April 6, 2007 2:23 AM
2007 MLS predictions
Angel, George and the world's finest soccer minds gather to predict the order of finish in the upcoming season. Enjoy
ANGEL HERNANDEZ
FC Rocky
With the exception of the circuit's inaugural campaign, there perhaps hasn't been a season greeted with such anticipation for Major League Soccer. There is the arrival of Becks in L.A. and Temoc in Chicago. There is the spread of the league's wings north of the border into Canada. And the Colorado Rapids are making the tremendous gamble that a home of its own will spark a renaissance for the local club. So can we all just get along? This is what it could be like in terms of my picks:
Eastern Conference
1) D.C. United – Was the class of the division last season and perhaps could unwind farther into the excellence without having to contend with the lingering soap opera regarding relations between former coach Peter Nowak and prodigy Freddy Adu.
2) New England Revolution – The club will miss Clint Dempsey but still has enough pieces remaining to keep on trucking as a top-notch side.
3) Toronto FC – This is madness, obviously, thinking that an expansion team could do this well from the get-go. But there are a fair number of veterans here (Ronnie O'Brien, Alecko Eskandarian, Richard Mulrooney) to pull this club into contention. And there is going to be incredible support here that will make Hogtown an instantly tough place to play.
4) Chicago Fire – The presence of Cuauhtemoc Blanco is going to fill some seats in Bridgeview, much to the enjoyment of Phil Anschutz. But the club has been mired in mediocirity since its inaugural-year title. They could miss Nate Jaqua.
5) New York Red Bull – Bruce Arena has his work cut out for him. He's essentially going to attempt to acquire every player who's ever played for the University of Virginia. And later this year, he's going to attempt to move the team's home games from New Jersey to Charlottesville.
6) Columbus Crew – It's a good thing that Lamar Hunt isn't alive any more to see this.
7) Kansas City Wizards – See No. 6. (Can't this team just finally move to where it belongs in St. Louis).
Western Conference
1) Houston Dynamo – Tough, tough, tough. This club just methodically keeps rocking no matter where you put it. But watch out: Things will change when Dwayne De Rosario eventually gets his wish to go back home to Canada in another season or two.
2) Los Angeles Galaxy – It's not just about David Beckham. A full year of coach Frank Yallop and the solid goalkeeping of Joe Cannon will make this team formidable. If you finally get Landon Donovan interested, it could be interesting. But this team will be under a lot of pressure to do well with Beckham and integrate his presence. Gosh, and what if Posh and Bianca don't get along?
3) Chivas USA – This team will indeed miss former coach Bob Bradley. But the club made remarkable strides last season and its soundness will again be apparent this year. And don't discount the possible impact of rookie John Cunliffe, the former standout from Fort Lewis College.
4) Colorado Rapids – There is clearly more athleticism and speed here. But who's not going to miss Cannon? The team will again do what it does every year, sneak into the playoffs despite the perpetual and inscrutable tinkering of coach Fernando Clavijo.
5) Real Salt Lake – Let's face it: I don't want them to do well. But this franchise is also under enormous pressure to do well after a disappointing start. It could be the last thing that Adu needs. He needs a quiet place to be nurtured at last. The team has already faced a fair amount of derision as it is from the know-nothing media in Salt Lake City.
6) FC Dallas – They blew up the team after another playoff meltdown. It's going to take a while to pick up the pieces with a revamped overhaul. The Little Fish is going to be having a few tantrums.
BRUCE McGUIRE
du Nord soccer blog
Eastern Conference
1) DC United – A strong and entertaining first 11, plus the league's best player in Christian Gomez. But little depth after that. Shaky defense with Facundo Erpen being the biggest culprit. Will Jaime Moreno's age start to show through? Added to experienced attackers in Brazilians Luciano Emilio & Fred. First year head coach in Tom Soehn, too. Must do better than Supporters Shield winners this season.
2) New York Red Bulls – The best coach in the league in Bruce Arena. Loads of money, but the curse of the Meadlowlands. Brought in several experienced guys like Claudio Reyna, Dave van der Bergh, Ronald Wattereus. Markus Schopp and Clint Mathis (but do they have enough still in the tank) to go with promising youngsters Jozy Altidore and Marvell Wynne. Not much in the goal-scoring depth, though. Still searching for a star up top.
