2025 Matchweek 1 Previews

Kicking off the 30th Season of Major League Soccer

The previous season preview articles from this newsletter were long and analytical and I hope to write some similar stats-driven articles during the season. However, the central idea of this newsletter is beginning today.

The goal: help you learn a little bit about an MLS team you’re about to watch play so you can appreciate the game a little more. The preseason articles I wrote were aimed at helping to sum up some useful information about MLS teams in tables that are quick and easy to consume. If you follow a team week in and week out, you probably know a lot more about it than I do, but maybe I can at least help brief you on this week’s opposition!

That’s what this post is all about. I don’t really expect you to read it front to back. Instead, you can skip to the game or games you plan to watch so see what the matchup is.

If you’re new here and want to understand more about what the colored boxes mean and how I arrived at them, see my preview series (part 1, part 2, and part 3). In future weeks, I’ll be able to lean more on stats from this current season, but for now, all we can look to is 2024 performance and offseason moves. For each game, I have a few suggested storylines as well.

Early next week, I’ll be back with a more substantive post that surveys the weekend results. There’ll be a non-spoiler ranking of game highlights if you want to check out some of the action that way, a stats-based look at the best (and maybe worst?) performances from the week, and we’ll check back in on my suggested storylines to if we learned anything. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox, though admittedly posts like this with lots of images may be truncated by Gmail and other clients.

By the way, feedback is always welcome. If you know a team well and feel like some important context is missing, you’re probably right! Hop in the comments and let us know. I’m also interested in feedback about the overall concept. What other information about an unfamiliar team would help you enjoy a game you’re about to watch?

But with that, let’s get to the games.

LAFC vs Minnesota United

LAFC:

• They moved on from a lot of midfielders and forwards in the offseason. Will the new offense be effective or it be Bouanga against the other team?

• Last season Giroud was on track to join the list of extremely famous but extremely disappointing designated players. After a full preseason, can he turn that around and be more effective?

Minnesota:

• They finished strong last season and beat Real Salt Lake in the playoffs. Most of the players are back, so can they continue that momentum?

• Tani Oluwaseyi went from 17th overall in the college draft to posting some of the league’s best attacking statistics in limited action last year. Was that a small sample flash in the pan, or can he pick up where he left off?

Atlanta vs Montreal

Atlanta:

• Other than maybe Miami, they have the most expensive frontline in MLS. Will it live up to the hype?

• Is the defense going to remain “decent” this season with the new DPs and Mateusz Klich all on the field?

CF Montréal:

• They have bet heavily on youth. Will that pay dividends or will the suffer from their lack of high-end talent?

• Is the change of scenery going to unlock more production from Vrioni?

FC Cincinnati vs New York Red Bulls

Cincinnati:

• Cincinnati got off to a strong start in their midweek CCC match, but can they match the Red Bulls’ intensity on short rest?

• Of course everyone is going to be watching their new DPs, Evander and Denkey. If they are as good as hoped, this is a trophy contending team. Road games in Central America are no joke, but will this offense look as dominant as we expect against MLS competition?

Red Bulls:

• Are the Red Bulls still going to play with their famous intensity after bringing in some older players, like new DP forward Eric Choupo-Moting?

• Will the Red Bulls recreate the form of their magical playoff run, centered around a hopefully healthy Emil Forsberg, or are they going to look more like they did in their poor run into the playoffs late last season?

Columbus vs Chicago

Columbus:

• Columbus will probably replace Cucho when they can, but until that happens, can Diego Rossi carry the load as the offense’s remaining big star?

• Was Columbus’ success over the past two years driven more by Cucho’s star talent or by Nancy’s system?

Chicago:

• Will the many new players take a long time to adjust to Gregg Berhalter’s famously complex system of play, or can they be effective right out of the gate?

• Is Hugo Cuypers primed for the sort of big year that Berhalter’s forwards often had with the Crew?

DC vs Toronto

DC United:

• Christian Benteke won the Golden Boot last season, but he’s 34. Can he pick up where he left off, or is he going to be less effective this season due to age and the departure of Matuesz Klich?

• DC spent money in the last two transfer windows bringing in new talent for its defense and goalkeeping, but will coach Troy Lesesne’s style of play still leave them too exposed?

Toronto:

• Bernardeschi has had his off-the-field issues, but he’s a dangerous attacker and works hard against the ball. Is he still motivated, and if so, does he have enough support around him?

• Can new coach Robin Fraser get more out of a roster that hasn’t really been reinforced since last year’s dismal campaign?

Inter Miami vs NYCFC

Miami:

• Messi went 90 minutes in the freezing cold on Wednesday. Is he going to go 90 again—as he often did last season—or will he allow the team to manage his minutes when he’s healthy?

• Does Miami’s new manager have any new wrinkles to help cope with the fact several starters can’t provide any meaningful energy on defense?

NYCFC:

• They played Miami very tight last year, getting two 1-1 draws, including one against both Messi and Suárez. The cores of both teams are back and both are a year older: that’s bad for Miami and good for NYCFC. Can their defense hold Miami to one or zero goals again without DP centerback Thiago Martins, who’s injured?

• Alonso Martinez had an amazing season last year and was statistically one of the league’s best attacking players. NYCFC badly needs him to repeat that, especially if it’s true they are selling Santi Rodriguez. Miami invested in some new players for their defense, but typically they are vulnerable, can Martinez get off to a quick start?

Orlando City vs Philadelphia Union

Orlando:

• The front office has put a lot of faith in Marco Pašalić to jumpstart the offense despite what seems (to me, anyway) a distinctly so-so résumé. Will he reward their trust?

