St. Louis City and Charlotte FC Draw 1-1 in MLS Opener

Marcel Hartel scores first goal of 2026 MLS season, but Charlotte equalizes late

Feb. 22, 2026 at 12:07am

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

In the opening match of the 2026 MLS season, expansion club St. Louis City and Charlotte FC played to a 1-1 draw at a sold-out Energizer Park in St. Louis. Marcel Hartel scored the first goal of the new MLS campaign in the 60th minute, but Charlotte's Pep Biel equalized in the 73rd minute to earn a point for the visitors.

Why it matters

This match marked the debut of St. Louis City, one of two expansion teams joining MLS in 2026. The club is looking to establish itself as a force in the league, and this result, while not a win, provides an encouraging start to their inaugural season.

The details

St. Louis City controlled much of the match, outshooting Charlotte 22-9 and holding an 11-3 edge in shots on goal. They hit the crossbar and post but were unable to find a second goal. Charlotte's equalizer came on a counter-attack, with Wilfried Zaha setting up Biel for the finish.

  • The match kicked off the 2026 MLS season on February 22, 2026.
  • Marcel Hartel scored the opening goal of the match in the 60th minute.
  • Pep Biel scored the equalizing goal for Charlotte in the 73rd minute.

The players

Marcel Hartel

A midfielder for St. Louis City who scored the opening goal of the match.

Simon Becher

A midfielder for St. Louis City who provided the assist on Hartel's goal.

Pep Biel

A midfielder for Charlotte FC who scored the equalizing goal in the 73rd minute.

Wilfried Zaha

A forward for Charlotte FC who assisted on Biel's goal.

Yoann Damet

The head coach of St. Louis City in his first MLS match.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“There is bit of disappointment not to get a result that we wanted, but also a lot of pride in the effort that the guys put in this afternoon. The performance from the beginning to the end, I think was really good. Really pleased with what I saw.”

— Yoann Damet, Head Coach, St. Louis City (thetelegraph.com)

“At first, Jazi (Orozco) won the ball. Zaha, played it immediately forward to Eddie (Daniel Edelman), he turned and played forward. This was also a type of training we did in the preseason, that we try to look forward and yeah, then Simon, of course, was amazing first, first play forward from him to see me there on the last line. I like to play with Simon. Our relationship on the field, off the field is very, very good. I'm happy for him to get the assist.”

— Marcel Hartel, Midfielder, St. Louis City (thetelegraph.com)

“I knew the center back would be tracked to me, so I wanted to get it to him as quick as possible. A lot of quality in the finish, and good to get the first goal of the season.”

— Simon Becher, Midfielder, St. Louis City (thetelegraph.com)

What’s next

St. Louis City will look to earn their first win of the season when they travel to face San Diego on March 1.

The takeaway

Despite the draw, St. Louis City's debut performance was an encouraging start to their inaugural MLS season. The team showed they can control the tempo of the game and create scoring chances, and will look to build on this as they continue to establish themselves in the league.