Golazo! St. Louis CITY's Marcel Hartel scores first goal of 2026 MLS season

MLS is Back! And so are the goals.

Marcel Hartel made sure of that in Saturday’s Matchday 1 opener between St. Louis CITY SC and Charlotte FC, scoring the first goal of the 2026 MLS season.

CITY's Designated Player midfielder broke the deadlock in the 60th minute by latching onto Simon Becher's through ball and beating goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina with a classy first-time finish at the edge of the box. 

The celebration at Energizer Park was short-lived, however.

Pep Biel, off an assist from fellow DP Wilfried Zaha, leveled the contest 13 minutes later as both sides split the points in a 1-1 draw.