MLS motion returned for the first-ever version of ‘Sunday Evening Soccer’ after a superb begin to the brand new 2025 season throughout all of the enjoyable yesterday, together with Lionel Messi hitting the bottom operating for Inter Miami.
The Sunday program began with Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps clashing at Windfall Park in one other installment of the Cascadia Cup.
Within the second of simply two video games on the docket, San Diego FC made their long-awaited debut towards MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy as California positive aspects one other top-level membership and a possible rivalry within the making.
Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps acquired the get together began of their hotly-contested rivalry, with Vancouver having the final snigger after an enormous 4-1 win.
Regardless of the ever-present affect of Portland followers sustaining their voice as probably the greatest fanbases round, Timbers defender Kamal Miller would see a straight purple simply 11 minutes into the brand new season, which offered the Whitecaps with the right springboard away from residence.
Targets from Ryan Gauld, Pedro Vite, Sam Adekugbe, and Jayden Nelson would do the harm on the night time, with the Canadian worldwide saying his return to MLS in scintillating trend.
Within the second match of the night time, LA Galaxy’s sensible residence kind through the 2024 season was unable to hold over towards budding enlargement outfit San Diego FC throughout a historic 2-0 win at Dignity Well being Sports activities Park.
The absence of key man Riqui Puig was certainly felt regardless of Marco Reus that includes within the beginning XI, with Anders Dreyer and Hirving Lozano combining to open the scoring what was finally the match-winner within the second half to bag the membership’s first-ever MLS purpose.
Dreyer would full his brace within the dying embers of added time with a brilliantly curled effort when SDFC hit the Galaxy on the counter as the house aspect desperately pushed for an equalizer.
It was the primary residence loss for the Galaxy because the 2023 season after posting a 17W-0L-3D file in 2024, as SDFC was the higher of the 2 sides throughout the stability of play after 90 minutes on an evening that can go down in league historical past.
The buck stops at Vancouver’s Jayden Nelson, and the numbers converse for themselves.
At simply 22, MLS might have one other budding star on its palms as Nelson matched a membership file alongside none aside from Canada and Bayern Munich famous person Alphonso Davies.
Nelson additionally turned simply the third participant in MLS historical past to file 4 purpose contributions throughout a debut look, following within the footsteps of iconic league names Brian Ching and Dwayne De Rosario.
A historic marker on day one for San Diego FC whereas changing into the primary enlargement staff to win their inaugural match since St. Louis in 2019.
Danish winger Anders Dreyer’s debut purpose and subsequent brace to turn into the membership’s first-ever MLS goalscorer might have made for a extra good night time for SDFC. What a strategy to shut out the opening weekend of the 2025 MLS season.
Vancouver and SDFC followers will get together lengthy into the night time as each golf equipment finish the weekend degree on factors with San Jose, Dallas, LAFC, and Austin atop the Western Convention pile.
Questions surrounding Portland’s defensive woes proceed within the autopsy after the Timbers shipped 56 objectives in 2024 earlier than narrowly lacking out on the post-season, with the membership unable to cease the bleeding after being lowered to 10 males.
As for LA Galaxy, the long-term lack of Riqui Puig is, to this point, proving to be cataclysmic as Greg Vanney’s aspect lacked actual invention in transition and transferring into the ultimate third.
With the previous La Masia graduate out for a lot, if not all, of the 2025 marketing campaign, Galaxy followers will maintain out hope that tonight’s efficiency would be the exception to the rule.
MLS motion returns subsequent weekend with a full fixture program, whereas second-leg CONCACAF Champions Cup fixtures return in midweek, with Inter Miami, Sporting Kansas Metropolis, LAFC, Colorado, Cincinnati, Actual Salt Lake, Seattle, and Vancouver all seeking to progress to the second spherical.
📸 Alex Gallardo-Imagn Pictures