3) New England Revolution – Strong foundation from Kraft ownership. Solid coaching from Steve Nicol & Paul Mariner team. But lost a big key player in Clint Dempsey. They also have to deal with controversy over their best player Shalrie Joseph's contract dispute. Not to mention the preseason injury bug, which has claimed centerback star Michael Parkhurst and vital forward Pat Noonan. They need supreme health, and they need Andy Dorman to take yet another step up.
4) Kansas City Wizards – Chronic underachievers with new owners (not soccer people), a new coach Curt Onalfo (but with no experience) and new lease on life as franchise. Good defense lead by Jimmy Conrad & Nick Garcia. Potentially deadly offense with Scott Sealy and Eddie Johnson, but lost Josh Wolff to Germany. Questionable midfield, not to mention no real flair anywhere on the whole field outside of left back Jose Burciaga. Best move is the big upgrade at keeper with Kevin Hartman coming in.
5) Columbus Crew – Probably the third-best coach in the league with Sigi Schmid. Coming off an atrocious season, the coach has a lot to prove. Injuries can't possibly load up on them again, can they? Tons of young and semi-experienced guys, but are they skilled? They are the great unknown of the whole league.
6) Chicago Fire – Stayed virtually the same from the end of last year minus experienced Tony Sanneh in the back & strikers Nate Jaqua & Andy Herron. So they are going to rely on their young forwards Chris Rolfe, Chad Barrett and Calen Carr to get the goals. Are counting big on French midfielder Pascal Bedrossian, who rarely played last year, and Justin Mapp to have huge seasons.
7) Toronto FC – Untried and mostly unknown and obviously a brand new team from the ground up. Great off-the-field success so far with ticket sales. But if they lose a lot, will people return? Coach Mo Johnston has a dodgy record from the New York mess. Roster filled with castoffs and first-division defenders & keeper. Loaded up with forwards who have questionable pedigree & health. Little-known British imports for experience. Could be like first year of Chivas USA – score a ton and lose nearly every game late 3-2 and 4-3.
Western Conference
1) Los Angeles Galaxy – Great leader in Frank Yallop, who did some housecleaning after coming in midseason last year. Their biggest weapon is that they have the league's most talented player in Landon Donovan. Got Joe Cannon in the nets but have not shown a lot in improving the rest of the team. Then they will have to deal with the Beckham circus in July, which could be brilliant or a giant mess.
2) Houston Dynamo – The other strongest team from last season returning most of their players, but their depth is suspect. Will Brian Ching's health hold up? How bad is Ricardo Clark's knee injured? Is Pat Onstad getting too old in goal? They have the benefit of strong wingers in Brian Mullan and Brad Davis to keep their attack dangerous. Great coach in Dom Kinnear, who will try to overcome the questions and repeat as MLS cup holders.
3) Real Salt Lake – Seemed to have improved as much as anyone in the offseason. Don't forget that they had the best second half to last season, pointswise. Is Freddy Adu any good? Will Jeff Cunningham score a ton of goals and keep his act in check? And did they solve their goalkeeper question by getting Nick Rimando?
4) Colorado Rapids – Lost big in the keeper switch, with Joe Cannon leaving and Zach Thornton taking his spot. If they were smart they would sign up Kasey Keller, who is out of contract in Germany in June. Niko Hernandez and Terry Cooke are great in the attack, but is there anything to go with that. Kyle Beckerman and Pablo Mastroeni are really good in the midfield. Herculez Gomez up front and Ugo Ihemelu in back are not the answers to any questions. New home stadium will be boost for team stability.
5) FC Dallas – When he got the job, first-time coach Steve Morrow said they needed only minor tweaking, but he ended up doing some gutting. Got rid of veterans Ronnie O'Brien, Richard Mulrooney, Greg Vanney and Simo Valakari. The good part is that they were all past their "sell-by date." Will youngsters like Ramon Nunez, Drew Moor, Arturo Alvarez, Roberto Mina and Kenny Cooper add enough to help Carlos Ruiz win?
6) Chivas USA – Lost a great coach in Bob Bradley and a team leader in Paco Palencia. New man in charge is Preki, who has all the talent in the world. But can he coach? Added Amado Guevara to run the team, but will he be a blessing or a curse? And what else do they have? Ante Razov, I guess. Rookie-of-the-year Jonathan Bornstein is out with a knee injury and can't do it all on his own when he returns.
