
Montréal, who got a goal from Prince Owusu, have two games left in their six-match road swing to start the season.
Chicago Fire FC 1, D.C. United 2
After a flurry of late goals, D.C. United dug out a 2-1 win that stunned Chicago Fire FC.
Tai Baribo earned all three points with a 95th-minute penalty kick, giving the Israeli striker his third goal with D.C. He joined the club in December after starring for Philadelphia.
Hugo Cuypers scored from the spot on his return from injury, though Chicago will be kicking themselves for letting this one slip away.
FC Dallas 3, San Diego FC 3
Petar Musa was heroic for FC Dallas in their 3-3 draw with San Diego FC, scoring his second hat trick in MLS.
The Croatian international striker, who’s chasing a 2026 FIFA World Cup roster spot, co-leads the Golden Boot presented by Audi race with five goals.
Onni Valakari netted a brace for San Diego, who dropped points for the first time this season. The second-year club are midway through their CCC series with Toluca, and own a 3-2 aggregate lead over the back-to-back LIGA MX champions.
Houston Dynamo FC 3, Portland Timbers 2
Mateusz Bogusz scored a 105th-minute golazo for Houston Dynamo FC in their 3-2 win over the Portland Timbers, marking the second-latest goal in MLS regular-season history.
The Polish attacker and Guilherme, Houston’s two new DPs, both finished with 1g/1a in the bounce-back result.
Portland missed several key starters, though DP midfielder David Da Costa returned from injury and made his 2026 debut.
LA Galaxy 1, Sporting Kansas City 2
Dejan Joveljić punished his old team with a 1g/1a performance, leading Sporting KC to a 2-1 win at the LA Galaxy during the latest Walmart Saturday Showdown.
Lasse Berg Johnsen scored the game-winner on his debut for Sporting KC, who earned their first three points under new head coach Raphael Wicky.
The Galaxy played without DP wingers Gabriel Pec (red card) and Joseph Paintsil (injury), and Marco Reus tallied his first goal of the season.
Real Salt Lake 2, Austin FC 1
Make it three straight wins for Real Salt Lake, who got a game-winner from Stijn Spierings in the 88th minute of their 2-1 victory over Austin FC.
The Dutch midfielder scored on his debut after arriving this winter from Danish Superliga side Brøndby IF.
RSL star and USMNT midfielder Diego Luna also made his season debut, entering in the 71st minute while the game was up for grabs.
LAFC 2, St. Louis CITY SC 0
LAFC made MLS history in their 2-0 win against St. Louis, becoming the only team to post a shutout in each of their first four games of the year (they have four wins as well).
That followed a brace from midfielder Mathieu Choinière, who threaded two long-range strikes past goalkeeper Roman Bürki.
With the Canadian international’s impact, the Black & Gold keep showing they’re more than the Son Heung-Min and Denis Bouanga show in the final third.
New England Revolution 6, FC Cincinnati 1
The New England Revolution tied their largest margin of victory in an MLS match, soaring to a 6-1 win over FC Cincinnati in their home opener.
Luca Langoni dished out three assists, Brayan Ceballos scored two headers and head coach Marko Mitrović got his first win with the Revs.
Cincy played the final 20-plus minutes down a man after Gerardo Valenzuela, who scored their only goal, was shown a straight red card.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC 6, Minnesota United FC 0
Vancouver turned on the afterburners in a 6-0 rout of Minnesota, establishing a four-goal lead by halftime.
Brian White (2g/0a) and Sebastian Berhalter (1g/2a) continued to boost their USMNT stock ahead of the World Cup, and Senegal international Cheikh Sabaly scored his first goal with the Whitecaps.
Colombian superstar James Rodríguez subbed on in the 64th minute for his long-awaited Minnesota debut. He was opposite former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Müller.
San Jose Earthquakes 0, Seattle Sounders FC 1
Seattle made it three wins on the trot (all competitions) with a 1-0 victory at San Jose during Sunday Night Soccer presented by Continental Tire.
Paul Rothrock was the Sounders’ difference-maker with a first-half strike, while Jesús Ferreira dished out his joint-league-best fourth assist.
Timo Werner made his first start for the Earthquakes, whose three-game unbeaten run ended.
Read MoreLawanda Fetzer