Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
Soccer is a sport of constant turnover around the globe and in every league in every nation, change is the only constant. MLS is no stranger to this, but this offseason felt as if there was a legitimate change in not only how the league operates, but the perception of the league too. For the first time, the league is legitimately a selling league, and that has changed the outlook for many teams as the 2019 season begins. What does it mean for the new season? Here are five burning questions for the new season as it gets ready to begin:
Can Atlanta sustain what they’ve built?
Early indications are not positive for the Frank De Boer after a 3-1 loss to Herediano in the CONCACAF Champions League, and Miguel Almiron is now basking in the glow of St. James Park and not Mercedez-Benz Stadium, but the essence of what made this club so special so quickly hasn’t changed. Josef Martinez and so many of the essential pieces are still present, so can Frank De Boer not only stitch them together as Tata Martino did so brilliantly, but can he do it with the weight of the world on his shoulders? MLS is an unusual league where there is a modicum of patience, but with expectations sky high in Atlanta, failure is not an option. What they do and how they do it will dictate terms of the new season.
What kind of expansion club will FC Cincinnati be?
Atlanta United and LAFC have both rewritten the expansion club rules in MLS with their spending and ambition. But most expansion clubs in recent history have looked more likeMinnesota United than those two. FC Cincinnati probably fits into that mold. They have not spent big, and where they have, they haven’t exactly signed Carlos Vela or Josef Martinez. They are set out to be a frustrating team to play against and break down, not to wow you with progressive, passing soccer. That will be enough to nick a few results here and there, but even with seven playoff teams now, that likely won’t be enough to push them over the line. But this club is in it for the long haul, and this is a first step in that.
With Almiron and Giovinco gone, who is the best player in MLS?
Miguel Almiron could be the most talented player to ever grace MLS pitches. Giovinco for his four-year stint accomplished as much as any player in league history has. Both are now off to pastures new, and so there is a void in their wake. Who is the best player in the league right now? Some of the league’s best and longest-serving players have been special for years, but none have hit those Giovinco or Almiron heights, such as Bradley Wright-Phillips, Ignacio Piatti, Diego Valeri, Federico Higuain and the list can go on. Is Josef Martinez the best player in the league now? He’s certainly the best finisher. Is it Zlatan? He’d tell you that he is. Is it Carlos Vela? For LAFC to do what they want to do, it better be. In 2019, the answer to this question will give us a good idea as to who ends up being the best team.
Both the schedule and playoff format changed dramatically. How does that change the league this year?
MLS Cup is now no longer in December, instead now being played right before the November international break. With the season starting at the same time, that means the schedule is massively compressed, including a brief Gold Cup break. Add to that a seventh playoff team being added to each conference and the tournament now all single-elimination games instead of some two-legged ties, the path this season will take will be far different to any other in recent history. MLS travel is still a beast to tackle, and now squads will have to be even deeper to tackle fixture congestion. The deepest, fittest and most focused teams will no doubt have a decisive edge this season, even with the bar of entry even lower.
Who wins the Cup?
It’s hard not to think Atlanta United is still the favorite even after the first data point being a disappointing one. But they will have some company this year. The New York Red Bulls are who they’ve always been, even without Tyler Adams. Sporting Kansas City demolished Toluca and didn’t have an end of season burnout last year unlike in past seasons. LAFC seems deeper than they were in 2018, and sharper too. DC United has a full year of Rooney and Audi Field, so can they channel that momentum from the back half of 2018? There has been a Cascadia representative in the last four MLS Cup Finals, and will that streak continue? Who may be a dark horse? In this wide open league, even as some teams are spending more and more, it’s hard to tell now with so much change perhaps on the horizon. But my preseason nod goes to Sporting Kansas City. Something speaks to me that this may be their year, and that’s not just what they did to Toluca, but how they did it. In a league with so much change Sporting KC is a constant. And in this season of upheaval, that’s what may clinch it for them.