• Philly’s (presumably) pressing defense will be a good test for a modified midfield with Eduard Atuesta, can they play through the press and set up the attack?

Philadelphia:

• We’re expecting a return to their most direct, car-crash soccer game model, but how will they look after moving on from Jim Curtin after so long?

• Sorry Philly fans, take from someone who followed DC United during the Freddy Adu seasons. This is going to be annoying all year, but…Cavan Sullivan! How much will he play, and is he the chosen one will he look like he belongs?

Austin FC vs Sporting Kansas City

Austin:

• They poured money into fixing their poor offense with some big transfers. Will Uzuni and Vázquez provide the immediate impact their price tag suggests?

• Their defense last season was good in terms of goals allowed, but it overperformed expected goals allowed by a good margin. Which stat is going to tell us more about what to expect from their defense this year?

Kansas City:

• Can an attacker like Dejan Joveljić who played well for a good team produce the same results dropped into a rebuilding team?

• It doesn’t seem like they’ve done enough to improve the defense, but maybe the switch to a new starting goalkeeper (John Pulskamp) will help?

Houston Dynamo vs FC Dallas

Houston:

• How will Jack McGlynn fare as he takes over the keys to the offense from Héctor Herrera?

• They had a great defense in 2024 and have brought pretty much all those players back, but can their new starting goalkeeper (Tarbell, I think) match the shotstopping numbers Steve Clark put up last year?

Dallas:

• Lucho: is he happy and motivated, or will he still be carrying some of the unhappiness that drove him out of Cincinnati?

• Are the big changes to the defense going to fix that phase of the game?

Nashville SC vs New England Revolution

Nashville:

• Hany Mukhtar is still in his prime. Just a few years ago he was the league MVP, can he bounce back this season?

• Nashville didn’t finish strong last year after a coaching change, but with a full preseason, will BJ Callahan get better results?

New England:

• Carles Gil is a bit older than Hany Mukhtar but he’s also a former league MVP coming off a down year. Can the new players around him help him shine?

• Leo Campana looked very good in limited action with Inter Miami, but Miami is such a weird team. Will he look as good in this very different situation?

St. Louis City vs Colorado Rapids

St. Louis:

• Marcel Hartel hit the ground running in eight games last season. With a full preseason, will he be the elite player St. Louis needs him to be?

• Since these are two high-energy, direct teams, will Colorado suffer more from CCC hangover than other teams?

Colorado:

• Colorado has brought back most of their good 2024 attack, plus some reinforcements, so is this the season Djordje Mihailovic steps into the ranks of the league’s elite players?

• Zach Steffan had very bad shotstopping statistics in the 2024 regular season. Is this a problem with him that’s going to continue, or will the changes to the defense in front of him help?

San Jose Earthquakes vs Real Salt Lake

San Jose:

• Cristian Arango starts the season with a game against his old team. He had two very good years with Real Salt Lake, but can he still be effective on a rebuilding team?

• He’s done it before, but can Bruce Arena once again resuscitate a team with clever (and a bit idiosyncratic) veteran acquisitions?

Real Salt Lake:

• They’ve had a lot of turnover from their offense, so there’s going to be a lot more weight on Diogo Gonçalves and young creator Diego Luna, can they step up?

• Rafael Cabral is one of just a handful of new MLS starting goalkeepers in 2024. He seems to have a good defense in front of him, so can he post strong numbers?

Seattle Sounders vs Charlotte FC

Seattle:

• They tripled down on using domestic players in the attack, adding Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola to go with longstanding Sounder Jordan Morris. They got the job done midweek, but how will the attack look against what we expect to be a strong Charlotte defense?

• The Sounders were very good last year and finished with their customary strong performance in the regular season, but it’s a lot easier to win trophies with a truly elite DP. Will Pedro de la Vega take a step forward—maybe several steps forward—to help provide that?

Charlotte:

• Wilfried Zaha ought to still be a devastating attacker in MLS, but is he motivated and bought in to what Charlotte are doing?

• Their defense was great last year, but will efforts to improve the offense come at a cost to that solidity?

Portland vs Vancouver

Portland:

• David da Costa probably won’t have his visa yet and Jonathan Rodriguez is out with an injury. Can Portland find a way to win without DPs against a Whitecaps team that’s coming off a very tough midweek road loss in Costa Rica?

• It’s hard to imagine their offense will be as good this year without Evander, so the defense probably needs to improve to keep them in the playoffs. Will the additions they’ve made there raise the level?

Vancouver:

• After poor run-in and then a really rough offseason, can their new coach Jesper Sørensen help them improve despite a roster that pundits think hasn’t really improved on overall talent?

• CCC hangover impacts even elite teams. Vancouver isn’t elite, but Portland isn’t at full strength, so can Vancouver take advantage?

LA Galaxy vs San Diego FC

LA Galaxy

• LA are back after winning MLS Cup, but they’re missing two DPs to injury (Puig for months, Paintsil for several weeks). Can veteran Diego Fagúndez and new arrival Christian Ramirez keep the offense humming?

• Marco Reus didn’t play a ton of minutes last year. Does he have enough left in the tank at age 35 to be the focus of the team while Puig recovers?

San Diego FC

• MLS expansion teams often take several games to score a goal, but San Diego has invested more in attack than defense. Can that attack produce right away against a good team?

• Their coach says he wants to play beautiful, possession-based soccer. Are they going to be able to execute this right away or do they need more time to get in sync?