I'm sure you've all been waiting for my annual MLS preview. Well, here you go !~~~! - comments, questions, observations, and fellow predictions welcome
For MLS playoffs top 2 teams in each conference are in along with the next best 4 records. So if you are top 2 in east and west you are assured of a playoff spot.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Chivas USA
- probably the most talented team in the league and, if they can stay away from mass injuries like they suffered last year, they should win the West. Maicon. Galindo, Flores, Lillingston, and Razov is the deepest and most talented attack in MLS and it is really not even close. In midfield you have American international Kljestan surrounded by Mayen, Padilla, Saragosa, and others though holding MF, Pablo Nagamura, is now with Tigres and tough Jesse Marsch retired. Besides getting Omana back from Costa Rica in defense their other big signing might be the best in MLS adding 23 year old El Salvadoran national team MF, Osael Romaro. Romaro has scored 8 times in just 38 international appearances, is a free kick specialist, and has largely been recognized as the reason for their decent qualifying run. Their backline is a collection of internationals including Bornsteain, Jazic, Umana, Suarez, and Talley. Their GK rollercoaster continues but Zach Thornton should start again this year though he's far from in great shape.
With Preki departing in the winter a new coaching staff has come to LA led by head coach Martin Vasquez, an assistant under Klinsmann at Bayern last year and previously served as assistant on Chivas USA. This is his first big job, however, but he is surrounded by the league's best talent so I expect he will be fine.
Colorado
- Colorado finished 1 point from the playoffs last year as they won just twice away from Denver. The team hasn't changed much with Casey, Cummings, and Akpan leading the frontline and they should net a bunch like last year. Veterans Clark, Mastroeni, Noonan, and Thompson will lead the midfield with Ballouchy and Clark providing service to Cummings/Casey. They lost Gibbs in the back and defense overall looks pretty average especially when backup keeper Burpo departed as well. Still, Pickens is a solid 1st keeper but an injury to him could mean big problems. They had the best home defense in the west but 2nd worst road defense so something will have to change there to make the playoffs as the west is just too tough to qualify with only 2 road wins.
Dallas
- Dallas led MLS in goals scored and shots on target led by golden boot winner Jeff Cunningham. He's getting old and has always been inconsistent but expect a big first few months for him as he tries to impress for a world cup call up. The bad news is that his strike partner, Kenny Cooper, is now in Europe and no other forward scored more than 2 goals last season. Ferreira, McCarty, and Harris will have to pick up the offensive slack from MF but the lack of a solid 2nd striker is going to hurt. They decided left midfielder Dave Van den Bergh was no longer in their plans so will not renew the contract of their leading assist man (11 assists 2009) from last year. Really solid midfield rounded out with holding MF Ricchetti and Brek Shea but the defense is more than suspect. Heath Pearce is excellent at left back and Ihemelu is a long time MLS starter but the rest of the group is very young or has no MLS experience. In net you have solid Kevin Hartman backed up by Dario Sala so all set in nets. Defense will prevent Dallas from making the playoffs again especially when Cunningham doesn't have Cooper up front with him anymore nor does he have van den Bergh providing crosses. Expect another 7th place finish
Houston
- two years ago Dwayne DeRosario led this team from attacking midfield but he's now in Toronto. Last year it was Stuart Holden but he's now in Bolton. This year they just don't have that ultra-talented guy to run the offense though still plenty of pieces to make the playoffs. They have only one player not from North America, Dominic Oduro, and he will be counted on to pair with Brian Ching up front. They're backed up by capable Ashe and Weaver and potentially Landin will emerge this year after doing very little in his first MLS season from Cruz Azul. The midfield is excellent even without Holden as veterans Mulrooney, Mullan, Davis, and Cameron are a top group for MLS standards. The back four is solid as well since Barrett, Boswell, Hainault, Robinson, Cochrane, and Serioux probably make up the best defense in the league. Onstad, as usual, between the pipes. Assuming a 2nd striker can emerge beside Ching there is nothing stopping Houston from challenging to win the west and the league. The best defense in the west got better but really need Landin or Oduro to step up this year. They will also have to make up for Ricardo Clark's absence as he signed with Eintracht. Clark is the starting holding MF on USMNT and clearly the best in MLS. Still, this is a playoff team though they'll be pushed by LA/Sea/RSL for that 2nd spot in the west
Los Angeles
- Landon Donovan showed the world for the last 2+ months why he is the premier player in US football as he was in great form with Everton, pushing them up the EPL table. While he is back in LA Beckham is out for an extended period of time which will really cripple this team as he was amazing in their playoff run. They will still be very good, Beckham only played 11 regular season games for them in 2009, but they will miss his services from the right. This team is loaded with great young defenders like Delagarza, Franklin, and Gonzalez plus they've added two Brazilians to the back for depth. So, defensively they are excellent especially with great Ricketts in goal. Midfield is a question mark though. Donovan will attack from the middle but Klein and Mathis are getting old and slow, Lewis did very little on the left last year, and only Magee had more than 4 assists. I like their forwards a alot as Buddle is top class when healthy, Gordon is a big body, Jordan is great off the bench, and both Eskandarian and Kirovski have scored many in this league. Bruce Arenas is simply the best coach in MLS, maybe in the history of MLS, and he will have this team back in the playoffs for sure and maybe even back in the finals. They will look to improve on a pedestrian 7-4-4 home record but only losing 2 road matches all season was a great accomplishment.
