The Rondo, MLS Opening Weekend edition: Panic time for Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami? Trouble ahead for Sporting KC? Are Nashville SC contenders?

Tom Hindle: It's hard to look past LAFC beating Inter Miami 3-0, really. Let's face it, this is the MLS Cup final we all want to see, and in that forum, the best team in the West battered the best team in the East. Things might look different in six-plus months, but this felt an awful lot like a very good LAFC team throwing down the gauntlet. 

Ryan Tolmich: Big game, bright lights, international audience, and LAFC beat the snot out of the defending MLS Cup champions. It was a statement win for LAFC, who stepped up in front of a packed-out Rose Bowl to prove that they're a team that can reach that second gear, too. Due to the relative uncertainty under new coach Marc dos Santos, that was a huge statement, one that showed that LAFC might be the team to beat this year.

Alex Labidou: Since most are going to probably say LAFC over Miami, and rightfully so, there were some equally impressive results. San Diego FC treating Montreal like a fourth division team is one, but let’s go with Nashville crushing a “retooled” New England side. When folks discuss league contenders, Nashville SC are never mentioned. But they’ve had a quietly good offseason, and adding Cristian Espinoza might be the one piece they needed to really soar. This is going to be a fun team to watch.

TH: Montreal getting battered by San Diego FC. Sure, Mikey Varas' side is very good, and really should be considered a trophy contender in pretty much every competition they play in. But shipping five goals and getting a man sent off on opening night? You'd certainly hope for better. 

RT: Probably Atlanta United. Obviously, it'll take some time to get rolling, and there's no shame in losing to a very good FC Cincinnati team. The issue is that the problems that plagued last season were still on display. Miguel Almiron and Emmanuel Latte Lath didn't take over the game, much as they didn't in most games last year, and in this league, your stars need to do that more often than not. The fact that Atlanta's biggest names haven't done that remains a huge concern, particularly knowing that this weekend's match was there for the taking.

AL: Easily Sporting KC’s 3-0 loss to San Jose. This is supposed to be a new era at SKC, a storied mid-market team in MLS, especially with the hire of an MLS Cup-winning Sporting Director in David Lee. Yet, so far, the club has had an underwhelming offseason, and there were concerns the team wouldn’t have enough bodies to suit up heading into the weekend. Lee has technically been on the job since September 2025. To see a team that wasn’t fully equipped to play heading into Week 1 is inexcusable. Then to lose to SJ side that wasn’t able to debut Timo Werner yet and has question marks on defense in a 3-0 loss is unacceptable. Hopefully, Sporting get back to their best soon. Their fan base deserves that.

TH: How about some nuance, eh? It's entirely possible that both teams are really very good, just in different cycles. This is an LAFC with no real substantive changes from last year - save for the addition of a truly wonderful center midfielder in Stephen Eustáquio - facing up against a Miami team with a bunch of new additions still figuring it out. So, yeah, it'll take some time. You probably have to ask some questions about Miami's new center forward, German Berterame, and sure, Messi's performance wasn't all that great, but Miami will certainly catch up. For LAFC, you'd think it's more about retaining this level, and holding on to Denis Bouanga - who has flirted with an exit in the past. 

RT: It may be controversial, but it is possible for a league to have two really good soccer teams! Miami are obviously great, which is why they're defending MLS Cup champions, but LAFC are pretty damn good, too, and, in this particular game, they were much, much better.  That is more of a testament to LAFC than an indictment of Miami. If these teams played seven times, it would surely be close, which is, of course, a good thing as the hype builds for both clubs.

AL: The answer lies somewhere in between. It’s early, and Javier Mascherano and Co. are still figuring it out. Their biggest signing of the offseason, Berterame, joined just a few weeks ago and hasn’t been able to fully train with his team while in the U.S. due to visa issues. Those were recently resolved, but watching the match on Saturday, it was clear to see the attack didn’t know where to operate at times, and the same could be said on defense. It is also easy to see why Vancouver’s Tristan Blackmon was such a coveted target for Miami, as the team still needs help there. 

But let’s also give credit to LAFC. They’ve been all about stability and familiarity as opposed to making massive changes, and Marc Dos Santos - a previous assistant at the club - was able to really hit the ground running in his managerial debut. The most impressive aspect of this win might have been the fact that LAFC’s midfield, which likely doesn’t amount to Rodrigo De Paul’s MLS salary this season in cost, blew the Herons out of the park.

TH: Michael Bradley. He played the kids and got it done. There will be tougher days ahead, but this was a truly wonderful start. 

RT: The obvious answer is Michael Bradley, but a shoutout to Marc dos Santos, too. He gave David Martinez more attacking freedom than his predecessor Steve Cherundolo did, and he was rewarded with the opening goal of the game. Dos Santos' task is obviously different than Bradley's as his job is to keep a well-oiled machine running, but his tweak to that machine made it even better on Saturday night, which is something he deserves big credit for.

AL: There is only one answer here, and it is Michael Bradley. The new Red Bulls manager had a considerable amount of hype and intrigue surrounding his hire, and he did not disappoint. It was clear to see what his tactical vision and style of play were, and if it wasn’t for some missed chances, the Red Bulls would have beaten Orlando - a playoff team last year - by a scoreline much larger than the final 2-1 score indicated.

TH: Raphael Wicky at Sporting KC. They made a really smart hire in the front office by bringing in former NYCFC man David Lee to run the thing, but this wasn't a glittering start for his first appointment. Truth is, Sporting KC really don't have all that many footballers to use. Wicky won't be working with a lot, but he will have to get more out of what he has than a 3-0 loss to San Jose. 

RT: It was a slow offseason for Sporting KC, who turned away from the Peter Vermes era to begin the Raphael Wicky era. The start of that era, though, was ugly as SKC were battered by the San Jose Earthquakes, 3-0. There were other lopsided losses this week, but this one was to a Quakes team that wasn't very good last year and was missing star signing Timo Werner. If this was any indication, it could be as long a year for KC as many expect it could be.

AL: Let’s go with Marko Mitrovic. New England insisted this would mark the start of a new era, so a three-goal defeat in the opener is a worrying way to begin. Losing a debut isn’t a crime - but the manner of it matters. There has to be a visible fight, especially for a team that has invested significantly by MLS standards. If results don’t improve quickly, attention will inevitably turn to sporting director Curt Onalfo. He has now hired two well-regarded managers who have struggled to generate consistent returns from the rosters he assembled.

TH: Let's be mind-numbingly boring and go with Denis Bouanga. He was an absolute menace Saturday night and tore Miami's defense to shreds. So much was made of the Herons' backline during the playoffs, but they were made to look bang average by one Gabonese baller. Julian Hall was also excellent up front for the New York Red Bulls.

RT: Some love for Houston Dynamo signing Guilherme, who certainly showed his worth in his first MLS game. His brace in the 2-0 win over a decent Chicago Fire team was a fantastic first impression, even if the Brazilian has been doing this for years in his country's domestic league. He won a Golden Boot in Brazil and, while that may be too lofty a goal in MLS, Guilherme looked like a difference-maker, which is much needed for a very interesting Dynamo team.

AL: Bouanga sent a timely reminder to the LAFC front office that he needs a new contract and soon. Miami had no answers for the Gabon international, who seemingly danced through the Herons' defense at will to drop a timely goal and assist. The forward’s age isn’t his friend at 31, and rumors persist that he wants a long-term deal, so Los Angeles will need to be creative. But if LAFC want to win this year, they can’t afford to lose him. Get it done, Black and Gold!