MLS Matchday 4 is all said and done. Another thrilling weekend of excitement and drama has passed. We entered the weekend with lots of storylines and leave the weekend with even more to think about heading into Matchday 5.
The Philadelphia Union hoped to find a win in Atlanta, but they fell flat on their face once again and now see themselves at the bottom of the league.
The New York Red Bulls equalized late in stoppage time in a thriller against Toronto FC. Josh Sargent also made his debut for Toronto, playing 20 minutes in the second half.
Four clubs in the West entered the weekend with a perfect 3-0-0 record, but not all left perfect. San Diego FC drew with FC Dallas 3-3. LAFC picked up a 2-0 win over St. Louis City and still hasn't conceded a goal this year. Vancouver thrashed Minnesota 6-0, and San Jose lost their first game of the season to Seattle.
Inter Miami drew 0-0 with Charlotte FC. Charlotte entered their current five-match home stand with zero wins, but they've managed to pick up one win and another point on Saturday against Miami. Home-field advantage always has its positives.
Here are some highlights from MLS Matchday 4:.
Around this time last year, the Philadelphia Union were on their best start ever in MLS. Now, they are in their worst start ever. Last year's Supporters' Shield winners have lost every match in league play this year.
Saturday hoped to be the match that got the Union going against a struggling Atlanta United side, but recurring issues remained.
The first 15 minutes were even. Philly was controlling possession and building in the midfield, but the wheels started to come off in the 25th minute when Emmanuel Latte Lath scored to put Atlanta up 1-0. Tomás Jacob doubled the lead for Atlanta in the 47th minute, and then Alexey Miranchuk put the match out of reach in the 67th minute to make it 3-0.
Agustin Anello scored his first MLS goal in the 87th minute to give the Union a little bit of a spark, but it was way too late to generate any big momentum. Atlanta was far more efficient in creating chances, while Philly struggled to generate high-danger chances once again.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting scored a late equalizer for the Red Bulls to snag a 1-1 draw against Toronto FC. This match sort of felt like the Red Bulls were back to their style of play we saw in the first two weeks. Aggressive pressure and forcing turnovers.
Toronto came into the match with confidence after beating FC Cincinnati in Matchday 3. Dániel Sallói gave them the lead in the 43rd minute. Up 1-0 in the second half, Toronto was strong on defense, but lost it in the 97th minute when Choupo-Moting just got enough on the ball to send it into the back of the net to level the match.
Josh Sargent made his debut for Toronto in this one. He came on in the 70th minute, had one shot on target, and completed 3/4 passes
The relentless pressing from Red Bulls paid off in the end, and they left Toronto with a well-deserved point.
San Diego FC was one of the four teams in the West to enter the weekend undefeated, but the perfect run came to an end with a 3-3 draw at Toyota Stadium.
This match was chaotic from the opening whistle. San Diego dominated the first half, going up 2-0 within the first 32 minutes. Petar Musar put the game within one goal with a tally in the 41st minute.
In the second half, Onni Valakari added a brace in the 51st minute to put San Diego up 3-1, but Musar put his club on his back. He converted on a penalty of his own in the 54th minute and then added a hat trick in the 90+5'.
Musar has been on fire to start the year and is currently at the top of the Golden Boot race with five goals.
LAFC is still perfect after Matchday 4. A 2-0 win over St. Louis City sees them at the top of the West and also with no goals conceded in 2026 league play. This win didn't come easy for LAFC, though. The first 70 minutes were tight. St. Louis was defending strongly, and LAFC was struggling to create chances.
But things changed in the 73rd minute when Mathieu Choinière found the back of the net for LAFC. Choinière kept the momentum from his first goal and added a brace in the 81st minute. Hopefully, Jesse Marsch was watching this one!
LAFC is joint-tied for first place in the West with the Vancouver Whitecaps.
The Seattle Sounders handed the San Jose Earthquakes their first loss on Sunday Night Soccer.
Paul Rothrock converted for Seattle in the 20th minute, and Seattle was able to hold onto the lead for the remainder of the match. San Jose looked like the better side until Rothrock's goal, and they couldn't seem to find consistent mojo in scoring chances.
Toronto FC 1-1 New York Red Bulls
Atlanta United 3-1 Philadelphia Union
Columbus Crew 0-1 Nashville SC
Charlotte FC 0-0 Inter Miami
NYCFC 3-1 Colorado Rapids
Orlando City 2-1 CF Montreal
Chicago Fire 1-2 DC United
FC Dallas 3-3 San Diego FC
Houston Dynamo 3-2 Portland Timbers
LA Galaxy 1-2 Sporting Kansas City
Real Salt Lake 2-1 Austin FC
LAFC 2-0 St. Louis City
New England Revolution 6-1 FC Cincinnati
Vancouver Whitecaps 6-0 Minnesota United
San Jose Earthquakes 0-1 Seattle Sounders
NYCFC - 10 pts
Nashville SC - 10 pts
Inter Miami - 7 pts
New York Red Bulls - 7 pts
DC United - 6 pts
Charlotte FC - 5 pts
Chicago Fire - 4 pts
Toronto FC - 4 pts
New England Revolution - 3 pts
FC Cincinnati - 3 pts
CF Montreal - 3 pts
Orlando City - 3 pts
Columbus Crew - 2 pts
Philadelphia Union - 0 pts
Vancouver Whitecaps - 12 pts
LAFC - 12 pts
San Diego FC - 10 pts
San Jose Earthquakes - 9 pts
Seattle Sounders - 9 pts
Real Salt Lake - 9 pts
Colorado Rapids - 6 pts
Houston Dynamo - 6 pts
FC Dallas - 5 pts
LA Galaxy - 4 pts
Austin FC - 4 pts
Sporting Kansas City - 4 pts
Minnesota United - 4 pts
Portland Timbers - 3 pts
St. Louis City - 1 pt