Real Salt Lake
- The MLS champs will be looking to figure out how to fill the void left by the departure of their #2 scorer, Movsisyan, to Randers and also losing their top assist man, Mathis, to LA. Findley and Espindola are excellent up front and their midfield is one of MLS' best though the defense isn't particularly exciting. Their big signing was Costa Rican international Alvaro Sabborio who scored many goals for Sion and Saprissa plus the CR national team. He should be outstanding but many latin americans find it difficult to transition to MLS so we'll wait and see. Goalie Nick Rimando is very good but they did lose young backup Chris Seitz so any injury to Rimando and they'll have to go shopping. RSL lost just once at Rio Tinto last year and allowed only 10 goals for the league's best home differential of +23 so nothing will change there this year. They must improve on 2-2-11 road form is they are going to challenge for the west and you always have to worry about a championship hangover. To help with that both Beckerman and Findley should get off to good starts to impress Bradley for WC2010. In truth they had no business winning the MLS cup as they were last team in the playoffs, but this league is all about making the playoffs and getting hot at the right time, which is what they did.
San Jose
- The doormats of the West are not going to find it easy to move up as this conference is really stacked. SJ allowed the most home goals and most road goals so you know where their problems lie. Before i get to the defense it's important to note that they have some really talented attackers and midfielders. Johnson showed real promise up front but needed Cornell Glen to help him out, which never happened. New signing, Eduardo (ex-basel/vasco) is still only 30 so he's the most likely suspect. In midfield the latin pair of Ramon Sanchez and Arturo Alvarez will lead the way with Convey and Corrales as well as new signing Javier Robles (ex-Velez, Olimpo, Santiago Wanderers). They did get Gjertsen from USL where he was one of the best players but he and Robles are more for depth now that Darren Huckerby retired. The backline is very poor. Hernandez and Burling are experienced but the talent level here is something they didn't address and when you only have Joe Cannon in goal you can't expect to keep many out. At the very least they will be entertaining to watch but I see no chance at the playoffs until the backline is cleaned up. I must note, however, that they come into the new season posting 5 consecutive preseason shutouts though I obviously don't expect it to continue as they haven't added a thing in the back or in goal.
Seattle
- year two for the expansion club and pretty much kept the core of last year's squad. Up front you've got Montero and Jaqua but absolutely no depth here at all. The midfield is outstanding with Alonso, Zakuani, Evans, and Ljungberg plus solid Stephen King and Brad Evans for depth so no issues at all here. Not so sure about the defense...they are young, big, and mistake-prone not to mention red card prone so perhaps the one reason the don't make the playoffs, if in fact they fall short. Only one word needed for goalkeeper...Keller. Sigi Schmid is the 2nd best coach in the league and did a great job last year with an expansion club. He built a quick, fast group surrounded by a few veterans but I don't believe they can match last year's 3rd place finish in the west just because depth at defense and forward is not of good quality, and injuries are always going to happen. If they do bring in Thierry Henry after the Barca season, as rumored, then perhaps a long playoff run is in the cards otherwise they may even fall short of playoffs, though I predict they'll sneak in.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago
- many changes for the Fire as Cuauhtemoc Blanco departed for Veracruz and they welcome in a new, Salvadoran coach. Up front they just signed former Fulham striker Collins John. John and McBride will form a very strong, experienced partnership and they have good depth there with Nyarko and ultraquick Calen Carr. In midfield the loss of Blanco will be felt but improved play from Thorrington, Husidic, and Mapp plus the new signing of El Salvadoran international Martinez plus the always steady Marco Pappa still makes this a strong group. Defense is thin but their starters are outstanding so any injuries to this sector means big problems. They did sign Krzysztof Krol (Jagiellonia) for some added defensive depth and in goal you have the veteran Jon Busch, one of the MLS' best. Again in 2009, as in 2008, this team was better on the road than at home and that will have to change if they are to challenge Cbus.
