LAFC and LA Galaxy Kick Off 2023 MLS Season at Historic Rose Bowl
MLS is Back, as the 2023 Major League Soccer season kicks off with a historic installment of the El Tráfico rivalry. Defending MLS Cup champion LAFC will face off against crosstown rival LA Galaxy in front of what is expected to be an MLS-record crowd of more than 75,000 fans at the iconic Rose Bowl at 9:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Feb. 25 and will be streamed on MLS Season Pass.
For the Galaxy, this home match will put talented midfielder Riqui Puig on display as he enters his first full MLS season. The FC Barcelona youth academy product produced three goals and five assists in only 10 games after joining the Galaxy in the summer of 2022, igniting the club’s offense to lead the Galaxy to a berth in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. Puig and perennial MLS All-Star Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernández will lead the Galaxy into action as the club plays their first MLS match at the Rose Bowl since October 5, 2002 (Western Conference Final vs. Colorado).
LAFC will begin their title defense with a reloaded lineup, with offseason acquisitions Stipe Biuk – the 20-year-old Croatian international – and Aaron Long – a free agent signing from the New York Red Bulls – set to bolster an already star-studded roster. Second-year head coach Steve Cherundolo and three-time MLS Best XI presented by Continental Tire honoree Carlos Vela hope to break a long-standing drought of back-to-back champions, as no MLS team has captured consecutive MLS Cups since the 2011-12 LA Galaxy.
The last meeting between the teams was a 3-2 victory by LAFC in the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals en route to winning MLS Cup. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga scored a brace in the match and aims to continue his strong run of form into 2023.
Opening Weekend Marks Start of Live Regular Season Matches on MLS Season Pass
The start of the MLS season marks the beginning of live regular season matches on MLS Season Pass, the unprecedented subscription service available on the Apple TV app in more than 100 countries and regions. MLS Season Pass will feature every live MLS regular season match, the entire Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, and Leagues Cup all in one place, with consistent match times and no blackouts — a first in live sports broadcasting.
With an MLS Season Pass subscription, fans can enjoy every MLS match on billions of devices through the Apple TV app on Apple devices, smart TVs, streaming devices, set-top boxes, and game consoles, as well as on the web at tv.apple.com.
The first regular season match to be aired live on MLS Season Pass features reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar and Nashville SC welcoming 2021 MLS Cup champion New York City FC to GEODIS Park at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 25. The season-opening match will also be featured nationally on FOX.
This weekend will also see the debut of a pregame show, "MLS Countdown," and a postgame wrap-up show, "MLS Wrap-Up," both on MLS Season Pass. To complement the action, MLS Season Pass will debut "MLS 360," a five-hour live whip-around show capturing all the key moments from every match from the start of the first matches on the East Coast to the final whistle of the West Coast contests (7:30 p.m. ET-12:30 a.m. ET) this weekend.
St. Louis CITY SC – MLS’ 29th Club – Travels to Austin for Inaugural MLS Match
As Major League Soccer’s newest team and one of the few majority female-owned teams in all of sports, St. Louis CITY SC has a lofty goal as the team begins its inaugural season this spring: Help fuel the growth and revitalization of the St. Louis region.
However, to begin their debut season, St. Louis CITY SC will hit the road to face 2022 Western Conference finalist Austin FC as they search for their first MLS victory. The club will look to a trio of standouts in former Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Roman Bürki, Brazilian striker and Designated Player João Klauss, and MLS veteran center back Tim Parker to lead their inaugural campaign.
The club will return home for its first official MLS match at CITYPARK in front of 22,500 fans on Saturday, March 4, as they welcome 2022 expansion side Charlotte FC (8:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). The team’s stadium, CITYPARK, and the surrounding district is the largest urban professional sports campus in the U.S. and the only with a stadium, practice facility, team headquarters, and retail store all in the same footprint. The 31-acre urban campus in St. Louis’ Downtown West area will unite the region around its love of sports while serving as the heart- beat of St. Louis.
Portland’s Evander Set to Make MLS Debut Against Sporting Kansas City
One of the most prominent signings during the MLS Primary Transfer Window was the Portland Timbers' acquisition of 24-year-old midfielder Evander. The dynamic Brazilian starred in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League with FC Midtjylland (Denmark) and dominated in league play, producing 39 goals and 28 assists for the Danish side.
Evander arrives in Portland as a club-record signing and will look to provide an immediate jolt to the Timbers offense as the club looks to return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs after missing out for the first time since 2016.
The Brazilian’s debut will come in front of his home fans at Providence Park against Sporting Kansas City on Saturday night (10:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass). Like Portland, Sporting Kansas City is looking to turn things around in 2023 and to do so, they will rely on second-year standouts Willy Agada and Erik Thommy, along with the much-anticipated return of forward Alan Pulido from injury. Pulido looks to see his first MLS action since Nov. 28, 2021.
Tap-Ins: Matchday 1
A look at other headlines and activity around Major League Soccer ahead of Matchday 1:
- Golden Boot candidate? Willy Agada's long path from Nigeria to SKC stardom (MLSsoccer.com)
- “Superclub”? LAFC don't hide from idea before MLS Cup, Shield title defense (MLSsoccer.com)
- MLS integrates MLS Season Pass into updated website and mobile app (MLSsoccer.com)
- MLS Season Pass will be available in commercial locations in the U.S. and Canada (MLSsoccer.com)
- Apple and Major League Soccer unveil live event production plan and talent pairings for MLS Season Pass (MLSsoccer.com)
MLS Season Pass Broadcast Schedule: Matchday 1
Below is the MLS Season Pass broadcast schedule for Matchday 1, including English-language commentators for each match with the play-by-play talent listed first, followed by the match analyst.
How to Cover MLS in 2023
To assist in your coverage of the 2023 MLS season, the MLS Communications staff has provided the following media resources, all of which are available on MLSSoccer.com/Media-Resources.
