Week One Preview/Club Preview Recap

Before digging in to a preview of the first week in the 2015 MLS season, here is a brief recap of the 20 club dedicated season previews I posted over the past several days. (Feel free to check out them all)

Predicted 2015 Eastern Conference Finishes:
1) New England Revolution
2) Columbus Crew SC
3) New York Red Bulls
4) Toronto FC
5) Chicago Fire
6) DC United
7) Montreal Impact
8) Philadelphia Union
9) Orlando City SC
10) New York City FC


Predicted 2015 Western Conference Finishes:
1) Los Angeles Galaxy
2) Sporting Kansas City
3) Seattle Sounders FC
4) Vancouver Whitecaps FC
5) FC Dallas
6) Real Salt Lake
7) San Jose Earthquakes
8) Houston Dynamo
9) Portland Timbers
10) Colorado Rapids


Teams to watch in 2015:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

New England Revolution, last seasons MLS Cup finalist, looking to take the next step with the return of Juan Agudelo.

Columbus Crew, the most exciting young team in MLS, filled with potential and an exciting young manager.

Toronto FC, big spenders, big names, ready to plow their way into the playoffs for the first time ever. It will either be a thing of beauty, or a train wreck. Well worth a watch.


WESTERN CONFERENCE:

LA Galaxy, the perennial champions, holding the line until Mr. Liverpool arrives.

Sporting KC, new conference, Espinoza returns, Zusi moves to a new role, well worth a watch.

Vancouver Whitecaps, in a year of strong Canadian teams, perhaps the strongest of them all. Amazing young prospects, but is Carl Robinson the man to lead them to glory?



WEEK ONE PREVIEW AND PREDICTIONS:

LA Galaxy V Chicago Fire: LA are the champs, LA is at home, and Chicago is still trying to find its feet with new pieces. Will Zardes, Villarreal, Rogers, or Jamieson IV fill Landon Donovan's boots? Will Adailton, Polster, or Gehrig team with Laurentowicz in central defense. Should be a fun match to kick off the season, the only time the two will meet unless they both make MLS Cup Final.
Prediction: LA Galaxy 2-1 Chicago Fire

DC United V Montreal Impact: DC went from worst to first last season and look to push on in a "weak" East featuring two expansion clubs in place of Sporting KC and Houston Dynamo. In what could be a break out season for Pontius, they look to start off on the right foot despite the absence of key forwards Espindola and Johnson. Meanwhile, Montreal looks to continue their impressive early season form after two great results in CONCACAF Champions League, something DC failed to do.
Prediction: DC United 1-1 Montreal Impact

Philadelphia Union V Colorado Rapids: In the match up I look forward to the least (meaning it will be a cracking game) the Union will look to show off their attacking prowess in their home and season debut, while protecting a questionable defense. Colorado look to hit the ground running after a difficult season following the departure of Oscar Pareja, with Pablo Mastreoni in the hot seat as the season begins.
Prediction: Philadelphia Union 3-1 Colorado Rapids

Houston Dynamo V Columbus Crew SC: Houston kick off the season at home with a new manager in Owen Coyle, a Dominic Kinnear type without the MLS experience, and will look to start strong against a difficult opponent in the Crew. With El Cubo Torres on loan until the summer, look for Will Bruin and potentially Giles Barnes or Chandler Hoffman to spark the team. The Crew will see the former Eastern opponent on the road as a good test, and will expect Kamara to show why they brought him in. Will Romain Gall get a start? Come in off the bench? This should be an enthralling matchup between a solid compact defense minded team and potentially the most entertaining attack in all of MLS.
Prediction: Houston Dynamo 1-2 Columbus Crew SC

FC Dallas V San Jose Earthquakes: Dominic Kinnear will return to Texas to kick off the season as he brings Kinnear-ball to San Jose. Meanwhile FC Dallas will want to start the season off right showing off one of the best attacks in MLS. Their defense is however questionable. Will Loyd settle quickly in his new role as a center back? Will Diaz return to his best? Will Emeghara show why so many MLS defenders should be afraid of his pace while forming a quick partnership with Wondo?
Prediction: FC Dallas 1-1 San Jose Earthquakes

Portland Timbers FC V Real Salt Lake: Portland has one of the best atmospheres in MLS, one of the brightest young coaching minds, but one of the nastiest injury lists of any midfield in MLS. Who fills the boots of Will Johnson, Ben Zemanski, and Diego Valeri? On the RSL side, can Olave return to be a rock in the back? Will Luis Gil get a start, and if so, in a further back role than the attacking position he desires? Can Saborio find the back of the net?
Prediction: Portland Timbers FC 0-1 Real Salt Lake

Sporting Kansas City V New York Red Bulls: Sporting KC kick off their new place in the Western Conference with a familiar foe from the Eastern Conference. On front of a spirited crowd, look for Roger Espinoza to be up for his return to MLS and KC. But also watch for the inevitable card he will get from the adrenaline. The main questions for KC are, will Graham Zusi move to the number 10 role and will he be effective, as well as will Matt Besler return to the form that slipped away after he returned from the World Cup? On the New York side, can Jesse Marsch win the fans over? A road win to start the season would be a nice first step. Will BWP maintain his goal scoring prowess without Theirry Henry? Will Sacha Kljestan fill those boots for his former teammate Marsch? Tune in to FS1 to see this one Sunday before Seattle V New England, and after ESPN's Orlando v NYCFC matches.
Prediction: Sporting KC 2-1 New York Red Bulls

MATCHES OF THE WEEK:

Seattle Sounders FC V New England Revolution: The second match in FS1's Sunday Night doubleheader pits two of the best teams from 2014 clashing in front of the always raucous crowd in Seattle. Seattle decided to stand pat after a Supporter's Shield winning performance in 2014, while the Revs decided to add a key piece to their potent attack. How will Tyrone Mears fill the boots of DeAndre Yedlin? Will Juan Agudelo get the starting nod over Charlie Davies?
Prediction: Seattle Sounders FC 3-2 New England Revolution

Vancouver Whitecaps FC V Toronto FC: A Canadian derby, we get our first taste of the new TFC. Will Altidore hit the ground running? Will the Atomic Ant prove his worth from the start? Will the new additions in the midfield and defense solidify TFC's key problem areas of 2014? On the Vancouver side, home field could be a deciding factor as one of the most potent attacks in MLS looks to test that 2014 weakness of TFC. Expect goals, expect action, expect passion.
Prediction: Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2-2 Toronto FC

Orlando City SC V New York City FC: With the Eastern Conference expansion derby, we get our first official look at Jason Kreis' City side featuring the expected most potent finisher in MLS, David Villa. We also get our first look at Mix Diskerud in MLS, as well as their formation. Will it be a Kreis special, a tight diamond 4-4-2, or will he switch to something a little more defensive in their debut on the road? On the Orlando side, we get to see the MLS debut of Ricardo Kaka. More strong than people expect, and as skillful as the day is long, how many games can Kaka win for Orlando on his own? Are either of these teams ready for prime time? Check the match out on ESPN on Sunday, the first of a triple header between ESPN and FS1.
Prediction: Orlando City SC 0-0 New York City FC



Thank you for reading this weeks preview, as well as the recap of my overall season predictions. I hope you get stuck in, and don't forget that this year we have dedicated time slots for MLS games on Unimas, FOX Sports, and ESPN. Thanks again, and remember, as always, MLS Matters.