Isaac Rivers

Staff Writer

izr5064@psu.edu

With an astounding 35 goals scored across all games, the MLS kicked off its 2022 season in an exhilarating opening matchday, with the shining stars of Carlos Vela and Javier Hernandez leading their prospective teams to crucial victories.

The 2022 MLS season kicked off on Saturday, Feb. 26, and it was nothing short of exciting. Not only did we get to see the pace at which reigning MLC Cup champions New York City FC set, but we also got to witness the introduction of an entirely new team in Charlotte FC.

At 1:00 p.m. Saturday, the day started with the season opener of Philadelphia Union hosting Minnesota United, which rounded off in a 1-1 draw from two early first-half goals for each side. After a slow start, the next round of games did not disappoint. 3:30 p.m. brought us an astonishing seven total goals across just two games. The 2020 MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew catapulted themselves past the rest of the competition with a 4-0 victory over Whitecaps FC with star midfielder Lucas Zelarayan bagging himself an assist and the game’s final goal. 

Over in California, the Mexico international Carlos Vela led Los Angeles FC to an easy victory after scoring himself a first-half hat trick. The game finished with LAFC taking down Colorado Rapids 3-0. In scoring three goals in the first game of the season, Vela is well on his way to breaking the MLS single-season goal scoring record of 31– a record he set himself back in 2019.

The biggest surprise of the day was the vast margin at which Austin beat FC Cincinnati. Last season, Austin finished second from the bottom in the league, and to open their sophomore season as a team, they scored an incredible five goals and managed to keep a clean sheet. On the opposite side of this, Charlotte FC started their first-ever MLS season with a rough 3-0 loss to DC United.

Moving on to Sunday, soccer fans across the United States witnessed a huge upset. Reigning MLS Cup champions New York City FC were hosted by divisional rivals LA Galaxy. As the game neared the final whistle, it seemed as though we were going to get a goalless stalemate; however, Javier Hernandez had other plans. In the 90th minute– the final minute of regulation– the Mexico striker scored a stunner of a goal after a brilliant piece of dribbling. The game finished 1-0 for LA Galaxy, and NYCFC were faced with a very early season-loss.

The MLS season will continue with its second matchday on March 3. Even though it’s incredibly early in the season, the likes of Columbus Crew and LAFC are looking like tough competition and maybe even 2022 cup contenders.