The wild card here is how quickly new Coach Carlos de los Cobos can implement his system. He's coached youth Mexican national teams and El Salvador's national team plus several Mexican clubs but the last time Chicago had a Latin coach it was a disaster. So, although I believe they will make the playoffs as a top 2 Eastern Conference qualifier I wouldn't be surprised if they bombed this year similar to the Red Bulls last year.
Columbus
- despite getting knocked out of Concacaf CL last week Columbus showed they are the team to beat in the eastern division. While Toluca are not great they are stil a playoff caliber Mexican club and Cbus gave them all they could handle, finally knocked out on 2 incredible free kicks by Sinha. Remember, no MLS club has ever defeated a Mexican team in a 2 leg series but Columbus came very close to doing just that. Columbus' attack is great with Schelotto still manning the #10 position but now with gifted, young, and huge striker Lenhart in front of him plus Venezuelan international, Renteria, plus USA internationals Gaven and Rogers on either side. Although they allowed 5 goals in 2 games to Toluca they still have a veteran defense and a great keeper with Wil Hesmer. Very little changed roster-wise for the 2008 champs and they must be big favorites to win the east. They were unbeaten in 24 league matches at home until late last year but don't expect them to drop many points in Crew stadium in 2010. They are an absolute guarantee to pull a top-2 East spot assuming they stay healthy.
DC United
- I think DC could be potent in attack but sloppy in defense so likely to either miss playoffs or see an early exit. They did drop a number of older, foreign players but replaced them with younger guys like Cristman and Pontius who have to produce. Their once feared midfield is now of very low quality with only Quaranta a normally capped national teamer, and he's coming off a nasty injury so no idea how he responds. Moreno is timeless in attack but his years will catch up to him at some point but I like the rest of their forwards, especially Pontius who may become a star. They kept the vast majority of their defense but for a team that was 4th worst in the league on defense, I'm not sure that is a good thing. Namoff is quality and James/Wallace play regularly for their national teams but I just don't see how they will defend any better with the same group. Perkins returns to MLS from Valerenga and he will instantly become the best goalie in MLS so clearly they upgraded in the net. Overall I just don't see any other upgrades. The losses of Luciano Emilio, who at times was this league's best striker, Olsen, Gomez, and Fred means they got much younger but lost all their experience and, well, talent. They lack a true playmaker now (Gomez 3 years ago, Gallardo 2 years ago, Gomez again last year are no longer on team) and will be crossing their fingers that either Cristman or Pontius produces big time.
The major change will be in the coaching staff as Curt Onalfo takes over. Onalfo was 27-29-22 with KC and that's not very good. Onalfo's teams were offensively challenged and had no idea how to win at home so strange hire indeed.
Kansas City
- club technical director, Peter Vermes, takes over for Curt Onalfo but Vermes was part of the problem and not the solution. KC signed 5 players but none look to be all that interesting. They must replace their keeper, Hartman, who saved this club countless times in the past few years and it appears that Jimmy Nielsen will be in the nets after his transfer from Vejle. In attack they are miserable with Josh Wolff likely to partner with Kei Kamara. For some reason they traded Adam Cristman to DC for an international roster spot but I'd have been starting Cristman over Wolff anyway plus Hercules Gomez left the MLS for Puebla in Mexico. The club is not too bad in MF with Hirsig, Espinosa, Arnaud and Jewsbury sure starters and all of good quality. In the back you have the best central defender in the west, Jimmy Conrad, but outside of him there are a lot of question marks.
Vermes has his work cut out for him since Claudio Lopez, the only attacking MF of real quality, did not renew his contract. They did just ink Craig Rocastle but he has scored exactly 4 goals in his career of English lower leagues so is definitely no savior. Ryan Smith is the likely replacement for Lopez and he scored 1 goal in his life, largely a reserve on English Championship sides. This club will likely finish only above Philly in the east but remains the biggest wild card as they decided to become the UN of MLS bringing in new guys from Denmark, Colombia, England, France, Israel, and a few Africans. This has been tried in MLS before and always fails miserably.
New England
- The Revs were so hard hit with injuries last year it is remarkable they finished 3rd in the east and it must give them great hopes that a solid 2010 is in store as young players got a lot of experience last year. They again dipped into Africa for reinforcements signing MF Joseph Niouky to go along with Osei, Mansally, and Nyassi. Twellman should revert back to form after all his 2009 injuries and he will be joined by Mansally and Jankauskas up front along with Kheli Dube so a lot of pressure again on Twellman. Their MF is deep and talented led by Shalrie Joseph along with Videira, Castro, Nyassi and others. Defense is suspect to say the least but adding US International Gibbs is a big plus. Their GK situation is without a doubt the best in MLS with Reis, Burpo, and Shuttleworth so if Twellman can stay healthy and productive they will certainly make the playoffs. Many players left as Jay Heaps retired, Larentowicz & Thompson were traded for Gibbs & Burpo, often-injured Chris Albright signed with NYRB, and Steve Ralston left to start the new USSSF franchise in Saint Louis but none of these guys are irreplaceable.
