MLS Predictions: Miami, Whitecaps, Union Look for Fast Starts to 2026

Major League Soccer’s 31st season bursts to life this weekend with all 29 clubs in action, setting the table for a 34-game sprint that will be the league’s last winter-to-fall calendar before the radical July-to-May schedule debuts in 2027. From the LA Coliseum’s star-studded nightcap to a historic transfer grudge match in the nation’s capital, opening weekend offers immediate answers to the biggest preseason questions.

Inter Miami’s clash with LAFC on Saturday evening headlines the slate and pits Lionel Messi against Son Heung-min for the first time in MLS. The match also marks the managerial debut of Marc Dos Santos with LAFC, who routed Real España 6-1 in Concacaf Champions Cup play midweek and will run out in front of an expected crowd of more than 70,000.

Vancouver Whitecaps, fresh off extending 2025 MLS Manager of the Year finalist Jesper Sørensen, return to competitive play for the first time since last December’s Cup final loss to Miami. Without departed winger Ali Ahmed, the Canadian side is expected to deploy Thomas Müller in an advanced midfield role and should carry momentum from a 0-0 Champions Cup draw at C.S. Cartaginés into their curtain-raiser against Real Salt Lake.

Philadelphia Union open against D.C. United in the most talked-about reunion of the offseason. Tai Baribo, who bagged 19 goals in all competitions for the Union’s Supporters’ Shield-winning 2025 side, will line up for D.C. after a $4 million transfer—one of the largest cash-for-player deals in league history. Union manager Bradley Carnell will counter with a retooled, youthful lineup as Philadelphia seeks an early statement win in the 250th year of the United States.

Charlotte FC, bolstered by the permanent acquisition of Pep Biel and the marquee addition of Wilfried Zaha, travel to St. Louis CITY SC where Yoann Damet takes charge for the first time. Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati meet in another Eastern Conference showdown featuring two of the winter’s priciest imports: Atlanta’s Emmanuel Latte Lath and Cincy’s Kévin Denkey, both eager for consistent end-product in 2026.

Western Conference contenders Nashville SC looked sharp in a 2-0 Concacaf Champions Cup win over Atlético Ottawa and now welcome a New England Revolution squad under first-time professional head coach Marko Mitrović. Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge and new arrival Cristian Espinoza—MLS leader in key passes last season—give Nashville the firepower to make an early jump in the standings.

San Diego FC, surprise Western Conference toppers in their inaugural 2025 campaign, begin Year Two under Mikey Varas without Hirving Lozano but with added attacking depth via Lewis Morgan. They face a CF Montréal side widely tipped to struggle near the foot of the table.

Other notable openers include Toronto FC’s showcase of USMNT striker Josh Sargent’s new teammates—Walker Zimmerman and Matheus Pereira—against FC Dallas; Houston Dynamo’s superstar splurge of Guilherme and Mateusz Bogusz versus a Chicago Fire side still searching for a marquee scorer; and the Portland Timbers hosting Columbus Crew in the first MLS match since 2011 without Darlington Nagbe on the field, though the retired midfielder will be present in Crew colors as an individual development coach.

With 13 matches on Saturday and two more on Sunday, the 2026 regular season is set to explode out of the gate before the league pivots to its bold new summer-to-spring future next year.