ALLEN G
Black Panther soccer blog
Eastern Conference
1) New England Revolution – Nicol will finally get them to win the Supporters Shield but once again they'll be the bridesmaid and miss out on the MLS Cup to Los Angeles.
2) DC United – They have some great players like Moreno, Boswell and Gomez. New players like Emelio and Fred will help them with their busy schedule. But like Houston with all those games and it being Soehn's first year as coach, they'll come up short during the regular season and the playoffs.
3) New York Red Bulls – They'll find the scorer they need in young Altidore, and Bruce Arena's experience and wisdom will have them challenging D.C. United for first place.
4) Toronto FC – Their midfield strength will carry them, but they'll come up two points short in the end. Brennan will be the signing that people will realize they should have been talking about before the season began. Playoffs for Toronto in their first year in the league.
5) Kansas City Wizards – Unless Eddie Johnson learns to play, Curt Onalfo won't be able to get them into the playoffs in his first year. And when is Bob Bradley going to give Jose Burciaga his props and get him some caps with the U.S. men's team?
6) Columbus Crew – They were a bit unlucky last year, but without some solid all-stars even their number of wins will be inversely proportional to Sigi's belly.
7) Chicago Fire – They probably won't finish this low, but they're my dark horse to fall apart. They're treading water, and Sarachan's out of fresh ideas.
Western Conference
1) Los Angeles Galaxy – They're playing well in the preseason, Yallop can work magic with a squad. They have a goalkeeper in Cannon that can carry them on an off-day, and teams won't know whom to stop once they have both Beckham (England's best player at WC06) and Donovan (chip on his shoulder who thinks he'll prove something by winning the MLS Cup again, this time with LA). Their slow start costs them the Supporters Shield, but they more than make up for it winning the MLS Cup.
2) Houston – SuperLiga , US Open Cup and MLS play will expose their lack of depth. Dalglish will lead the team and league in scoring.
3) Colorado Rapids – They'll push Houston to the last game of the season for second place. Their 11 wins at home will lead the league, but they'll come up short in the semi-finals yet again.
4) FC Dallas – They haven't replaced Mulrooney and O'Brien's 20 assists from midfield. As much as Simo's loss is downplayed, without him around to protect the back line, only Sala saves them from missing the playoffs.
5) Chivas USA – Razov won't net more than 10 and they'll miss Bradley's presence as Toronto makes it into the playoffs above them. Keep an eye on Fort Lewis College alum John Cunliffe.
6) Real Salt Lake – They did nothing to strengthen their weaknesses. They didn't make the playoffs last year when Talley and Cunningham had career seasons and neither of those two will fair that well in 2007. Tejada will be the league's biggest disappointment this year. Ellinger is gone after game 13.
MIKE DeCICCO
Contra Costa Times
Eastern Conference
1) DC United – The Supporter’s Shield winners are back with a better team. Thanks to spending their preseason playing in the CONCACAF Champion’s Cup tournament, DC should get out of the gate fast. They lost Adu and Alecko Eskandarian, but their existing depth and exciting newcomers make up for it. Luciano Emilio and Fred are two Brazilian imports that have United fans expecting big things. Toss in MVP Christian Gomez and solid pros like Bobby Boswell, Brian Carroll, Troy Perkins, Josh Gros and the ageless Jaime Moreno and United may get the Cup it missed out on last year.
2) Chicago Fire – Say hello to Cuauhtemoc Blanco. If you’re a fan of American soccer, you probably have an opinion on Blanco (i.e. you hate him). How much does the 34-year-old Mexican national team star have left? Will he be worth the trouble he’s sure to cause on and off the field? The Fire is banking on it. Young strikers Chris Rolfe and Chad Barrett will benefit from the way the veteran can still slice open a defense. The defending U.S. Open Cup champs are solid down the middle, with Justin Mapp playing centrally with veteran Chris Armas. CJ Brown is the consummate veteran defender, and Matt Pickens could have a breakout season in goal.
3) New England Revolution – Clint Dempsey finally got his wish and is warming a bench in Europe. And that’s about the only change. Steve Ralston was never fleet of foot and is a year older. Taylor Twellman is still Taylor Twellman. Shalrie Joseph is as good of a central player as this league has to offer. Coach Steve Nicol and keeper Matt Reis are amongs the best at their jobs. Pat Noonan is battling more health issues (again). But with this veteran bunch, you know what you’re gonna get: 90 minutes of hard work, a better-than-average
record and a disappointing playoff run.
