Thirteen other Matchday 1 games will take place this weekend, including Charlotte FC’s MLS debut against DC United on opening day. You can find all broadcast information at the end of the article. But first, let’s dive deep into Matchday 1’s match of the week between the Philadelphia Union and Minnesota United.
MLS Matchday 1 Match of the week: Philadelphia Union vs. Minnesota United
The Philadelphia Union and Minnesota United will kick off the 2022 MLS play on Saturday. Thousands of Americans will tune in to Bally Sports North and WUCW broadcasts to watch the two sides go toe-to-toe locally, and others around the USA will watch the game on ESPN+.
The cross-conference matchup will see two sides that qualified for the 2021 MLS Cup playoffs. The Union finished second behind 2021 Supporters Shield winners New England Revolution in the Eastern Conference, and the Loons were one of the three Western Conference sides that competed until decision day to secure a spot in the playoffs.
Philadelphia offloaded a couple of key players during the offseason. Polish forward Kacper Przybylko, who led the roster in 2021 with 12 goals, joined the Chicago Fire, and the always reliable Jamiro Monteiro went across the nation to play with San Jose. Head coach Jim Curtin brought in three strikers who will compete for the position Przybylko left behind. Argentina’s Julian Carranza and Brazil’s Matheus Davo joined on loan, and Denmark’s Mikael Uhre joined from Danish side Brondby IF as a permanent deal.
On the other hand, manager Adrian Heath will look forward to Paraguayan forward Luis Amarilla making his debut with the club. The 26-year-old is coming off a 15-goal, three-assist season with Liga Deportiva Universitaria Quito. Amarilla and midfielder Emanuel Reynoso is expected to be a promising new pairing heading into the 2022 season.
MLS games to watch on Matchday 1
Above, you can see our top five games to watch this weekend, starting with the season-opener between Philadelphia and Minnesota. Charlotte FC will make its MLS debut against DC United at Audi Field at 6 p.m. ET. Saturday play will come to an end with the Portland Timbers hosting New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET. Fox Sports 1 will broadcast the match.
Reigning MLS Cup champions New York City FC will take a trip across the country to face LA Galaxy at Dignity Health Sports Park on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET. And the Seattle Sounders and Nashville SC will close out Matchday 1 play at 8 p.m. ET.