New York
- big upgrades at both coach and stadium make the Red Bulls an interesting team in 2010. Hans Backe (Notts, PAO, Copenhagen, Salzburg, etc) takes over for awful Osorio and this can only be a huge upgrade. Their stadium which opened with a huge victory over Brazilian Santos is absolutely amazing and will attract much larger crowds than ever before. Of course home wins were never their problem but road wins remain a huge issue. They come into this season winless on the road since 2008 and last year were outscored 27/3 away. Up front remain the partnership of Angel and Kandji with Dane Richards and John Wolyniec providing nice depth. Midfield is a big problem still unless some of their foreigners like Oebster, Robinson, or Borman can overachieve. They might have the worst MF in the league so getting service to Kandji and Angel is the big issue for 2010. Rojas was clearly their best MF but he went back to Venezuela with Tachira so much will depend on just how good Estonian international Joel Lindpere (ex Tromso) really is and if Welsh international, Carl Robinson, can produce more offense than he did in Toronto. Defense is not bad at all with Boyens, Goldthwaite, Mendes, Petke, Sassano, and Stammler all returning plus recruiting USMNT right back Chris Albright. Coundoul is ok in goal but they did sign Greg Sutton for insurance and he might even be the better keeper.
Much depends on Hans Backe but he is a coach that has won many titles in his career and is certainly a stronger leader than Osorio who never even knew what formation to play. Likely not enough talent to make the playoffs but they will stay above KC and Philly and could challenge DC and NE for 4th. Health should be much better as they were losing a lot of man-games because of the brutal turf at the Meadowlands. Now back on natural grass perhaps they can get through a season with Angel not resting due to back spasms every week.
Philadelphia
- The Union begin their inaugural MLS season made of MLS castoffs. Their new arena open in late June but probably won't be a lot going to for the fans to come out for anyway. They hired veteran coach Peter Nowak to start the franchise, a great choice for sure. Nowak largely chose players in his mold...hardworking, tough, mean, but not incredibly talented. He's won an MLS title with DC and coached both the US national team and u-23's so knows USA players very well. Up front a few known names appear particularly Alejandro Moreno, ex-Columbus, who scored 9 goals in 2008 but just 4 in 2009. Moreno can really do nothing himself, needing perfect service, so they are likely to be praying for young Nick Zimmerman to emerge quickly. He showed moments of brilliance for the Red Bulls last year but never scored. Their other forwards include 3 college kids who have never played professionally and then Sebastian Le Toux who has scored 1 career MLS goal. Yikes!
In midfield the name that jumps out at you is Fred, from DC United, but he has not played well in 2 years. Miglioranzi and Salinas are ok MLSers then you have 3 more guys that never played in this league. One of them, Roger Torres, is a potentially great Colombian talent but at just 5'5" 140 pounds and 18 years of age this may be too much, too soon, especially in the MLS which is a very physical league. Their defense is solid and experienced with US international, Michael Orozco, signing from San Luis to go along with Thomas, Califf, and Harvey. In goal you have Chris Seitz, who is outstanding, so expect some boring, low scoring football from Philly with a lot of crooked numbers in the loss column.
Toronto
- TFC have circled 2010 as the year they compete for the title though that may be a bit outside of their talent level. In attack you have some really solid players like DeRosario, Gerba, White, Barrett, and Ibrahim and having Julian de Guzman in attacking MF for a full season should help a lot. De Guzman really is not surrounded by a lot of quality though as TFC have never replaced Edu's departure to Rangers last year. Essentially they will look like the Red Bulls except de Guzman is better quality than NYRB have in MF. De Guzman will likely need to lead the league in assists and be an MVP contender for TFC to be in the playoffs and he better produce since they dropped Amado Guevara in his place. The backline is solid with several internationals though I'm not a huge fan of Stefan Frei in goal, preferring the departed Greg Sutton.
TFC brought in Preki as head coach who has been around US football forever most recently serving as MLS coach with Chivas USA last year. I think he will have TFC improving but probably not enough to challenge for a top 3 spot in the East. He will certainly have them stronger on defense as they were dead last in away goals allowed in 2009.
My predictions
Top 2 East - Columbus & Chicago
Top 2 West - Chivas USA & Houston
Next 4 to make playoffs - New England, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles, Toronto
League's worst teams - Philadelphia, then Kansas City
Potential surprise team East- New York
Potential surprise team West - San Jose
League MVP - Landon Donovan
League Golden Boot - Edson Buddle
Best home record - Columbus
Worst home record - Philadelphia
Best road record - Chicago
Worst road record - Philadelphia
For MLS playoffs top 2 teams in each conference are in along with the next best 4 records. So if you are top 2 in east and west you are assured of a playoff spot.
