The 2018 Major League Soccer season is upon us at last. It’s only been about two and half months since Toronto FC claimed MLS Cup within the confines of BMO Field, but it feels like an age ago. Since then, we have seen an influx of TAM create a simple pathway for teams all across the league to look internationally for new, fresh talent. We saw a record signing for the league in Ezequiel Barco, as well as other young potential stars in Diego Rossi, Jesus Medina, Josue Colman and Kaku, who look to ignite their own careers as well as the league itself. In this era of “MLS 3.0,” what teams will make the biggest leaps and who did not make necessary improvements to succeed in an evolving league? Read on to find out Access MLS’s take on the 2018 season.

Predicting the East

Toronto FC

The best and deepest team in MLS history from a year ago upgraded after hoisting both the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. The main departure from the group was Steve Beitashour, the starting RWB for two years running. TFC immediatly got to work filling the void by signing not one but two quality replacements. First is Gregory van der Wiel, a veteran of Ligue One and Serie A who has started a World Cup Final for Holland, and the electric Brazilian Auro, who chose the Reds over La Liga. Throw in the late under the radar addition of Ager Aketxe from Athletic Bilbao makes their already stacked midfield even more dangerous. The biggest challenge for Greg Vanney will schedule balancing: how much/little will he rotate his squad between a (hopefully) deep CCL run, the Canadian Championship, and defense of the Supporters’ Shield. The depth of this squad makes the sky the limit for Toronto, and Vanney gets the oppertunity to have a problem any other manager would love to have.

2. New York City FC

For the second straight year regular season success culminated in playoff disappointment for the boys in blue. A disastrous road result in leg one against Columbus proved too much to overcome despite a furious comeback attempt. The offseason was a busy one for NYCFC, who made some potent acquisitions from all over the globe. 20 year old Paraguayan (and young DP) Jesus Medina is the jewel of the class, and Patrick Vieira is hopeful he can provide an offensive spark on the wing. The additions of Ismael Tajouri, Jo Inge Berget, Ebenezer Ofori and Cedric Hountondji solidify the squad’s depth front to back. Arguably the biggest upgrade is at RB, which has been NYC’s biggest weakness the last two years. Going out and grabbing Champions League veteran Anton Tinnerholm from Malmo and Saad Abdul-Salaam from SKC turns a defiency into a strength. The big question will be who starts alongside David Villa on the other wing opposite Medina. With the loss of Jack Harrison, City will be need goals to be replaced. I expect veteran Rodney Wallace to start the season out wide, but look for Jonathan Lewis to break into the XI eventually.

3. Orlando City SC

Orlando City pushed all their chips to the middle of the table this Winter. Three seasons in MLS and zero playoff appearances forced the organization’s hand. They spent most of their 2018 and 2019 TAM allocation this offseason and brought in some big guns. Two time defending assist king Sacha Kljestan was swapped in for the erratic Carlos Rivas and young Tommy Redding. One of the best wingers in MLS in Justin Meram will provide constant danger out wide and should push for 20 goals+assists once again, and 19 year old Josue Colman possesses exciting potential on the other wing. A full season of Yoshi Yotun will help the Purple Lions dominate the midfield along with newcomer Oriol Rosell. Their slickest move that did not garner as much attention may have been the signing of CB Lamine Sane from Werder Bremen. If he and Jonathan Spector can manage to stay healthy, the defensive spine of this team will prove very solid. This is the year we find out if Jason Kreis is truly a good coach.

4. Atlanta United FC

The 2017 expansion darlings look to build on last season’s success in a big way. They went out of their way to add big names Ezequiel Barco and Darlington Nagbe into the fold, breaking records for both biggest MLS transfer fee and allocation money involved in a trade. These two players will be thrilling to watch under Tata Martino in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. But the Five Stripes have to deal with a few major subtractions as well. Barco will have no small task in replacing Yamil Asad, in both the offensive production (13g + 7a) and his defensive contributions (league leader among wingers in tackle attempts, successful tackles, interceptions, and pass blocks, courtesy of americansocceranalysis.com). The most concerning loss for me is that of Carlos Carmona, whose defensive grit helped solidify the defense of the high-flying wide play. Can Nagbe slot in Carmona’s spot and provide a similar mentality? This concerns me, and currently the only options to partner with him in shielding the back four are Jeff Larentowicz (who is 34) and Chris McCann. Between these two older players and Michael Parkhurst (also 34), a lot hinges on the health and performance of older players in key spots. I predict a few growing pains and thus a fourth place finish for Atlanta, but nevertheless a dangerous group come playoff time.

5. New York Red Bulls

Luis Robles will now wear the captain’s armband for the Red Bulls, their third different one in three years. After shipping out Sacha Kljestan to Orlando, Jesse Marsch seems to be handing the keys to youngster Tyler Adams. He will seemingly move to the middle of the pitch and will be provided the freedom to influence the game in all fashions as a box-to-box midfielder. Marsch will have a decision to make regarding the team’s formation. With depth at CB due to the acquisition of Tommy Redding (and maybe Tim Parker in the near future), New York has three quality central defenders in Redding, Aaron Long, and Aurelien Collin (if he can stay healthy). We all know the infallible Bradley Wright-Phillips will spearhead the attack, but where will Marsch line up shiny new Kaku, and will Carlos Rivas see time in the XI? In offloading Kljestan, Marsch cut ties with an old club identity, but similar to last season there is enough talent to transition to a new style of play while still pushing for playoffs.

