South American Flare
It's no secret that the rise of young South American talent coming to the US has had a tremendous impact on the level of play in the MLS. Guys like Josef Martinez, Miguel Almiron, and Yordy Reyna made their mark last season and opened the door for even more talent to ply their trade in America. Now with the edition of Ezequiel Barco in Atlanta United, Kaku with the New York Red Bulls, and Jesus Medina with NYCFC to name a few, the MLS is going to be more exciting and fun than ever to watch.
LAFC's Debut
There's a lot of hype surrounding this club. They have the potential to have a great beginning to their MLS tenure just like Atlanta United had last season. With editions like Carlos Vela who is still in his prime and is set to continue playing for the Mexican national team, Omar Garber who is young and gets serious playing time with the Egyptian national team, and Laurent Ciman who is a seasoned MLS veteran and mainstay with the Belgian national team, they have the right blend of experience and youth to field a competitive team. Also being led by Bob Bradly who has had a distinguished career, this team has the potential to go far and even make a run at the MLS cup. The only problem I see with this team is depth, but with a already devoted fan base and brand new stadium, they might be able to make some noise within the league.
Audi Field!
As a DC United fan, this makes me extremely excited. United have finally moved away from the crumbling and decrepit RFK stadium and finally financed their very own soccer-specific stadium. Their debut in their new home won't be until the summer months, but they also decided to opt for new uniforms and have done a complete overhaul of their roster to go along with the new stadium. Lets hope all of these changes help produce a winning product on the field after finishing with the 2nd worst record in the league last season. Fingers crossed!
Rivalries Heating Up
The MLS is slowly but surely developing some intense rivalries which even the most storied rivalries in world soccer are taking notice of. With all of the off-season signings this year, the level of play is steadily being increased and this makes for some awesome television. I could spend hours unpacking each rivalry individually, but the one I'm taking most notice of is New York City FC and New York Red Bulls. In it's young history, it has already become a fiery affair. The fans have great banter before, during, and after the match, and both teams have done a tremendous job this off season acquiring great South American talent. Kaku from Argentina will become the play maker for the Red Bulls, while Jesus Medina from Paraguay will take up the mantle for the boys in blue. Not to mention there are seasoned strikers on both sides with David Villa and Bradly Wright Phillips only getting better with age. Will New York be blue or red this season?
Supporters are Making Moves
The thing that makes soccer truly the beautiful game is the supporters. San Jose is moving their supporter section right behind the goal, which is great because the people at home watching the game can get a better glimpse of the great atmosphere they can create. LAFC has already sold out their supporter section and has already created a solid rivalry with near neighbors the LA Galaxy. DC United have also sold out their new stadium and one of their supporters groups, the screaming eagles has taken over the ticket sales. Atlanta United supporters also seems poised to continue their fine form from their innaugural season last year where they set attendance records and changed up the game in terms of supporters culture within the MLS. Not to mention Portland, Toronto, Seattle, and Orlando who already have great fan bases are trying to build upon their avid support from the previous season. The atmosphere that these fans create in the stadiums will increase the stake that this league has in relation to the rest of the world.
Have Toronto FC Reached Their Peak?
Toronto pulled off an unprecedented domestic treble last season when they took home the Supporters Shield, Canadian cup, and MLS cup. So you might be wondering how this squad with all of their success can build off of such a feat. No team from the MLS has won the Concacaf Champions League since the inception of the new format 8 years ago, and only twice has an MLS team even made it to the finals. Toronto with all of their talent seem to be the MLS' greatest hope for taking home the crown this season and finally prevailing over the Liga MX in Mexico. Will Sebastien Giovinco, Jozy Altidore, and Michael Bradley take up the challenge? Or was last season the peak for this club? Either way this team will be a lot of fun to watch.
American Youth
The MLS has constantly been criticized for its lack of youth development. But long gone are the days where the college superdraft was the main pipeline for obtaining good American youth players. The MLS academies have developed some of the best young American players, and they have the opportunity to leave their mark on the league this season. Justen Glad already hit the ground running for Real Salt Lake becoming one of the most consistent defenders in the league. Also who could forget that screamer of a goal that Jonathan Lewis hit against the LA Galaxy the previous season. Both players are only 20 years old and both players are products of MLS academies, and they are only going to get better as they grow. I'm also looking forward to watching players like Chris Durkin (DC United), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union), and Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls) and much more. Every team seems to have invested a great deal in homegrown players this season, and it seems the new wave of American talent is finally upon us to not only perform for their clubs, but to lead the US back to the promise land of the World Cup Finals. But can they perform under pressure? That remains to be seen.
#SavetheCrew
Like many around the league, I was greatly saddened to hear that one of the original clubs in the league, the Columbus Crew, was set to move to Austin Texas. After the news broke there were many protests around the league and the #savethecrew movement was born. If one of the originals is being taken away from it's loyal fan base it doesn't bode well for the rest of the league. And i'm sure many fans were examining the state of their own club while watching what was happening in Columbus. But I am more interested in how the team responds on the field. Last season the Crew made a honest run through the playoffs after hearing the news, making it all the way to Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. Even knocking off Atlanta United away in the process. Now that they have an entire season to work with, I am curious to see how far this emotional energy from the team as well as their fans will carry them. They lost a couple key players in Justin Meram and Ola Kamara, but they also gained a great striker in Gyasi Zardes. Columbus definitely has my support this season.
Retirement League No More
There has always been a stigma surrounding the MLS where it is considered to be a league where aging European stars go to receive a last big pay check. However, the average age of DPs this season are under 25 years of age. Now haters are gonna hate no matter what, but it's still getting pretty hard finding things to bash the MLS about.
MLS is Slowly Finding its Own Identity
There was a big trend in signings this off-season. It seems like every team added a abundance of talent within the midfield and up top. Every league seems to have their own style of play, and the MLS seems to be moving towards a more attacking type of soccer. This is an exciting brand of soccer where goals come in abundance, and fans get really into the match. I'm not saying that it's going to be like watching (insert major European team here), but it will be enjoyable nonetheless.
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