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Chivas USA
- probably the most talented team in the league and, if they can stay away from mass injuries like they suffered last year, they should win the West. Maicon. Galindo, Flores, Lillingston, and Razov is the deepest and most talented attack in MLS and it is really not even close. In midfield you have American international Kljestan surrounded by Mayen, Padilla, Saragosa, and others though holding MF, Pablo Nagamura, is now with Tigres and tough Jesse Marsch retired. Besides getting Omana back from Costa Rica in defense their other big signing might be the best in MLS adding 23 year old El Salvadoran national team MF, Osael Romaro. Romaro has scored 8 times in just 38 international appearances, is a free kick specialist, and has largely been recognized as the reason for their decent qualifying run. Their backline is a collection of internationals including Bornsteain, Jazic, Umana, Suarez, and Talley. Their GK rollercoaster continues but Zach Thornton should start again this year though he's far from in great shape.
With Preki departing in the winter a new coaching staff has come to LA led by head coach Martin Vasquez, an assistant under Klinsmann at Bayern last year and previously served as assistant on Chivas USA. This is his first big job, however, but he is surrounded by the league's best talent so I expect he will be fine.
Colorado
- Colorado finished 1 point from the playoffs last year as they won just twice away from Denver. The team hasn't changed much with Casey, Cummings, and Akpan leading the frontline and they should net a bunch like last year. Veterans Clark, Mastroeni, Noonan, and Thompson will lead the midfield with Ballouchy and Clark providing service to Cummings/Casey. They lost Gibbs in the back and defense overall looks pretty average especially when backup keeper Burpo departed as well. Still, Pickens is a solid 1st keeper but an injury to him could mean big problems. They had the best home defense in the west but 2nd worst road defense so something will have to change there to make the playoffs as the west is just too tough to qualify with only 2 road wins.
Dallas
- Dallas led MLS in goals scored and shots on target led by golden boot winner Jeff Cunningham. He's getting old and has always been inconsistent but expect a big first few months for him as he tries to impress for a world cup call up. The bad news is that his strike partner, Kenny Cooper, is now in Europe and no other forward scored more than 2 goals last season. Ferreira, McCarty, and Harris will have to pick up the offensive slack from MF but the lack of a solid 2nd striker is going to hurt. They decided left midfielder Dave Van den Bergh was no longer in their plans so will not renew the contract of their leading assist man (11 assists 2009) from last year. Really solid midfield rounded out with holding MF Ricchetti and Brek Shea but the defense is more than suspect. Heath Pearce is excellent at left back and Ihemelu is a long time MLS starter but the rest of the group is very young or has no MLS experience. In net you have solid Kevin Hartman backed up by Dario Sala so all set in nets. Defense will prevent Dallas from making the playoffs again especially when Cunningham doesn't have Cooper up front with him anymore nor does he have van den Bergh providing crosses. Expect another 7th place finish
Houston
- two years ago Dwayne DeRosario led this team from attacking midfield but he's now in Toronto. Last year it was Stuart Holden but he's now in Bolton. This year they just don't have that ultra-talented guy to run the offense though still plenty of pieces to make the playoffs. They have only one player not from North America, Dominic Oduro, and he will be counted on to pair with Brian Ching up front. They're backed up by capable Ashe and Weaver and potentially Landin will emerge this year after doing very little in his first MLS season from Cruz Azul. The midfield is excellent even without Holden as veterans Mulrooney, Mullan, Davis, and Cameron are a top group for MLS standards. The back four is solid as well since Barrett, Boswell, Hainault, Robinson, Cochrane, and Serioux probably make up the best defense in the league. Onstad, as usual, between the pipes. Assuming a 2nd striker can emerge beside Ching there is nothing stopping Houston from challenging to win the west and the league. The best defense in the west got better but really need Landin or Oduro to step up this year. They will also have to make up for Ricardo Clark's absence as he signed with Eintracht. Clark is the starting holding MF on USMNT and clearly the best in MLS. Still, this is a playoff team though they'll be pushed by LA/Sea/RSL for that 2nd spot in the west
Los Angeles
- Landon Donovan showed the world for the last 2+ months why he is the premier player in US football as he was in great form with Everton, pushing them up the EPL table. While he is back in LA Beckham is out for an extended period of time which will really cripple this team as he was amazing in their playoff run. They will still be very good, Beckham only played 11 regular season games for them in 2009, but they will miss his services from the right. This team is loaded with great young defenders like Delagarza, Franklin, and Gonzalez plus they've added two Brazilians to the back for depth. So, defensively they are excellent especially with great Ricketts in goal. Midfield is a question mark though. Donovan will attack from the middle but Klein and Mathis are getting old and slow, Lewis did very little on the left last year, and only Magee had more than 4 assists. I like their forwards a alot as Buddle is top class when healthy, Gordon is a big body, Jordan is great off the bench, and both Eskandarian and Kirovski have scored many in this league. Bruce Arenas is simply the best coach in MLS, maybe in the history of MLS, and he will have this team back in the playoffs for sure and maybe even back in the finals. They will look to improve on a pedestrian 7-4-4 home record but only losing 2 road matches all season was a great accomplishment.
