Article by Matt Lichtenstadter
After what feels like the shortest offseason of any soccer league in the world, and after watching the calendar turn to March, it’s time for another season in Major League Soccer. The league has grown by two teams, there are major changes at some of the league’s biggest clubs and MLS is the most wide-open league anywhere in the world, meaning that truly anything can happen. While this piece isn’t necessarily going to give out specific predictions, here we will look at some of the major storylines entering the season, which will give you an idea of what to look out for as the season begins. We might not even hit all of the major storylines as there is something intriguing with every team, but here are the biggest questions, storylines and dramas as MLS 3.0 begins in 2017:
How will the 2 Newcomers Do? MLS has once again expanded, this time putting clubs in Atlanta and Minnesota. In terms of building clubs from the ground up, you couldn’t find more diametric opposites. Minnesota has taken a much slower, steadier approach with a manager that has managed an expansion club before, and buying lesser known and cheaper talents from their NASL days, Scandinavia as well as lesser used parts from MLS clubs. Atlanta meanwhile went out and hired Tata Martino, spent lavishly on designated players and other parts and wants to compete right away for not only the playoffs but beyond. So it would be reasonable to assume their fortunes in year one will be just as different as their building processes.
Not necessarily. Only one expansion team in the “modern era” of MLS made the playoffs in year one, which was Seattle in 2009. That team and this Atlanta side are somewhat comparable, and it helps Atlanta is in the East and not the West. But despite looking fierce on paper, there are questions about their defense and whether not playing true home games until the end of July could cost them. They are playoff contenders on paper, but they are not a sure bet to make it. Minnesota has next to no expectations, which sets up well for the club as Atlanta takes the spotlight so they can build and build slowly. But their fortunes come the end of October do seem likely to be very, very different in the table.
Big Changes in Carson and Harrison: It’s been since the Bush administration that the LA Galaxy have seen the change and turnover that they have. Gone is Bruce Arena, Robbie Keane and other foundational pieces that turned the Galaxy into a dynasty. In comes a younger manager in Curt Onalfo, an emphasis on homegrown and young talent, and questions about whether the Galaxy can still be the beacon for the league that they’ve always been. Make no mistake though; they still have Gio Dos Santos and tons of other talented players which means a dramatic fall from grace is unlikely. However, they are light at the back, which will make for some early season shuffling, and don’t have a true target forward now that Keane and Alan Gordon have left. Who scores the goals? Who keeps them out consistently? And how will the new look midfield of Jermaine Jones and João Pedro fare against Western opposition all year? There are more questions about the Galaxy than ever, it seems.
The same holds true across the country in Harrison, NJ at Red Bull Arena. This offseason, the Red Bulls traded away their captain and inspirational leader Dax McCarty, didn’t spend a ton of money on upgrading the squad and unceremoniously dumped their sporting director, again. While McCarty can and will be replaced admirably by Sean Davis and Tyler Adams, the same questions the Red Bulls always have still exist: can they get it done when it matters most, and do they have the depth to compete through a long season, potentially with CCL obligations early on? Jesse Marsch will be under huge pressure to perform this season, especially now that the squad is almost entirely tailored to his liking.
The story for both teams is not necessarily what they do in the regular season, though rough patches will see increased pressure on them. How these clubs do in the cups and the playoffs will determine how successful these massive changes were.
Toronto, Seattle or Dallas: who is the best? These three teams are almost head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to who the best team in MLS is. FC Dallas has already impressed in CCL, showing that losing Mauro Diaz might not be as bad as once feared. Toronto FC added a playmaker to a forward line that was already plenty lethal without one, and the Sounders won MLS Cup without Clint Dempsey, who is now healthy and ready to return, and may sign Keisuke Honda just for added emphasis. So who will be the best over the long season and win the Supporter’s Shield? My pick is for FC Dallas, despite not having Mauro Diaz and dealing with a CCL run early in the year. Watching them demolish Arabe Unido last week shows what this team can do, and that’s coming fresh out of camp. Seattle and Toronto are no slouches, and can each win the Shield themselves, but FC Dallas is the best, most consistent, youngest and deepest team in the league, whether or not they win the Shield again.
Who is primed to Surprise, and who is primed to Disappoint? In every league, there are always surprise packages as well as teams that fail to live up to expectations, and that’s especially true in MLS. Only in this league can the two finalists for MLS Cup each miss the playoffs the following season, and a team many picked for the basement in the West challenged for the Supporter’s Shield. So who is primed to surprise and bounce back and who is primed to slip?
In terms of surprises/bouncers back, watch for the Chicago Fire. They completely transformed their midfield by adding solid MLS players in Juninho and Dax McCarty while also adding firepower up front. If they can sort out their midfield, players like David Accam, new DP Nemanja Nikolić among others can and will thrive for Veljko Paunović. They will not be a cellar dweller anymore, though whether they can get into the playoffs for the first time in five years may be tough. Also, watch out for the Columbus Crew to rebound substantially from last season’s massive disappointment, though they have questions themselves about all of the new pieces they added, and especially whether Federico Higuaín still has it.
On the disappointment front, most everyone will look to the Colorado Rapids after their remarkable season a year ago, and there is reason to believe they can’t replicate a Supporter’s Shield run. While that means they will still be playoff contenders because of their rock solid defense, do they have the creativity and goals in them to match their form from a year ago if the D isn’t quite as good? That’s a major question for Pablo Mastroeni to answer and one he might not have the answer to. Also, Orlando City has expectations heading into their new stadium and they are not quite right for Jason Kreis as of yet. Their new digs might not see playoff soccer in 2017.
Will Sebastian Giovinco actually win MLS MVP this year as he should have last year? Yes, I know I’m writing for a site that mostly focuses on calcio, but Sebastian Giovinco should have won MLS MVP last season because he is not only the best player in the league, but its most valuable by far. Toronto FC was not the team they became without him last year, and though his role in 2017 won’t be as all-encompassing thanks to the addition of Victor Vázquez, he is still the league’s best and most valuable player and that was the case in 2015, last year and this one as well. He’ll have plenty of competition, but there’s no reason to think he shouldn’t be MVP once again in 2017.
Those are just some of the many storylines to keep your eyes out for in 2017 as the new MLS season gets underway. Expansion teams, new stadiums, great new DP’s and young players; MLS has it all.