4) Kansas City Wizards – Anytime your big off-season acquisition is Kevin ‘Own Goal’ Hartman, you’re in trouble. Jimmy Conrad is a top defender, but the team still allowed 45 goals, third-most in the league. The team’s fate will be determined by which Eddie Johnson shows up. Will it be the EJ that’s yawned his way through the last couple years of his career? Or will it be the EJ, you know, acted like he gives a darn? The next time the kid runs full speed and with anything resembling passion will be the first time in a long while. His fate will be the Wizards’ fate.
5) New York Red Bulls – As usual, the Red Bulls are among the toughest
teams to predict. Bruce Arena, yeah, he’s a good coach. Claudia Reyna still has something left – but a fragile player and the Giants Stadium field aren’t a good mix. Ask Tab Ramos. Clint Mathis? Let’s not even get started trying to figure him out. Guevara is gone, as is Youri Djorkaeff (good riddance). The Red Bulls might have the two best outside backs in the league in Todd Dunivant and Marvelle Wynne and the middle of the D isn’t too bad either (Jeff Parke and Carlos Mendes). As is tradition, the Red Bulls turned over their roster. Another tradition – they’ll drive their dwindling fans absolutely crazy.
6) Columbus Crew – The Crew has some nice young midfielders to build around – Danny O’Rourke, Danny Szetela and Eddie Gaven. Up top the Crew added Andy Herron from the Fire and landed American Robbie Rogers when he returned from Europe. This is a young team and it’ll be interesting to see how much coach Sigi Schmid lets them open up and play. The team got younger, and now it hopes it’s healthier this year, too. But it may not matter too much. This team might have to wait a season or two to really hit its stride.
7) Toronto FC – It's an expansion team, so it gets put here. But Toronto is not gonna be as bad in its first season as Real Salt Lake was. Heck, the team might not be as bad as RSL THIS year. In midfield they have players like Mulrooney, Paulo Nagamura, Ronnie O’Brien (injured to start the season) and top MLS draft pick Maurice Edu (also hurt). Forwards Conor Casey, Eskandarian and Edson Buddle have each spent time with the national team. But they each have issues – be it health (Casey, Eskandarian) or trying to figure out what’s going on upstairs (Buddle). This team will have a nice home-field advantage – it has a brand-spanking-new stadium and has sold all 14,000 season tickets. It should make for a great atmosphere. Don’t be surprised if it finds its way out of the cellar.
Western Conference
1) Houston Dynamo – The defending champs aren’t letting go of their title without a fight. Despite the star power in Los Angeles, the best player in the league when all is said and done could be Dwayne DeRosario. His play over the past few years as been unequaled, and his veteran supporting cast – from Eddie Robinson to Brian Mullan to Brian Ching – has been together for a long time. The team has the cohesiveness that others can only dream of.
2) Los Angeles Galaxy – Becks, Becks, Becks ... blah, blah, blah. This team will go as far as Landon Donovan takes it. And that’s gonna be pretty far. There’s no better playoff performer in the league, and he’s gonna be very motivated (he wants to look good for Posh Spice). Adding Joe Cannon and taking away Kevin Hartman is worth at least eight to 10 points in the standings. An inspired Donovan could make them the team to beat, and they better be ready – because starting in July when David Beckham arrives they’re gonna get every team’s best shot.
3) Chivas USA – Bob Bradley turned the franchise around in its second year and bolted for the national team program. New coach – and MLS legend – Preki takes the helm. He lost Juan Pablo Garcia and Francisco Palencia to Mexico but he still has pieces to build around. Ante Razov enjoyed a rebirth last season at forward, while Jonathan Bornstein and Brad Guzan are two of the league’s most promising young players. The key here is Amado Guevara – he’s a former league MVP. But there’s reasons former MVP’s get traded – he can be a bit, ummm, emotional. How well he buys into Preki’s system will be key. A dark horse for MLS Cup.
4) Colorado Rapids – The Rapids, as usual, are a tough team to figure out. No real marquee names, a lot of role players and a team that tends to blend into the background. Losing Joe Cannon (MLS’s best keeper – easily) is a tough blow. Players like Kyle Beckerman and Pablo Mastroeni add grit but could also miss time this summer because of the national team. Will the fans flock to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? How much of a boost can the team expect from it? The Rapids will have success only if they overachieve.