6. Columbus Crew

A surprise run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season enthralled a downtrodden fan-base amidst shady dealings by Owner Anthony Precourt. They followed up this success by shipping 2/3 of their 20 goal+assist players in Ola Kamara and Justin Meram. That is a serious level of production that needs to be replaced this year, and much of it will fall on the shoulders of Gyasi Zardes. A change of scenery was pivotal for him after struggling in Los Angeles recently, and this may be the ideal situation. In Columbus Zardes will be the main man up top, and with creative players Fredico Higuain and Pedro Santos feeding him in a Gregg Berhalter system, 15 goals is not out of the question for the new striker. The right wing spot is a question mark, but keep an eye on Mike Grella claiming time and producing solid numbers. Locking down Artur long-term was huge for the Crew, and their defense stays mostly in tact while adding young DP Milton Valenzuela at LB. I believe the race for the final playoff spot will be tight between Columbus, Chicago, and Montreal, but Zack Steffen may be the difference maker in the fight to finish above the red line between those three.

Below the Red Line

7. Chicago Fire

The Fire surprised everyone last season in climbing out of the cellar to grab the third seed in the East, only narrowly missing out on a bye. Besides a midsummer drought, this team was one of the strongest in MLS all season. But have they improved on last years success this offseason? I am quite skeptical. Chicago shipped out David Accam to Philadelphia, losing their second most prolific attacking option. Serbian winger Aleksander Katai has been brought in two replace King David, but replicating his 14g/8a statline will certainly be a challenge. The #10 spot may not have been amply tended to, as rookie Jon Bakero will be looked to carry the load after an impressive 16g/14a in his final season at Wake Forest. The uncertainty is these two spots could impact defending golden boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, and I would not be surprised to see his goal total fall back into the teens. The lack of CB depth on the roster is also concerning, along with an unproven GK in Richard Sanchez. Even still any Dax McCarty led team will be in contention for a playoff spot, but expect regression.

8. Montreal Impact

The offseason brought in a series of changes for the Impact, starting at the top with a new coach in Frenchman Remi Garde. The former Lyon and Aston Villa head man will look to lead Montreal back to the playoffs after an inconsistent 2017 season. A few major subtractions took place with young starlet Ballou Tabla being sold to Barcelona and the productive Blerim Dzemali returning back to Bologna. The absence of these two attacking weapons leaves an offensive void, and more weight on the shoulders of the brilliant Ignacio Piatti. Who will help him carry the scoring load? The addition if midfielder Saphir Taider was a shrewd move and is a player that should help control the middle of the park, but he does not possess the same scoring threat as Dzemali. Matteo Mancosu needs to step up after his poor showing last year, or risk losing his spot to the promising Anthony Jackson-Hamel. I am also quite concerned about this team at the back end, relying on an unproven CB combo and in a GK in Evan Bush who has been a mainstay in Montreal, but needs to bounce back after a shoddy 2017.

9. DC United

After a season that found DC at the bottom of the Eastern Conference and tied for last in the league in goals scored, upgrades were necessary. The striker position was a spot of dire need for the squad, with Patrick Mullins being virtually invisible all season aside from one four goal outburst. Darren Mattocks was brought in from Portland, but this does not qualify as the major improvement. The area of the pitch that has been significantly boosted is the midfield. On top of midseason additions Paul Arriola and Russell Canouse from last season, DC surprised the MLS in scooping up Yamil Asad from Atlanta United in what should prove to be a major upgrade to the left side of the pitch both offensively and defensively. Along with Lucho Acosta, this midfield collection is a great backbone of this team for years to come. However, the backline is still quite shaky between Oneil Fisher and Nick DeLeon at the fullback spots, and the error-prone Frederic Brillant slotting in at a starting CB position, I worry about the defense. However, snagging David Ousted to replace Bill Hamid was smart, and this team should avoid the East’s cellar.

10. Philadelphia Union

This year’s Union squad looks very similar to the one that missed out on the postseason in 2017, except for changes in two spots in the attack. The first was the acquisition of David Accam from the Chicago Fire. Accam provides blistering pace on the wing and should be a nice complement to the strength and hold-up play of CJ Sapong. However, which Accam are they getting: the one that dominated to the tune of double digit goals and half a dozen assists in the first half of the season, or the one that disappeared once midsummer hit? The other incoming playmaker is Borek Dockal. The Czech #10 fills a huge position of need for Philadelphia, and Jim Curtain will be relying heavily on him to help put the pieces together in the final third (I did make my season predictions prior to the Dockal signing, but I will stick with my original guess). Defensively this team is young and needs one of Austin Trusty or Richie Marquez to step up alongside Jack Elliot, who they hope will build on his stellar rookie season. And in net, the Union still possess arguably the leagues top GK in Andre Blake, and I personally wonder if he will ever get a big move to Europe to further prove himself.

11. New England Revolution

Out with the old and in with the new, as Brad Friedel replaces the departed Jay Heaps at the helm of the New England Revolution. The team did not raise the level of talent across the roster, and many familiar names will line the starting XI. Juan Aguadelo, Kelyn Rowe, Scott Caldwell, Andrew Farrell, Claude Dielna, Antonio Delemea, and Cody Cropper all return. Overall, not an overwhelming group, but the biggest topic is the man that is missing from that list: Lee Nguyen. The maestro for this squad for the last six years chipped in 11 goals and 15 assists last year, but currently is absent from the squad after requesting a trade and showing up to camp late. Considering this team missed the playoffs last year and is now lacking its best player from that team, I expect a backslide under a new technical staff. I do not believe the additions of Wilfried Zahibo and Gabriel Somi will lift this team to the playoffs, and I expect the Revs to be toward the bottom of the Eastern Conference as they begin the process of rebuilding.

Thanks for reading, and check out the Access MLS Podcast season preview while you are at it!

Luke Benigno