After an extended pause for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Major League Soccer is back in action with the second half of the season underway.
Several high-profile fixtures are already on the schedule, including Orlando City vs. Nashville on July 25 and New York Red Bulls vs. Charlotte on the same evening.
Vancouver Whitecaps head into the resumption as the Western Conference leaders, building on a franchise-best regular season that ended with a trip to the 2025 MLS Cup.
The Whitecaps went into the World Cup break with 32 points from 14 matches, sitting on top of a league-leading goal difference of plus-22.
Sebastian Berhalter and Thomas Müller have been central to that form, and the Canadian side look well-placed to replicate last season’s achievements.
In the Eastern Conference, Nashville SC have been equally commanding, entering the break one point above Vancouver at the top of the Supporters’ Shield race.
B.J. Callaghan’s side went unbeaten at home, recording six wins and a draw, with Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge both contributing strongly to their title credentials.
Perhaps the biggest surprise package of the first half has been San Jose Earthquakes, who posted eight wins from their opening nine matches to record the best start in franchise history.
The arrival of German forward Timo Werner has been transformative, and head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena was rewarded with a contract extension during the World Cup hiatus.
Chicago Fire have also exceeded expectations in Gregg Berhalter’s second season, accumulating 26 points from their first 14 matches heading into the break.
Golden Boot leader Hugo Cuypers contributed 13 goals during that stretch, but the arrival of Robert Lewandowski from Barcelona raises serious questions about how dangerous Chicago could become.
Orlando City enter the second half of the campaign with fresh hope, following the high-profile signing of French superstar Antoine Griezmann from Atlético Madrid.
Griezmann left Atleti as the club’s all-time top goalscorer in May, but his new side had lost six of their first eight matches and parted ways with head coach Óscar Pareja before the break.
Orlando sit four points outside the playoff places, with Griezmann now expected to ignite an attack alongside designated players Marco Pašali? and Martín Ojeda.
San Diego FC, who finished top of the Western Conference in their debut 2025 season, have found the going tougher this time around, sitting just outside the playoff positions with 17 points from 15 games.
Reigning MLS Newcomer of the Year Anders Dreyer and head coach Mikey Varas will be determined to secure back-to-back postseason appearances for the young club.
Michael Bradley has made a strong impression in his first top-flight coaching role, turning New York Red Bulls into one of the league’s most exciting sides with a squad averaging just 23.5 years of age.
Bradley made history by naming a starting XI containing three players aged 17 or younger, with 18-year-old MLS All-Star Julian Hall already producing nine goals and four assists this season.
Meanwhile, Inter Miami and Lionel Messi remain impossible to ignore, with the 39-year-old having already recorded 20 goal contributions in the league before the World Cup break began.
Despite Messi’s brilliance, Miami have struggled at the newly-opened Nu Stadium, winning just two of their first six home matches, though their road record of 22 points from nine away games equals the all-time league record.
The post Major League Soccer Returns: Vancouver Whitecaps, Thomas Müller, Lionel Messi And Antoine Griezmann Lead The Second-Half Story appeared first on Gooner Daily.
