WESTERN CONFERENCE
COLORADO RAPIDS
Last year: 15-6-13, second place.
Coach: Pablo Mastroeni, fourth season.
Designated Players: Forwards Gashi and Juan Ramirez (on loan) and goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Key stat: Their 32 goals allowed were the fewest in the West and helped the team finish second in the conference despite scoring only 39 goals.
Other players to watch: Atlanta's Sam Cronin is underrated in the midfield and part of a solid group that includes Gashi (nine goals, four assists), and Dominique Badji.
Outlook: Howard is working his way back from surgery on his abductor, and Jermaine Jones left for L.A., weakening the team in the middle of the field. The team has to find a proven goal-scorer. It's hard to imagine it finishing second in the West again if its leading scorer scores only nine goals. And Alan Gordon, signed as a free agent, isn't the answer.
FC DALLAS
Last year: 17-8-9, first place.
Coach: Oscar Pareja, fourth season.
Designated Players: Forward Cristian Colman, and midfielders Mauro Diaz (injured) and Carlos Gruezo.
Key stat: Its 12 wins at home were the most in the league last season.
Other players to watch: Matt Hedges, the league's defender of the year, and Lawrenceville's Walker Zimmerman form arguably the best centerhalf pairing in MLS. Zimmerman recently made his first appearance for the U.S. men's national team. Javier Morales was added as a playmaker. Max Urruti and Michael Barrios led the team with nine goals each.
Outlook: The team won both the Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup, but was denied the treble by Seattle, which defeated it by an aggregate score of 4-2 in the two-legged playoffs. It's hard to see this team not competing for all three trophies again this season, especially if Diaz can return from the torn Achilles that sidelined him during the playoffs. If he can't, Morales or Roland Lamah may be able to fill that role.
HOUSTON DYNAMO
Last year: 7-14-13, 10th place.
Coach: Wilmer Cabrera, first season.
Designated Players: Forwards Erick Torres, Mauro Manotas and Alberth Elis.
Key stat: Their five wins at home were the fewest in the league last season.
Other players to watch: Atlanta's Ricardo Clark returns for the Dynamo. The team rebuilt its defense with the additions of Leonardo, A.J. DeLaGarza and Adolfo Machado. They will join the ageless Damarcus Beasley, who was re-signed.
Outlook: There are a lot ifs … if Manotas and Elis can form a partnership and if the rebuilt defense can gel, the team should be better than last year, but that's not saying a lot. It seems a reach to expect them to challenge for the playoffs in a deep Western Conference.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
Last year: 12-6-16, third place.
Coach: Curt Onalfo, first season.
Designated Players: Defender Jelle Van Damme and midfielders Giovani dos Santos and Romain Alessandrini.
Key stat: Three MLS Cup titles won by former manager Bruce Arena with L.A.
Other players to watch: Jermaine Jones brings his aggressive energy to the squad after spending two years with New England and one with Colorado. It will be interesting to see what the 35-year-old has left to give. It will be interesting to see how Jones works with Sebastian Lletget and dos Santos.
Outlook: The team will try to replace Robbie Keane's goals with some from Alessandrini, who should be a standout performer. Dos Santos (14 goals, 12 assists) is capable of carrying the team. The playoffs, and challenging Dallas in the West, seem probable.
MINNESOTA UNITED
Last year: Not applicable.
Coach: Adrian Heath, first season with team after previous 1 1/2 seasons with Orlando.
Designated Players: None.
Key stat: First season in MLS.
Other players to watch: The other expansion team has been busy with under-the-radar signings compared with those inked by Atlanta United. The Loons acquired Josh Gatt, once a promising prospect with the U.S. men's national team, goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, as well as a slew of players who with the team when it was in the NASL. The headliners are Miguel Ibarra and Christian Ramirez.
Outlook: Though their construction hasn't been as flashy as Atlanta United's, the team seems to be following a plan. Still, it would be surprising if it finished with more points than its expansion counterparts.
PORTLAND TIMBERS
Last year: 12-14-8, seventh place.
