Welcome footy fans to my 8th annual MLS season preview. Last season I went for the long form preview, a specified blog for each club. This season I'll give a brief overview as what to watch for each team, as well as my world famous (hey, people outside the US will read this, so I'll stick to my claim) season predictions. Lets get stuck in...
CHICAGO FIRE: Veljko Paunovic joins the Fire as their 5th manager in the past seven seasons. With a complete retooling of their lineup, the major question this season will be, can Paunovic turn the worst team in the league into a respectable bunch? There are still major questions about the new look side, what formation will work best for them, and will yet another management change from the front office down to the coach have the desired effect?
COLORADO RAPIDS: Manager Pablo Mastroeni is entering his third season in Colorado, stunning when you consider how dire the team has been during his first two seasons. After scoring only 33 goals in 34 matches last year, John Spencer has been brought in as an offensive guru for the club. With much turnover yet again, its hard to see what the Rapids can do to become relevant again. One attempt they are making is to bring in USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard from Everton in the summer on a DP salary. Yep, their entire season seems to hinge on John Spencer adding goals and Tim Howard coming in the summer to stop leaking them. Seriously.
COLUMBUS CREW SC: With minimal subtractions and depth additions, along with a new DP contract for Kei Kamara, last seasons MLS Cup runners up look set to pick up where they left off. With a solid young foundation only getting better as each season progresses, there are only two real questions marks regarding the Crew. First, can the few aging stars on the club, Higuain, Kamara, and Parkhurst, maintain their high levels of performance as they add an extra season to their legs, and two, can season three of Gregg Berhalter be as effective as the first two.
DC UNITED: Luciano Acosta. The entire season for DC may come down to how well the Boca Juniors loanee Acosta adjusts to MLS and his new teammates. MLS All Time foul sufferer Davy Arnaud needed to retire from the side due to concussions, but he has joined the coaching staff. Former LA Galaxy and Colorado Rapids man, Marcelo Sarvas, looks to fill the gap.
FC DALLAS: Fabian Castillo. Maxi Urruti. Mauro Diaz. Jesse Gonzalez. Mauro Rosales. Carlos Gruezo. Acosta. Hedges. Akindele. Manager Oscar Pereja. What more do you need to know? Dallas is the one team in the stacked West capable of winning the Supporters Shield. Will Castillo find himself leaving in the summer as the largest transfer fee ever paid for an MLS player? Could be, but anyway you slice it, Dallas is the team to watch this season. I just wish they didn't play in the middle of nowhere.
HOUSTON DYNAMO: Owen Coyle enters season two in Houston, and many are left wondering what exactly he is bringing to the table other than being a less MLS successful version of Dom Kinnear. This season there are two major questions apart from the manager which will tell the tale of the Dynamo's season. One, will Cubo Torres put a poor loan spell and assault allegations from 2015 behind him and return to his Chivas USA form for the Dynamo? And two, will Christian Maidana be the spark that gets Houston into the playoffs, or the spark that sees them falter even below last seasons mediocre performances.
LA GALAXY: Bruce Arena enters into the last season of his contract in LA by selling Omar Gonzalez and Juninho to Mexican clubs, but adding veteran European talent in Nigel De Jong, Ca$hley Cole, and Jelle Van Damm, veteran MLS talent in Dan Kennedy, Mike Magee, Jeff Larentowicz, as well as Ghanian Emmanuel Boateng. Will they have the legs to last a season in MLS packed with travel and weather? One thing I know for certain, never under estimate Bruce Arena, even when he makes "crazy" decisions like brining in Cole.
MONTREAL IMPACT: Will Didier Drogba play more or less than 14 games this season? Thats where I place the over/under. With him, they are a title contender. Without him, they are a mediocre side. How often Drogba plays, if he still has the legs, and if Cameron Porter comes back and hits the ground running in Drogue's absence may tell the tale of the season.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION: Out goes Jermaine Jones and his DP salary. In comes Gershon Koffie. Newly signed DP mid Xavier Kouassi suffered injury seeing out his contract in Switzerland, and will miss the beginning of the season. Apart from that, not much has changed in New England.
NEW YORK CITY FC: Patrick Viera. Patrick Viera. Patrick Viera. Manchester City would love for Viera to prove himself in MLS before replacing Pep Guardiola in the City hot seat in a few seasons time, but the chances seem slim based on the history of managers new to MLS, let alone the game itself apart from Man City's youth team. NYCFC is still to me a hopelessly unbalanced team, with Pirlo, Lampard, and Villa yet to gel. While Villa had his moments, and Lampard wasn't awful, Pirlo was awful. And while they are in the team with their old legs, younger talents like Mix and Poku are going to be riding the bench. Another major concern this season for NYCFC will be how those ancient legs respond to counter attacks. I smell another mediocre season, but the fallout should be fun to watch.