Real Salt Lake
- The MLS champs will be looking to figure out how to fill the void left by the departure of their #2 scorer, Movsisyan, to Randers and also losing their top assist man, Mathis, to LA. Findley and Espindola are excellent up front and their midfield is one of MLS' best though the defense isn't particularly exciting. Their big signing was Costa Rican international Alvaro Sabborio who scored many goals for Sion and Saprissa plus the CR national team. He should be outstanding but many latin americans find it difficult to transition to MLS so we'll wait and see. Goalie Nick Rimando is very good but they did lose young backup Chris Seitz so any injury to Rimando and they'll have to go shopping. RSL lost just once at Rio Tinto last year and allowed only 10 goals for the league's best home differential of +23 so nothing will change there this year. They must improve on 2-2-11 road form is they are going to challenge for the west and you always have to worry about a championship hangover. To help with that both Beckerman and Findley should get off to good starts to impress Bradley for WC2010. In truth they had no business winning the MLS cup as they were last team in the playoffs, but this league is all about making the playoffs and getting hot at the right time, which is what they did.
San Jose
- The doormats of the West are not going to find it easy to move up as this conference is really stacked. SJ allowed the most home goals and most road goals so you know where their problems lie. Before i get to the defense it's important to note that they have some really talented attackers and midfielders. Johnson showed real promise up front but needed Cornell Glen to help him out, which never happened. New signing, Eduardo (ex-basel/vasco) is still only 30 so he's the most likely suspect. In midfield the latin pair of Ramon Sanchez and Arturo Alvarez will lead the way with Convey and Corrales as well as new signing Javier Robles (ex-Velez, Olimpo, Santiago Wanderers). They did get Gjertsen from USL where he was one of the best players but he and Robles are more for depth now that Darren Huckerby retired. The backline is very poor. Hernandez and Burling are experienced but the talent level here is something they didn't address and when you only have Joe Cannon in goal you can't expect to keep many out. At the very least they will be entertaining to watch but I see no chance at the playoffs until the backline is cleaned up. I must note, however, that they come into the new season posting 5 consecutive preseason shutouts though I obviously don't expect it to continue as they haven't added a thing in the back or in goal.
Seattle
- year two for the expansion club and pretty much kept the core of last year's squad. Up front you've got Montero and Jaqua but absolutely no depth here at all. The midfield is outstanding with Alonso, Zakuani, Evans, and Ljungberg plus solid Stephen King and Brad Evans for depth so no issues at all here. Not so sure about the defense...they are young, big, and mistake-prone not to mention red card prone so perhaps the one reason the don't make the playoffs, if in fact they fall short. Only one word needed for goalkeeper...Keller. Sigi Schmid is the 2nd best coach in the league and did a great job last year with an expansion club. He built a quick, fast group surrounded by a few veterans but I don't believe they can match last year's 3rd place finish in the west just because depth at defense and forward is not of good quality, and injuries are always going to happen. If they do bring in Thierry Henry after the Barca season, as rumored, then perhaps a long playoff run is in the cards otherwise they may even fall short of playoffs, though I predict they'll sneak in.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Chicago
- many changes for the Fire as Cuauhtemoc Blanco departed for Veracruz and they welcome in a new, Salvadoran coach. Up front they just signed former Fulham striker Collins John. John and McBride will form a very strong, experienced partnership and they have good depth there with Nyarko and ultraquick Calen Carr. In midfield the loss of Blanco will be felt but improved play from Thorrington, Husidic, and Mapp plus the new signing of El Salvadoran international Martinez plus the always steady Marco Pappa still makes this a strong group. Defense is thin but their starters are outstanding so any injuries to this sector means big problems. They did sign Krzysztof Krol (Jagiellonia) for some added defensive depth and in goal you have the veteran Jon Busch, one of the MLS' best. Again in 2009, as in 2008, this team was better on the road than at home and that will have to change if they are to challenge Cbus.
The wild card here is how quickly new Coach Carlos de los Cobos can implement his system. He's coached youth Mexican national teams and El Salvador's national team plus several Mexican clubs but the last time Chicago had a Latin coach it was a disaster. So, although I believe they will make the playoffs as a top 2 Eastern Conference qualifier I wouldn't be surprised if they bombed this year similar to the Red Bulls last year.
