2025 Matchweek 4 Previews
The season heats up, at least for some northern teams
This week’s notes:
I looked at the late-breaking player moves but didn’t bother to update the charts yet in my preview articles. The two most notable moves:
FC Dallas paid 3.7m euros for a U22 defensive midfielder, Kaick, but since they were already in the top category of defensive transfer spend that doesn’t change (they passed LAFC and the Revolution to become top in the league in this metric, though)
FC Cincinnati waived defender Bret Halsey. He played almost 500 minutes last year, but this doesn’t change FC Cincinnati’s defensive retention category
Assuming I can find the time, I’ll be doing one or more articles after this week to start categorizing teams based on 2025 performance to be incorporated into next week’s previews
Standard reminder: I know less about your favorite team than you do, but I’m hoping I can help you understand a little more about teams you don’t normally see play. If you’re new here and want to understand more about what the colored boxes mean and how I arrived at them, see my season preview series (part 1, part 2, and part 3).
Make sure to subscribe if you haven’t already to get more previews like this and the matchweek reviews (see week 3 here if you missed it).
On to the matchups!
New York Red Bulls vs. Orlando City
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?
Red Bulls: 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?
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?
Orlando: The defense—decent in 2024 and mostly back in 2025—gave up four goals on relatively low xG to Philly in week 1. Was that just bad luck or are there cracks this season?
Toronto FC vs. Chicago Fire
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?
Chicago: Is Hugo Cuypers primed for the sort of big year that Berhalter’s forwards often had with the Crew?
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?
Toronto: They’re usually going to be at a talent deficit, but can they find some defensive stability to help grind out some wins?
LAFC vs. Austin
LAFC: They moved on from a lot of midfielders and forwards in the offseason. Will the new offense be effective or it just be Bouanga against the other team?
LAFC: 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?
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?
Austin: 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?
Charlotte FC vs. FC Cincinnati
Charlotte: Wilfried Zaha ought to still be a devastating attacker in MLS, but is he motivated and bought in to what Charlotte are doing?
Charlotte: Their defense was great last year, but will efforts to improve the offense come at a cost to that solidity?
Cincinnati: Was their defeat by Philadelphia just a bad game or indicative of some larger problems?
Cincinnati: Their new DPs, Evander and Denkey, are playing pretty well, but the offense hasn’t been quite as strong as expected. Can they find another gear quickly as the players get more familiar with each other?
DC United vs. CF Montréal
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 United: 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 continue to leave them too exposed?
Montréal: They are starting the season with a brutal road trip. Can they find a way to grind out some points?
Montréal: Can someone step up offensively while their only DP (Vrioni) is hurt?
NYCFC vs. New England Revolution
NYCFC: Can the defense step up and play well enough to compensate for what likely is going to be some offensive regression?
NYCFC: 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 with Santi Rodríguez gone. Can Martinez get off to a quick start?
New England: Carles Gil is a former league MVP coming off a down year. Can the new players around him help him shine?
New England: 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?
Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United
Kansas City: Can an attacker like Dejan Joveljić who played well for a good team produce the same results dropped into a rebuilding team?
Kansas City: 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?
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?
Minnesota: 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?
FC Dallas vs. Vancouver Whitecaps
Dallas: Is Lucho motivated, or will he still be carrying some of the unhappiness that drove him out of Cincinnati?
Dallas: Are the big changes to the defense going to reduce goals allowed?
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?
Vancouver: Young Canadian attacker Jayden Nelson is off to a hot start, is this a breakout season for him or just a small sample size?
Houston Dynamo vs. Real Salt Lake
Houston: How will Jack McGlynn fare as he takes over the keys to the offense from Héctor Herrera?
Houston: They had a great defense in 2024 and have brought pretty much all those players back, but can their new starting goalkeeper (Tarbell) match the shotstopping numbers Steve Clark put up last year?
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 attacker Diego Luna. Can they step up?
Real Salt Lake: 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?
St. Louis City vs. Seattle Sounders
[new] St. Louis’s offense finally came to life against LA, but is that a new trend or just a single good game against a struggling opponent?
[new] St. Louis: Their defense has kept clean sheets in their first three games. How long can they keep that streak going?
[new] Seattle: Will injuries from their CCC loss knock them off their stride?
Seattle: 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?
San Diego FC vs. Columbus Crew
[new] San Diego FC: The offense has lacked creativity and now has lost Lozano to injury. Can they generate enough chances while they wait for his return?
[new] San Diego FC: They spent a lot more on the offense, but so far the defense has looked quite strong. Is that luck or will this continue to be a strength?
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?
Columbus: Was Columbus’ success over the past two years driven more by Cucho’s star talent or by Nancy’s system?
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Colorado Rapids
San Jose: Cristian Arango had two very good years with Real Salt Lake, but can he still be effective on a rebuilding team?
San Jose: He’s done it before, but can Bruce Arena once again resuscitate a team with clever (and a bit idiosyncratic) veteran acquisitions?
Colorado: They have 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?
Colorado: Zach Steffen 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?
Philadelphia Union vs. Nashville
[new] Philadelphia: After week 3, the offense leads the league in xG but also has out-performed xG by four goals. Is this sustainable or is it some good luck?
Philadelphia: Sorry Philly fans, take it 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?
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: Nashville didn’t finish strong last year after a coaching change, but with a full preseason, will BJ Callahan get better results?
Portland Timbers vs. LA Galaxy
Portland: Can David da Costa do enough to replace the loss of Evander?
Portland: 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?
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?
LA Galaxy: Can the defense find a way to improve and help keep them in games while they wait for their offense to get healthier?
Atlanta United vs. Inter Miami
Atlanta: Other than maybe Miami, they have the most expensive frontline in MLS. Will it live up to the hype?
Atlanta: Is the defense going to remain “decent” this season with the new DPs and Mateusz Klich all on the field?
Miami: Messi is taking at least some games off due to the CCC. What’s the impact of this? It can’t be true that the team is actually better without him, right?
Miami: 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?