5) Real Salt Lake – If not for Beckham, the talk would be about Freddy Adu’s move west. He hasn’t blossomed as some had hoped, but give the kid a break – he’s only 17. Supporters say he was played out of position and mishandled in DC by coach Peter Nowak. Will RSL get the most out of him? It could be a good spot for him because he’ll have a trio of top front-runners in Jeff Cunningham (16 goals, most in MLS for 2006), Jason Kries and newcomer Luis Tejada. As usual with RSL, they’re unsettled in the back and in the nets. As usual with RSL, it’ll be their downfall.
6) FC Dallas – A favorite last year to bottom-dweller this year? Could be. The losses are tough to overcome – gone are Richard Mulrooney, O’Brien, Greg Vanney and Simo Valakari. The strength will come up top, where U.S. international Kenny Cooper (11 goals in 2006) and Carlos Ruiz (13 goals) are found. But who will get them the ball? Who’s on defense? Who’s in goal? Too many questions for this team to overcome.
GEORGE TANNER
FC Rocky
Eastern Conference
1) D.C. United – Adding Brazilians Luciano Emilio and Fred to a roster with Moreno, Erpen and MVP Christian Gomez doesn’t seem fair. This is the best team in the league, again.
2) Toronto FC – The aggressive newcomers showed they were serious when they dealt for Ronnie O’Brien. No longer is the Irishman the best player in the league, but he knows what it takes to score goals in MLS, a valuable commodity for an expansion team. The excitement of selling 14,000 season tickets means this franchise starts on the right foot.
3) New York Red Bulls – The leadership of Bruce Arena and Claudio Reyna will be enough for this team to improve on its 9-11-12 record of last season. Altidore and Wynne are stars in the making.
4) Chicago Fire – A half-season of Blanco won’t be enough to overtake D.C.; losing Nate Jaqua will make it difficult to finish ahead of New York.
5) New England Revolution – The Revs lost Dempsey. Noonan is hurt again. The team faces a challenge to avoid a letdown after such a heartbreaking loss in MLS Cup. Coach Steve Nicol should be able to avoid that, but this team was just slightly over .500 in the regular season last year. The Revs will have to battle to stay out of the lower half of the conference.
6) Columbus Crew – Can Eddie Gaven, Kei Kamara and the incoming Andy Herron help cure the Crew’s jaundiced offense? Sigi believes in youth, so it’s possible.
7) Kansas City Wizards – Much of what I see in the Eastern Conference is mood. Toronto’s optimism and organization should translate into success. The Revs might fall a little after losing the title and losing Dempsey. But the Whiz has so little to feel good about, is there any way to feel positive about this team? Uncertainty about where KC, the westernmost outpost in the East, will play in 2008 has to weigh on the team’s psyche. It’s the exact opposite of the Red Bulls looking forward to getting their own stadium.
Western Conference
1) Los Angeles Galaxy – Beckham. Donovan. Cannon. The Cobi farewell tour. The Galaxy karma machine will start early and churn out success all season. The thing to watch will be the reaction of all the league’s other teams once Becks joins. If the rest of MLS rises to the occasion of Beckham’s visit to their pitch, the road-heavy second half will be a problem for L.A.
2) Houston Dynamo – Had L.A. not added Beckham and Cannon then the Dynamo would be the second-best team in the league. DeRosario is the most dynamic player in the league. Why haven’t European teams come calling?
3) Colorado Rapids – So many things about the Rapids are positive. Improved defense with Ihemelu, Vanney and Prideaux. Potentially explosive forward mix of Niko Hernandez and Roberto Brown being serviced by Terry Cooke. Excellent defensive midfield with Pablo. Excellent two-way threat in Beckerman. The late acquisition of Thornton at goal, however, seems like a homeowner spackling a wall right before a buyer visits. If Thornton has a good season, it will turn out to be a smart move. His performance is probably what the season depends on.
4) FC Dallas – The Hoops’ season ended so ugly last year that changing coaches from Colin Clarke to Steve Morrow was the right thing to do. But don’t underestimate the loss of O’Brien. Kenny Cooper just keeps getting better. And the team was very aggressive in tracking down the player it really wanted: Adrian Serioux, who was a key player in Houston’s run to the championship last year.
5) Real Salt Lake – Adu and the stadium deal make this the feel-good team of the West. But can it be the play-good team?
6) Chivas USA – Can Preki control the moody Guevara? After taking two steps forward last season, Bradley’s absence will turn into one step back.
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