Columbus
- despite getting knocked out of Concacaf CL last week Columbus showed they are the team to beat in the eastern division. While Toluca are not great they are stil a playoff caliber Mexican club and Cbus gave them all they could handle, finally knocked out on 2 incredible free kicks by Sinha. Remember, no MLS club has ever defeated a Mexican team in a 2 leg series but Columbus came very close to doing just that. Columbus' attack is great with Schelotto still manning the #10 position but now with gifted, young, and huge striker Lenhart in front of him plus Venezuelan international, Renteria, plus USA internationals Gaven and Rogers on either side. Although they allowed 5 goals in 2 games to Toluca they still have a veteran defense and a great keeper with Wil Hesmer. Very little changed roster-wise for the 2008 champs and they must be big favorites to win the east. They were unbeaten in 24 league matches at home until late last year but don't expect them to drop many points in Crew stadium in 2010. They are an absolute guarantee to pull a top-2 East spot assuming they stay healthy.
DC United
- I think DC could be potent in attack but sloppy in defense so likely to either miss playoffs or see an early exit. They did drop a number of older, foreign players but replaced them with younger guys like Cristman and Pontius who have to produce. Their once feared midfield is now of very low quality with only Quaranta a normally capped national teamer, and he's coming off a nasty injury so no idea how he responds. Moreno is timeless in attack but his years will catch up to him at some point but I like the rest of their forwards, especially Pontius who may become a star. They kept the vast majority of their defense but for a team that was 4th worst in the league on defense, I'm not sure that is a good thing. Namoff is quality and James/Wallace play regularly for their national teams but I just don't see how they will defend any better with the same group. Perkins returns to MLS from Valerenga and he will instantly become the best goalie in MLS so clearly they upgraded in the net. Overall I just don't see any other upgrades. The losses of Luciano Emilio, who at times was this league's best striker, Olsen, Gomez, and Fred means they got much younger but lost all their experience and, well, talent. They lack a true playmaker now (Gomez 3 years ago, Gallardo 2 years ago, Gomez again last year are no longer on team) and will be crossing their fingers that either Cristman or Pontius produces big time.
The major change will be in the coaching staff as Curt Onalfo takes over. Onalfo was 27-29-22 with KC and that's not very good. Onalfo's teams were offensively challenged and had no idea how to win at home so strange hire indeed.
Kansas City
- club technical director, Peter Vermes, takes over for Curt Onalfo but Vermes was part of the problem and not the solution. KC signed 5 players but none look to be all that interesting. They must replace their keeper, Hartman, who saved this club countless times in the past few years and it appears that Jimmy Nielsen will be in the nets after his transfer from Vejle. In attack they are miserable with Josh Wolff likely to partner with Kei Kamara. For some reason they traded Adam Cristman to DC for an international roster spot but I'd have been starting Cristman over Wolff anyway plus Hercules Gomez left the MLS for Puebla in Mexico. The club is not too bad in MF with Hirsig, Espinosa, Arnaud and Jewsbury sure starters and all of good quality. In the back you have the best central defender in the west, Jimmy Conrad, but outside of him there are a lot of question marks.
Vermes has his work cut out for him since Claudio Lopez, the only attacking MF of real quality, did not renew his contract. They did just ink Craig Rocastle but he has scored exactly 4 goals in his career of English lower leagues so is definitely no savior. Ryan Smith is the likely replacement for Lopez and he scored 1 goal in his life, largely a reserve on English Championship sides. This club will likely finish only above Philly in the east but remains the biggest wild card as they decided to become the UN of MLS bringing in new guys from Denmark, Colombia, England, France, Israel, and a few Africans. This has been tried in MLS before and always fails miserably.
New England
- The Revs were so hard hit with injuries last year it is remarkable they finished 3rd in the east and it must give them great hopes that a solid 2010 is in store as young players got a lot of experience last year. They again dipped into Africa for reinforcements signing MF Joseph Niouky to go along with Osei, Mansally, and Nyassi. Twellman should revert back to form after all his 2009 injuries and he will be joined by Mansally and Jankauskas up front along with Kheli Dube so a lot of pressure again on Twellman. Their MF is deep and talented led by Shalrie Joseph along with Videira, Castro, Nyassi and others. Defense is suspect to say the least but adding US International Gibbs is a big plus. Their GK situation is without a doubt the best in MLS with Reis, Burpo, and Shuttleworth so if Twellman can stay healthy and productive they will certainly make the playoffs. Many players left as Jay Heaps retired, Larentowicz & Thompson were traded for Gibbs & Burpo, often-injured Chris Albright signed with NYRB, and Steve Ralston left to start the new USSSF franchise in Saint Louis but none of these guys are irreplaceable.