NEW YORK RED BULLS: Matt Miazga exits for Chelsea while Gideon Baah enters. Apart from that, last seasons Supporter's Shield winners are remarkably the same. Will the league have figured them out, or will Jesse Marsch add enough new wrinkles to keep the train rolling down the tracks?
ORLANDO CITY SC: Antonio Nocerino comes in, as well as Kevin Alston. Apart from that, the one major change Orlando will hope for in 2016 is Kevin Molino being healthy for the entire season. While Orlando had a decent first season, Kaka isn't in MLS to not make the playoffs.
PHILADELPHIA UNION: After a decade in the Netherlands building teams on a budget, the Earnie Stewart era begins in Philly. Youth and undervalued talent seem to be his aims in season one. Will it give the Sons of Ben the winner they deserve? Will Jim Curtain last the season? The experiment will be interesting to watch.
PORTLAND TIMBERS FC: Last seasons Champions, Portland has seen the exits of Will Johnson, Maxi Urutti, Rodney Wallace, and Jorge Villafana. In the always competitive West, its hard to look at Portland and say they are better than last season. While a lot of talent remains, its hard to see a repeat performance in a parity filled MLS.
REAL SALT LAKE: Yura Movsisyan and El Burrito enter as Gil and Jamie exit. While boring boring RSL finished 9th in the West last season, they did evolve into a 4-3-3 formation down the stretch. With a healthy Plata and the new additions, RSL should be fighting for the playoffs.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES: It won't be pretty, but it may be affective. Um... yeah.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC: Obafemi Martins leaves for China as Jordan Morris finally turns pro and enters MLS with Seattle. With a DP slot to fill come summer, the Sounders we see the first half of the season may not be exactly as it is come the end of the season. With the money spent and the fan support they have garnered, for me, it is do or die this season for Sigi Schmid. Win or retire. Even if by force.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY: MLS goal of the year winner Krisztian Nemeth takes his 16 goals to Qatar, making many ask where the goals will come from apart from Dom Dwyer, leading to the acquisition of new man Nuno Andre Coelho. And the service to the front men will be improved with the depth added through MLS veterans Justin Mapp and Brad Davis. Sporting should be solid in 2016, if not must see TV.
TORONTO FC: Last season on the back of the Atomic Ant, Toronto made the playoffs for the first time. While solid up front with Giovinco, the newly slimmed Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley, the defense was flawed at best. This year they look to take advantage of a weak East by solidifying the back through Drew Moor, Clint Irwin, Will Johnson, and Steven Beitashour. If they can survive injuries and summer internationals, this could be the year TFC makes a serious run.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS FC: The caps were a young, solid, and entertaining side last season, and apart from the subtraction of Gershon Koffie in the mid, they seem to be all set to keep up last seasons good work. They added depth up front with Blas Perez and Masato Kudo, and midfield talent with Christian Bolanos. If you're looking for an MLS team to adopt, this could be it. Think of them as a Canadian Tottenham Hotspur.
So now its time for all of my gloriously inaccurate predictions.(Its MLS, batting .500 is amazing) First, my general thoughts, followed by my final predictions...
WESTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Its a straight battle between FC Dallas and Vancouver Whitecaps. LA and Seattle are built for the playoffs, and perhaps not the long grind of a season.
EASTERN CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Columbus, NYRB, and TFC. Only the Revs are even near the conversation.
SUPPORTER'S SHIELD WINNER: Dallas, Vancouver, Columbus, NYRB, or TFC.
US OPEN CUP WINNER: Sporting KC, Philly, Seattle, or Portland.
LEAGUE MVP: Kei Kamara, Sebastian Giovinco, Robbie Keane, David Villa, Fabian Castillo.
WESTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
FC Dallas
Vancouver Whitecaps FC
Seattle Sounders FC
Sporting KC
LA Galaxy
Portland Timbers
Houston Dynamo
Real Salt Lake
San Jose Earthquakes
Colorado Rapids
EASTERN CONFERENCE STANDINGS:
Columbus Crew SC
New York Red Bulls
Toronto FC
New England Revolution
Montreal Impact
DC United
Orlando City SC
New York City FC
Philadelphia Union
Chicago Fire
SUPPORTER'S SHIELD WINNER: FC Dallas
MLS CUP WINNER: LA Galaxy
US OPEN CUP WINNER: Portland Timbers FC
LEAGUE MVP: Robbie Keane
Thank you for reading my 8th annual MLS Season preview. If you have any comments or questions, feel free to let me know. It should be a great season in MLS.
Until next time, remember, MLS Matters.
