MLS 2007 Preview

The season begins in less than 46 hours . . . wow. It seems like only yesterday that Brian Ching got the most conveniently deflected cross to fall onto his head so that he could kindly insert it into the back of the net and make Tim Crawford very disheartened . . . (Pause for weeping)
Alright, 2007, new year. Here we go. My predictions for the coming year:
EASTERN CONFERENCE
1) DC United: They should've won last year, and they probably only got better this year . . . somewhat. The adition of Emilio is definitely an upgrade from Alecko if the preseason was any indication. Freddy's gone but that only takes away questions about where and if he should be playing. Mattias Donnet was short-lived, but it doesn't make too big of a difference. The lineup looks quite solid attacking-wise with the lone question at right midfield where it looks like newcomer Fred will be taking over. With DC's pedigree for foreign acquisitions (and the fact that he's Brazilian), it looks like he should be able to fit in quite nicely. The league's best offense simply has to make sure it doesn't concede too many goals. Boswell and Namoff are definitely good enough, but is Erpen? He's a fine offensive-defender, but definitely has his lapses at the back. He may be allowed to concede one goal per game all by himself and DC would still likely win, but there are no guarantees. Additionally they shouldn't lose too much with the US National Team callups except for Ben Olsen and maybe Boswell and hence they should be able to coast through the regular season, just like last year; they'll simply be hoping the playoffs are a little more kind.

2) Chicago Fire: The East is weak. I've proclaimed it so. Chicago isn't very good, but they probably are better than the rest. Chris Rolfe will need to stay healthy since there's no Nate Jaqua or Andy Herron to carry the goalscoring load. Meanwhile it looks like everything is lining up for Chad Barrett to have a breakout season and aid Rolfe. When Blanco arrives in June, he'll no doubt step into the lineup hoping to pump in the goals as well, but I think the physicality of MLS (and the lack of respect he'll get) may put him quite off of his game. The goals will be hard to come by, but the defense is solid. Matt Pickens really picked up his game last year replacing Zach Thornton and looks like a plenty good enough goalie for the future. The defense is quite solid with Curtin anchoring the back line, and the midfield is creative thanks obviously to Justin Mapp, Thiago (if he gets consistent playing time), and potentially Brian Plotkin (with his laser left foot that spent way too much time on the bench), along with the aid from Ivan Guerrero on defense. It's a solid team, but not a great team. There are some national team worries with the potential to be missing Mapp, Segares (Costa Rica), Ivan Guerrero (Honduras), and possibly Rolfe. They should finish far enough behind DC to not worry the Barra Brava too much.

3) New England Revolution: If they stay healthy, if the rookies perform like they look like they can, if if if if if . . . The East isn't very good . . . as I already said . . . and the Revs really haven't lost too much. Dempsey is gone, but Dorman is going to have one heck of a season taking his role. He's probably more of a playmaker than Dempsey and certainly provides more defensive help. The team is a year older though and that's not good. Ralston and Franchino seem to be losing some gas every year and, while Franchino's role is likely greatly reduced, Ralston is still going to be the right-sided lock as usual. The bulk of central midfielders is quite encouraging, however, and should aid a defense that will likely look the same as last year . . . once Parkhurst returns. Parky is expected to miss the first three weeks and Daniel Hernandez will be out as well, leaving James Riley to replace him in the center of defense, a position that he is not typically found in. In addition, Franchino's status remains unknown, Noonan's just recovering and unlikely to start game 1, Shalrie is listed as questionable and has asked to be traded, and Khano (always sporadic) is listed as probable. The injuries will probably come as usual, if not more than usual, and with no Dempsey to turn to, this season really could go either way. Expect Twellman to return to form, a surprisingly good season from Adam Cristman, and possibly the arrival of Pat Noonan as a right midfielder. We'll see . . .

4) Toronto FC: Impressive! What a team they've assembled for an expansion franchise. A lot of the defensive side is unknown by MLS but proven in the USL First Division. Braz and Sutton should have no problems since they have locked the Montreal Impact into the best defensive numbers in that league for the last few years. The forwards are proven and loaded. I wanted the Revs to try to get Buddle, but he was on his way to Toronto well before we ever had a chance. I think he's ready to break out, and, combined with Alecko Eskandarian, Toronto is going to be one heck of a forward powerhouse. But wait! There's more! Conor Casey is amazing. He's a tank. I'm thinking he's going to be one heck of a surprise for all of those American fans who somehow missed his time for the US National Team. Abbe Ibrahim also looks ready to terrorize defenses again with his speed. They have the guys to score the goals, but may not be able to get them the ball. Ronnie O'Brien is expected to miss the first four to six weeks and the rest of the midfield is a question mark. That's the weakness if there is one, but this team has great potential.

5) Red Bull New York (I refuse to call them the New York Red Bulls): They added a great midfielder in Reyna, and another couple of good ones in van den Bergh and Schopp, but where's the spark? There's not much pace to this team and I feel like Altidore can only do so much. The hype built around him is great, but can he really come through already? All by himself? John Wolyniec will not suffice as a second forward. It's a need they must address to have any type of success this year. The midfield will be composed, but teams like DC and Chicago may just run around them. I foresee a lot of 2-1, 1-0 games for Red Bull. They spent a lot of dollars and yet still have too many holes to really be a force in this league. Not the best Yankees impression I've ever seen . . .

6) Columbus Crew: They're better! Really! How could they be worse? They're a year older, and hopefully healthier. Likely missing Chad Marshall to start the season, they will have Jacob Thomas back. I believe he, combined with Ricardo Virtuoso, will combine to give them a good wing presence, and they should be able to score more goals with Andy Herron up front and hopefully Ngwenya along side of him. They'll certainly be fast enough to score goals, but youth remains and who knows if they'll be consistent. The defense will be interesting, and the goalkeeping situation remains a major question mark. They won't be good, but they're better.

7) Kansas City Wizards: First of all, when did they change their logo? I missed that memo . . . Secondly, I know this pick is a bit of a shocker, but it's mainly spiteful. They're boring. That's all there is to it. This "score one goal and sit on the lead" tactic is just atrocious. They have so many forwards (even without Josh Wolff) and their inability to make use of them is just disgraceful. Sure they play defense well, and their goalkeeping has certainly been upgraded, but ties don't get you into the playoffs. However, maybe the new man in charge can change strategies enough to get Eddie Johnson a fifteen goal season and allow for Sealy to blossom. We shall see. Buuuuuut . . . since they appear to be adding a playmaker, pick them ahead of the Crew and possibly Red Bull, but I'm not going to move them. They've annoyed me too many times.


The West and league results will tomorrow hopefully.