Griezmann's sensational debut, LAFC's next gear & more from Matchday 17 | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

After a dash of action in the final days of the 2026 FIFA World Cup last week, MLS returned in earnest on Wednesday with 15 matches involving all 30 clubs from coast to coast.

With so much happening, nights like these can feel like drinking from a firehose, so let us give you some guidance to help make sense of a frantic Matchday 17.

Orlando City

Lions catch Grizi vibes

Can one high-profile acquisition really fix an entire team?

That’s the thought exercise unfolding at Orlando City, who traveled across the continent to deliver an impressive 4-0 walloping of the San Jose Earthquakes on the MLS debut of French legend Antoine Griezmann.

With ‘Grizi’ scoring and creating a game-high five chances, and Eduard Atuesta notching a hat trick of assists, the Lions looked a completely different side from the flawed unit whose leakiness in the season’s first half set them on course to smash league records for most goals conceded.

It was rough justice for Timo Werner and the Quakes, considering the teams’ expected-goals numbers were nearly identical, the opportunistic visitors buoyed by seven sharp saves from Canada international Max Crépeau.

“Antoine has been such a success for the club, on and off the field, already,” said Crépeau of Griezmann. “In the locker room, such a beautiful soul, such a good person that wants to work – you've seen him running up and down the whole 90, gives us a lot of freedom on and off the ball, and the discipline – you can see what he brings onto the field when we combine with one another close to him.

"So it’s delightful, amazing to play with one of those top-class players.”

WATCH: Dream debut! Antoine Griezmann paces Orlando City

Los Angeles Football Club

Sonny: Sizzling, suddenly

Wednesday’s nightcaps featured fireworks across California, in fact. Down in Los Angeles, Son Heung-Min bagged 1g/1a to pace a 3-1 LAFC home win over Real Salt Lake, the Korean icon flexing his elite quality after he bagged his first league goal of the campaign in last week’s El Tráfico triumph over rivals LA Galaxy.

That’s three wins on the trot for the Black & Gold, with their Sonny-Denis Bouanga front line finally resembling the menacing duo of last season’s stretch run. For Son, it’s a welcome palate cleanser after a brutally disappointing World Cup expedition with South Korea.

“That wasn't easy for Son. He loves the national team very much,” LAFC head coach Marc Dos Santos said in Spanish after the victory. “But when he returned with us, he knew that the national team was one thing and our world at LAFC was another. Our approach was to give him as much confidence as possible, which is exactly what we did.

"So look, I hope he can keep going. We’ll always be careful with his minutes, because we want him to reach the playoffs in good shape.”

WATCH: Son, Bouanga power LAFC past Real Salt Lake

Inter Miami CF

Another wild one in Miami

Inter Miami kicked off the back half of their season in, let’s say suboptimal fashion: An early howler from goalkeeper Rocco Ríos Novo, who whiffed on a back pass from his teammate Ian Fray as Chicago Fire FC’s new star Robert Lewandowski pressed him, and got tagged with an ugly own goal at Nu Stadium.

There’s some steel under those bright pink kits, though.

With new signing Casemiro looking on, the defending MLS Cup presented by Audi champions stormed back to snatch a 3-2 victory, even with stars Lionel Messi and Rodrigo De Paul taking some mandated downtime after their roles in Argentina’s run to the World Cup final.

And it was all about the front-line pairing of Germán Berterame and 39-year-old legend Luis Suárez, who combined delightfully to produce the Herons’ second and third goals, with a sizable helping hand from young homegrown Preston Plambeck, age 20, who fired home a rebound for the game-winner in just his fourth-ever MLS appearance.

No one has scored more goals thus far this season than Miami, who remain appointment viewing even with their biggest names on hiatus.

WATCH: Without Messi and De Paul, Suárez sparks Inter Miami

FC Cincinnati

A Cincy barnburner

Speaking of goals for, FC Cincinnati rank just behind the Herons in that category, and they flexed that attacking muscle to slice up the stingiest defense in the Western Conference as Vancouver Whitecaps FC visited TQL Stadium for a pulsating 4-3 shootout.

While the ‘Caps got a boost from the long-awaited return of star playmaker Ryan Gauld after months lost to a tricky knee injury, this one was all about Evander.

FCC’s Brazilian maestro bagged a goal and an assist, the latter a delivery to Pavel Bucha that completed a brace for the versatile Czech and set Cincy up well for their Hell is Real clash with Ohio rivals Columbus Crew at the weekend.

Also of note here: Vancouver’s midfield metronome Sebastian Berhalter did not play, amid reports that he could soon be making a transfer to an unknown European club. Neither did his fellow All-Star Thomas Müller, who was left on the bench by coach Jesper Sørensen.

WATCH: Bucha brace leads Cincinnati in seven-goal thriller

St. Louis CITY SC

DametBall? St. Louis strengthen

After a painful start to life under first-year head coach Yoann Damet in which they found just one win in their first 10 league matches (1W-6L-3D), St. Louis CITY SC are now cooking with gas.

The Ravioli Boyz followed up last week’s cross-Missouri derby win over Sporting Kansas City with a well-earned 3-1 defeat of LA Galaxy in their own house, Marcel Hartel outshining his fellow German Marco Reus with 1g/2a as STL grow more and more confident in Damet’s game model with each passing matchday.

That’s five wins and zero losses for the Midwesterners since mid-May, and they’ve now climbed above the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs line in the Western Conference standings.

WATCH: Surging St. Louis CITY SC dominate LA Galaxy

Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle’s struggles

Long a paragon of consistent competitiveness, the Seattle Sounders suddenly find themselves in a dark place, riding an unsightly four-game losing skid. Last week’s stunning, historic 5-1 Cascadia Cup home loss to bitter rivals Portland Timbers has now been followed by a 3-1 loss to Austin FC on a ferociously hot July night in central Texas.

After the two sides swapped first-half goals, it appeared the Rave Green would secure a road point, only for teenage homegrown Ervin Torres to come off the bench and conjure up two late assists for ATX – the first goal contributions of his fledgling first-team career – that sparked delirium at Q2 Stadium.

The Sounders’ frustrations were evident as veteran Albert Rusnák dropped an S-bomb to underline the need for a slump-breaker when they visit Philadelphia this weekend.

“With four losses in a row, yeah, we may need to shift to more focus on results rather than performance. Because I don't really think that any of us give a sh** how it's going to happen,” he said.

“We're just going to have to get a win. I mean, if you play ugly for 100 minutes, none of us care at this moment in time. Looking at the next game, which is in a couple days, we need the result. That's the only way to get out of this hole that we find ourselves in.”

WATCH: Austin FC strike late to sink Seattle Sounders

Philadelphia Union

Signs of DOOP life

Seattle’s trip to Philly appears trickier than it did a few weeks ago, considering the last-place Union looked a lot more like their old, Supporters’ Shield-winning selves in Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Red Bull New York.

Milan Iloski’s early goal gave the DOOP squad a dream start, teenage wunderkind Cavan Sullivan balled out, Kai Wagner made a happy return from English side Birmingham City and homegrown Neil Pierre scored on his season debut as Philly notched their first home win in 2026 league play in their first match under interim head coach Ryan Richter, the successor to last season’s MLS Coach of the Year Bradley Carnell.

Subaru Park remains a house of horrors for RBNY, whose ongoing winless run at the venue dates back to 2018.

“You could feel the energy in the stadium from everyone that was involved,” said Richter, “and it's so important for us to start this in the right way.”

WATCH: Philadelphia celebrate resounding rivalry win