Coach: Caleb Porter, fifth season.
Designated Players: Midfielders Sebastian Blanco and Diego Valeri and defender Liam Ridgewell.
Key stat: They had zero wins on the road last season, which derailed the chances of the team defending its MLS Cup. The Timbers picked up six points away from home.
Other players to watch: Darlington Nagbe was recalled into the U.S. men's national team. Fanendo Adi is a handful for defenders.
Outlook: It's hard to imagine a team with this much talent failing to make the playoffs for the second consecutive season. Who replaces the leadership of retired Nat Borchers is key.
REAL SALT LAKE
Last year: 12-12-10, sixth place.
Coach: Jeff Cassar, fourth season.
Designated Players: Midfielder Albert Rusnak and forwards Jaoa Plata and Yura Movsisyan.
Key stat: It had a seven-game winless streak to end the season.
Other players to watch: Defender Brooks Lennon comes on loan after signing with Liverpool. Kyle Beckerman is back in the midfield and Nick Rimando in goal, making the team strong up the spine. The team must deal with the loss of Javier Morales.
Outlook: Other than Lennon, the defense is old, and the offense is young, but dynamic. It's hard to see them improving upon last year's sixth-place finish.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
Last year: 8-12-14, ninth place.
Coach: Dominic Kinnear, fifth season as part of second stint with club in San Jose.
Designated Player: Midfielder Simon Dawkins.
Key stat: Their 32 goals scored were the fewest in the league.
Other players to watch: Chris Wondolowski used to be an inexplicable regular on the U.S. men's national team. Now he is on the tail end of his career. Danny Hoesen and Florian Jungwirth were added from Europe. The team selected UCLA midfielder Jackson Yueill in the first round of the SuperDraft.
Outlook: If new general manager Jesse Fioranelli can get some of the signings correct, the team should be better, but not good enough to make the playoffs.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS
Last year: 14-14-6, fourth place. Won MLS Cup.
Coach: Brian Schmetzer, second season.
Designated Players: Forwards Clint Dempsey, who is mostly healthy, and midfielder Nico Lodeiro, who could be in the running for MVP.
Key stat: They had zero shots on goals in the MLS Cup, but won the title in penalty kicks.
Other players to watch: Jordan Morris is considered the future of the U.S. men's national team. Osvaldo Alonso is underrated in the middle of the field. Roman Torres and Chad Marshall are experienced, even though they aren't the quickest pairing in the center of the defense. Alvaro Fernandez is clever.
Outlook: A team left for dead in the middle of last season found a way under a new coach and with Lodeiro to make it into the playoffs and win the MLS Cup. It shouldn't be this hard for them this season to make the playoffs.
SPORTING KANSAS CITY
Last year: 13-13-8, fifth place.
Coach: Peter Vermes, ninth season.
Designated Players: Midfielders Gerso Fernandes, Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi.
Key stat: Its 478 shots tied for the league lead.
Other players to watch: Benny Feilhaber's 13 assists were good enough to get him invited to the U.S. men's national team camp in January. It will be interesting to see if Vermes plays Zusi on the right as a midfielder, where he has traditionally played, or as a fullback, which is where Bruce Arena played him during the January U.S. men's national team camp. Dom Dwyer is one of the league's better all-around players.
Outlook: The offense should be OK if it can get some of those shots on goal. The team should challenge for a playoff spot, but shouldn't be considered a contender to win the MLS Cup.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
Last year: 10-15-9, eighth place.
Coach: Carl Robinson, fourth season.
Designated Players: Midfielder Matias Laba and forward Fredy Montero, who is back in MLS after spending time in China.
Key stat: They had 10 goals total from the center forwards last season.
Other players to watch: Kekuta Manneh was unable to carry the team last season, as it fell from second in the West in 2015 to eighth last year. He should be helped by the addition of Montero, who scored 49 goals with Seattle, and Yordy Reyna. The team added Brek Shea, but he's no longer a difference-maker.
Outlook: It's hard to see them improving enough to make the playoffs.
About the Author
