Below is a selection of the notable performances and moments from the 11 matches played on the opening day of the 2023 MLS season, Saturday, February 25.
Matchday 1 action continues this evening as Seattle Sounders FC host the Colorado Rapids (8 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass, FS1) and closes on Monday, February 27 as the Portland Timbers welcome Sporting Kansas City to Providence Park (10 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
World Cup Champion Thiago Almada’s Late-Game Heroics Power Atlanta United
Atlanta United midfielder Thiago Almada played the role of hero in the club’s opening match, as the World Cup champion erased a one-goal deficit in the 93rd minute and scored a sensational game-winning goal from a free kick in the 99th minute to lead Atlanta United to a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Earthquakes.
Almada became the fourth player in MLS history to score both a game-tying and game-winning goal in the 90th minute or later, and the first to accomplish the feat since Real Salt Lake’s Albert Rusnák in 2018 (August 18 vs. Houston Dynamo FC). His free kick goal in the 99th minute was the latest game-winner in Atlanta United annals and also the latest game-winning direct free kick score in MLS since 2003.
St. Louis CITY SC Emerges Victorious in Back-and-Forth Inaugural Match
In the inaugural match in club history, St. Louis CITY SC erased a 2-1 second-half deficit behind goals from midfielder Jared Stroud and forward João Klauss to win their first-ever match, 3-2, at Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium. St. Louis CITY SC became the first expansion team to win their inaugural MLS match since LAFC in 2018.
CITY SC defender Tim Parker also etched his name into the record books in the 24th minute as he scored the first goal in club history with a strong header off an Eduard Löwen corner kick. Parker’s goal was his first since 2018 and just the third goal in his MLS career.
The club returns to St. Louis for their home debut on Matchday 2, as they welcome Charlotte FC to CITYPARK on Saturday, March 4 (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass).
Late-Match Heroics Punctuate a Marvelous Matchday 1
With a game-winning goal by D.C. United's Theodore Ku-Dipietro in the 98' against Toronto FC and by Atlanta United's Thiago Almada in the 99' against San Jose, Saturday marked the first day in MLS history in which two game-winning goals were scored in the 98th minute or later.
Ku-Dipietro made some history of his own in D.C. United’s 3-2 victory over Toronto FC. After entering the game in the 67th minute, Ku-Dipietro became the fourth-youngest player in MLS history (21 years, 28 days) to record a game-winning goal and an assist in the same match after coming off the bench.
The three younger players to accomplish the feat were Eddie Johnson of the Dallas Burn (18 years, 172 days on 9/19/2002), Danny Mwanga of the Philadelphia Union (18 years, 316 days on 5/29/2010), and Kelyn Rowe of the New England Revolution (20 years, 183 days on 6/2/2012).
Real Salt Lake Rallies to Extend Remarkable Season-Opening Streak
Behind second-half scores from Justen Glad and Damir Kreilach, Real Salt Lake rallied to a 2-1 road victory over Vancouver Whitecaps FC at BC Place.
With their victory, Real Salt Lake have gone an MLS-record 14 season-opening matches without a defeat, a streak extending back to the 2010 season. Of those 14 contests, 13 of them have been played away from home.
Excitement Abounds in Front of Record-Setting Crowds
Two clubs in the southeast United States – Atlanta United and Charlotte FC – opened their 2023 campaigns in front of spirited groups of supporters that showed up in droves on Saturday.
With a crowd of 69,345 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and 67,538 in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Saturday marked the first time in MLS history that two games recorded an attendance of at least 65,000 fans on the same day.
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