MLS 2.0: Griezmann Shines as Lewandowski Waits for First Goal

Lionel Messi is catching his breath. Major League Soccer is not.

With the World Cup dust barely settled after Argentina’s defeat to Spain in the final, the league has roared back from its long summer pause and immediately shoved two new European heavyweights under the brightest lights it can find: Antoine Griezmann and Robert Lewandowski.

Griezmann hits the ground running

If this week was a soft launch for MLS 2.0, Griezmann didn’t get the memo.

The 2018 World Cup winner needed only three minutes of the second half on Wednesday, July 22, to stamp his name on the league. On his Orlando City debut, he swept home his first MLS goal in a 4-0 demolition of the San Jose Earthquakes, a scoreline that flattered the visitors and underlined exactly why Orlando moved for a player of his pedigree.

It wasn’t just a goal. It was timing, authority, and the sense that Orlando suddenly have a different kind of star at the heart of their attack. The match turned into a rout, and Griezmann turned into the story.

He won’t have much time to enjoy the perfect start. On Saturday, July 25, Orlando City host Nashville SC, the current leaders in the Supporters’ Shield race. Griezmann’s second act in MLS comes not in a gentle bedding-in, but against the league’s pace-setters. That’s the point. Orlando didn’t sign him to hide him.

Lewandowski still waiting

Lewandowski’s first taste of MLS life was far less forgiving.

Thrown straight into the Chicago Fire lineup on Wednesday, the Poland striker played 63 minutes in his debut and walked off without a goal in a 3-2 defeat to Inter Miami. No Messi, no mercy. Even without their global icon, Miami found enough to hand Chicago a loss and deny Lewandowski his first headline.

For a player who has built a career on ruthless finishing, the blank will sting. The league, though, rarely gives strikers long to dwell.

On Saturday, July 25, Chicago head to Yankee Stadium to face New York City FC. A tighter pitch, a hostile crowd, and a second chance. Lewandowski will again chase his first MLS goal, this time on one of American sports’ most famous stages. The spotlight won not be any softer; it will simply be a different shade of unforgiving.

A packed Saturday slate

While the two European stars draw global attention, Saturday is a full-throttle reminder of MLS’s sheer volume and variety. Every kick is available on Apple TV, with one match also on FS1.

Saturday, July 25 schedule (all times ET):

• Red Bull New York vs. Charlotte FC, 6:30 p.m.
• Columbus Crew vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:15 p.m.
• D.C. United vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
• CF Montréal vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m.
• New England Revolution vs. Atlanta United, 7:30 p.m.
• New York City FC vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m.
• Orlando City SC vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
• Philadelphia Union vs. Seattle Sounders, 7:30 p.m.
• Houston Dynamo vs. Austin FC, 8:30 p.m.
• Minnesota United vs. Vancouver Whitecaps, 8:30 p.m.
• St. Louis City SC vs. Colorado Rapids, 8:30 p.m.
• San Diego FC vs. FC Dallas, 9:30 p.m. (FS1)
• Los Angeles FC vs. Sporting Kansas City, 10:30 p.m.
• Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake, 10:30 p.m.
• San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.

Star power is one hook. Rivalry is another.

“Hell is Real” returns

The game of the day sits in Ohio, where one of MLS’s fiercest rivalries flickers back into life.

At ScottsMiracle-Gro Field in Columbus, the Crew host FC Cincinnati at 7:15 p.m. ET in another chapter of “Hell is Real.” The name fits. This derby has grown teeth, and the stakes this time cut in very different directions.

FC Cincinnati arrive buzzing after a wild 4-3 victory over Western Conference leaders Vancouver Whitecaps. Seven goals, three points, and a statement that they belong in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff fight. This is a team with momentum and something tangible to chase.

Columbus, by contrast, are searching for a pulse. The 2026 league campaign has turned brutal: just four wins from 16 matches, a slide that cost Henrik Rydström his job on May 17 after only 14 games in charge. Laurent Courtois has stepped in as interim head coach, but the reset has not yet brought relief.

The World Cup break offered a chance to regroup. Instead, the Crew returned and promptly lost 2-1 to New York City FC on July 22. The frustration lingers, the pressure builds, and now their fiercest rival walks through the door.

Derbies have a way of ignoring form tables. Columbus need that to be true. Cincinnati will do everything they can to prove it wrong.

The title picture: Miami still on top

Messi may be resting, but the bookmakers have not shifted their gaze.

According to the latest BetMGM odds, Inter Miami remain the clear favorite to win the 2026 MLS championship at +333. Los Angeles FC and Vancouver Whitecaps sit next in line at +750, with Nashville SC close behind at +800. FC Cincinnati, dangerous and rising, are priced at +1200.

The message is blunt. Even with Messi temporarily out of the picture, the league still orbits Miami. But a single summer, a single injury, a single bad week can tilt a season.

Griezmann has already landed. Lewandowski is still circling his first goal. Miami wait for Messi to return. Nashville defend their lead. Cincinnati smell opportunity. Columbus fight for relevance.

The World Cup break is over. Now MLS has to decide who really owns this season.