🔬 The Debrief after another wild Saturday night across MLS | OneFootball

Week five of the 2025 MLS season crossed the halfway point after another Saturday night chock-full of action across the league.

Here is how all the action broke down from coast to coast.

What happened

FC Cincinnati's expected push for the top spot in the Eastern Conference this season continues its slow start to 2025 after a 2-2 home draw against Atlanta United in the afternoon kickoff.

A five-minute second-half brace for new signing Evander nearly guaranteed all three points after Emmanuel Latte Lath's opener in the 50th minute, but an Alvas Powell own goal two minutes from the end of normal time would deny Pat Noonan a perfect three-for-three start at TQL Stadium.

The second of two earlier fixtures saw Greg Vanney's struggling LA Galaxy travel to Minnesota United in the hopes of booking their first win of the season, but the former United States international would have to settle for a late point in a 2-2 draw at Allianz Field.

A brace from Italian striker Kelvin Yeboah, including an 87th-minute penalty, probably should have been enough for Eric Ramsay's outfit, but a first-half equalizer by Christian Ramirez, and a stoppage-time leveler from Carlos Garces would deny The Loons at home.

Saturday's typical flurry of evening matches once again did not disappoint in the early weeks of the 2025 season, with Charlotte FC and Orlando City both securing huge 4-1 home wins over San Jose and D.C. United respectively.

A world-class strike from Marco Pašalić for Orlando's fourth on the night highlights both results, while youngster Alex Freeman became the second-youngest player in Orlando history to produce a goal and an assist in a single match.

Eastern Conference powerhouse pair Philadelphia Union and New York Red Bulls also secured wins in friendly territory after narrow 1-0 and 2-1 results against St. Louis City and Toronto FC.

The Union, who were understrength due to the international break, did enough to edge an undefeated St. Louis outfit who had yet to concede a goal in 2025, while NYRB star man Emil Forsberg willed his side to a win in Harrison after hitting a brace in the second half.

In Columbus, the Crew will no doubt be kicking themselves tonight after a dominant display at Lower.com Field could not yield a single goal as NYCFC can count their lucky stars to come away with a point in a 0-0 draw away from Gotham.

Hany Mukhtar and Nashville SC continued their climb up the Eastern Conference ladder after a comfortable 3-0 win at home against CF Montréal, with the former German youth international adding an assist on the night as Alex Muyl, Josh Bauer, and a first MLS goal for Jonathan Pérez rounded out the scoring at Geodis Park.

B.J. Callaghan's outfit quietly continues to look like a side capable of challenging the upper echelons of the conference under his guidance.

Sporting KC's horrific start to 2025 pressed on to the tune of yet another loss, this time, a 2-0 defeat at the hands of visiting LAFC. A thunderbolt from David Martínez and a security blanket strike from Aaron Long on either side of the halftime interval was more than enough for Steven Cherundolo's men to end their two-match losing run.

Portland Timbers earned their second win of the season after their poor opening-day start, coming away with all three points on the road in a 3-0 win at Colorado for their first away win of the campaign.

A first Timbers goal for Kevin Kelsy applied the finishing touches on a strong away performance that also featured a Joshua Atencio own goal just before the halftime interval, and a strike from Antony just three minutes after the restart.

Dallas FC banked a narrow 1-0 road win against ten-man Real Salt Lake in a performance that was not accurately reflected on the scoresheet.

Star addition Luciano Acosta was denied an opener from the penalty spot in the 34th minute before making amends in the seventh minute of stoppage time before the interval to bag the only goal of the night at America First Field.

Vancouver Whitecaps finally tasted defeat for the first time in the 2025 season after succumbing to an efficient Chicago Fire side during a 3-1 loss, with goals from Hugo Cuypers, Philip Zinckernagel, and Rominigue Kouamé gifted Gregg Berhalter his third-straight win.

To close out the night, the Seattle Sounders were left frustrated at home after a misfiring 0-0 draw against the visiting Houston Dynamo. Dominant throughout, Brian Schmetzer's outfit, who honored injured star Paul Arriola, simply could not make good on their attacking numbers as they remain in the bottom rungs of the Western Conference.

Player of the day 🥇

Emil Forsberg turned quite a few heads when he left RB Leipzig for conglomerate outfit NYRB in February of last year, but thus far, Red Bulls fans are living the high life on the back of the Sundsvall-born midfielder.

With a brace tonight to lead the club to a 2-1 win at home against Toronto FC, NYRB's record improved to 8-3-1 during the regular season when the Swedish international contributes a goal or an assist to their cause.

His influence is undeniable.

Stat of the day 📊

Dean Smith continues to preside on a growing Charlotte FC outfit after The Crown earned a huge 4-1 win over the San Jose Earthquakes.

With that, Charlotte's 10 points after five matches in 2025 is the best start across that period in the club's history.

What this means 🤔

After wins for Philadelphia Union, Charlotte FC, Nashville SC, and the Chicago Fire, the top of the Eastern Conference remains jam-packed due to Inter Miami not featuring this weekend. Philly sits atop the pile with 12 points, with Charlotte, Inter Miami, Nashville, and Chicago all level on 10 points.

The middle of the pack is just as close, with Columbus Crew, NYRB, NYCFC, Orlando City, and FC Cincinnati separated by just two points.

Across in the Western Conference, Vancouver's first loss of the 2025 campaign courtesy of Chicago did not dent their position atop the table, owning a three-point lead over second-sitting LAFC (9 points)after their win over Sporting KC.

Despite all three failing to win, St. Louis City, Minnesota, and Colorado are level with undefeated San Diego FC on eight points, with SDFC primed to clash with Austin FC on Sunday afternoon. Wins for Dallas and Portland pull the pair up to mid-table and ahead of San Jose.

At the other end of both conferences, Toronto, Montréal, and SKC all languish at the bottom with just a single point in the bank and level with New England Revolution with the worst point haul thus far, though the Revs do own a match in hand.

What comes next

Just one match on Sunday's docket to bookend week five, with undefeated MLS debutant San Diego FC looking to keep their streak alive under Mikey Varas as they look horns with Nicolás Estévez's Austin FC at Q2 Stadium.

📸 Editorial Photo Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images