New York
- big upgrades at both coach and stadium make the Red Bulls an interesting team in 2010. Hans Backe (Notts, PAO, Copenhagen, Salzburg, etc) takes over for awful Osorio and this can only be a huge upgrade. Their stadium which opened with a huge victory over Brazilian Santos is absolutely amazing and will attract much larger crowds than ever before. Of course home wins were never their problem but road wins remain a huge issue. They come into this season winless on the road since 2008 and last year were outscored 27/3 away. Up front remain the partnership of Angel and Kandji with Dane Richards and John Wolyniec providing nice depth. Midfield is a big problem still unless some of their foreigners like Oebster, Robinson, or Borman can overachieve. They might have the worst MF in the league so getting service to Kandji and Angel is the big issue for 2010. Rojas was clearly their best MF but he went back to Venezuela with Tachira so much will depend on just how good Estonian international Joel Lindpere (ex Tromso) really is and if Welsh international, Carl Robinson, can produce more offense than he did in Toronto. Defense is not bad at all with Boyens, Goldthwaite, Mendes, Petke, Sassano, and Stammler all returning plus recruiting USMNT right back Chris Albright. Coundoul is ok in goal but they did sign Greg Sutton for insurance and he might even be the better keeper.
Much depends on Hans Backe but he is a coach that has won many titles in his career and is certainly a stronger leader than Osorio who never even knew what formation to play. Likely not enough talent to make the playoffs but they will stay above KC and Philly and could challenge DC and NE for 4th. Health should be much better as they were losing a lot of man-games because of the brutal turf at the Meadowlands. Now back on natural grass perhaps they can get through a season with Angel not resting due to back spasms every week.
Philadelphia
- The Union begin their inaugural MLS season made of MLS castoffs. Their new arena open in late June but probably won't be a lot going to for the fans to come out for anyway. They hired veteran coach Peter Nowak to start the franchise, a great choice for sure. Nowak largely chose players in his mold...hardworking, tough, mean, but not incredibly talented. He's won an MLS title with DC and coached both the US national team and u-23's so knows USA players very well. Up front a few known names appear particularly Alejandro Moreno, ex-Columbus, who scored 9 goals in 2008 but just 4 in 2009. Moreno can really do nothing himself, needing perfect service, so they are likely to be praying for young Nick Zimmerman to emerge quickly. He showed moments of brilliance for the Red Bulls last year but never scored. Their other forwards include 3 college kids who have never played professionally and then Sebastian Le Toux who has scored 1 career MLS goal. Yikes!
In midfield the name that jumps out at you is Fred, from DC United, but he has not played well in 2 years. Miglioranzi and Salinas are ok MLSers then you have 3 more guys that never played in this league. One of them, Roger Torres, is a potentially great Colombian talent but at just 5'5" 140 pounds and 18 years of age this may be too much, too soon, especially in the MLS which is a very physical league. Their defense is solid and experienced with US international, Michael Orozco, signing from San Luis to go along with Thomas, Califf, and Harvey. In goal you have Chris Seitz, who is outstanding, so expect some boring, low scoring football from Philly with a lot of crooked numbers in the loss column.
Toronto
- TFC have circled 2010 as the year they compete for the title though that may be a bit outside of their talent level. In attack you have some really solid players like DeRosario, Gerba, White, Barrett, and Ibrahim and having Julian de Guzman in attacking MF for a full season should help a lot. De Guzman really is not surrounded by a lot of quality though as TFC have never replaced Edu's departure to Rangers last year. Essentially they will look like the Red Bulls except de Guzman is better quality than NYRB have in MF. De Guzman will likely need to lead the league in assists and be an MVP contender for TFC to be in the playoffs and he better produce since they dropped Amado Guevara in his place. The backline is solid with several internationals though I'm not a huge fan of Stefan Frei in goal, preferring the departed Greg Sutton.
TFC brought in Preki as head coach who has been around US football forever most recently serving as MLS coach with Chivas USA last year. I think he will have TFC improving but probably not enough to challenge for a top 3 spot in the East. He will certainly have them stronger on defense as they were dead last in away goals allowed in 2009.
My predictions
Top 2 East - Columbus & Chicago
Top 2 West - Chivas USA & Houston
Next 4 to make playoffs - New England, Real Salt Lake, Los Angeles, Toronto
League's worst teams - Philadelphia, then Kansas City
Potential surprise team East- New York
Potential surprise team West - San Jose
League MVP - Landon Donovan
League Golden Boot - Edson Buddle
Best home record - Columbus
Worst home record - Philadelphia
Best road record - Chicago
Worst road record - Philadelphia
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