Is a place in MLS worth $325m?

Maybe not, but the dramatic inflation in franchise fees over the past few years attracts only the most ambitious of prospective owners. It’s no coincidence that more recent expansion franchises have raised the bar for the league. GR

You may be able to flip the team in 25 years for $1bn, making it a nice long-term investment, but rich people probably buy sports franchises for their ego or to play a real-life version of Football Manager. So, sure, why not? CM

The teams themselves aren’t worth $325m, at least at expansion, but the share of revenue owners receive from the cash cow that is Soccer United Marketing certainly is. JF

If you’re playing the long-game, yes. The growth of MLS may seem slow, but it’s reasonably consistent. You have to look at the expansion fee as buying an empty plot of land – its value is dictated by what you build on it. KH

No, but a place in Soccer United Marketing, the company owned by MLS owners that also has marketing rights to US Soccer, apparently is. BD

One bold prediction ...

David Beckham to get so frustrated watching Inter Miami from the stands that he comes out of retirement. OK, so it’s extremely unlikely the 44-year-old will actually play another MLS game, but he will surely don the pink of his new team in a charity match or the like at some point. GR

No one’s stock dropped quicker last year than Fanendo Adi’s. He barely got on the field for Cincinnati and ended up getting in some trouble off the field too. But now that he has been reunited with mentor Caleb Porter in Columbus, Adi will make a surprise return to form and win the starting job over Gyasi Zardes. CM

Inter Miami will make a deep playoff run, at least into the conference finals. Their roster is a laundry list of strong, long-time MLS players. And they’ve paired these foundational players with the promising Matías Pellegrini and the exceptional Rodolfo Pizarro. JF

Thierry Henry is one and done as Montreal manager. I liked Henry the player, I like Henry the pundit. As a manager, I’m still skeptical. He may have softened his man-management style, but his squad is top-heavy and when you combine that with the historical instability at Montreal it makes for a bad pairing. KH

With the new collective bargaining agreement opening the door to more spending and charter flights, the latter a solution to the travel that exhausts many teams and players, a couple of big-money teams (Atlanta, Seattle) will make major splashes in the summer transfer market that pay off in the playoffs. BD

Your MVP will be …

Cristian Pavón is back for a second season with LA Galaxy. Photograph: Gary A Vasquez/USA Today Sports

Cristian Pavón. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic gone there will be an onus on the Argentinian to deliver. Javier Hernández’s deeper role means Guillermo Barros Schelotto’s new attacking system, no longer reliant on getting the ball to one man, should suit Pavón. GR

Pity Martínez, now adjusted to MLS, will lead Atlanta United to the Supporters Shield. He won’t have the goals total that MVP winners usually get, but the Golden Boot will go to his teammate, Josef Martínez, and Pity will be recognized for his role in Atlanta’s dominance. CM

Carlos Vela. LAFC look like they’ve only improved the most explosive offense in league history. A second MVP would make Vela only the second repeat winner in MLS, and the first to do so in consecutive seasons. JF

It’s impossible to look past Carlos Vela. I’ll be amazed if he maintains his form from last season (a combined 49 goals and assists), but I still believe he’s the best player in MLS. If he can add an MLS Cup to his collection then we can start talking about the league’s best ever. KH

Carlos Vela again. Teammate Diego Rossi is also a contender, but European clubs are going to wave too much cash to ignore. BD

How will the new teams fare?

David Beckham talks with Luis Robles after the goalkeeper was named as Inter Miami’s captain. Photograph: Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Inter Miami could find themselves among the playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference purely on the basis of individual quality. Nashville have instead targeted MLS veterans. That experience should see them avoid a FC Cincinnati-like fate in their expansion season. GR

Nashville, with a slew of MLS veterans for defensive reinforcement, will avoid the fate of Cincinnati and Minnesota, who hemorrhaged goals in their debut seasons. But Nashville will struggle to score goals. Miami will have a promising attack, but it won’t click and they will be wildly inconsistent, also missing the playoffs. CM

Nashville will likely struggle, as most expansion teams do, but Miami may put together an Atlanta or LAFC type first season. Their who’s who of reliable veteran MLS players and young and flashy South American signings is a formula that’s worked for new teams before. JF

If I were picking one to make the playoffs, it would be Inter Miami. Across the last decade, FC Cincinnati have the lowest points total of an expansion team during their debut season (24 points), and I think both will do better than that. KH

Poorly. Inter Miami have intriguing pieces but won’t be able to fit them together early in the season. Nashville are just tip-toeing their way into the league. BD

MLS at 25 seasons in five words ...

Before David Beckham, after Beckham. GR

Slowly overcoming its inferiority complex. CM

Commissioner Garber turned MLS around. JF

How far we have come. KH

Improving but not there yet. BD

Eastern Conference playoff teams …

Toronto FC, Atlanta United, NYC FC, Philadelphia Union, Inter Miami, Chicago Fire, DC United. GR

Atlanta United, NYC FC, Toronto FC, Columbus Crew, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, DC United. CM

Atlanta United FC, Inter Miami, NYC FC, Philadelphia Union, Toronto FC, DC United, New England Revolution. JF

Atlanta United, Toronto FC, Columbus Crew, NYC FC, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution. KH

NYC FC, Toronto FC, Atlanta United, New England Revolution, Philadelphia Union, New York Red Bulls, DC United. BD

Western Conference playoff teams …

Seattle Sounders, LAFC, LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City, Minnesota United, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo. GR

LAFC, Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy, Sporting Kansas City, Portland Timbers, Houston Dynamo, Minnesota United. CM

LAFC, Seattle Sounders FC, LA Galaxy, Minnesota United, Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids. JF

LAFC, Minnesota United, FC Dallas, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, Colorado Rapids, LA Galaxy. KH

LAFC, Seattle Sounders, LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City. BD

Your MLS Cup champions will be...

Javier Hernández will be hoping to deliver LA Galaxy their first title since 2014. Photograph: Kelvin Kuo/AP

LA Galaxy’s defence is still a cause for concern, but attack is now king in MLS, as proved by the recent success of Atlanta United and LAFC, and the Galaxy should be a much more rounded side this year. New York City FC look remarkably similar to the team that finished top of the Eastern Conference last year. That continuity should serve them well with new manager Ronny Deila capable of taking them to the next level of their development. Galaxy to beat them in the final. GR

Once a powerhouse in MLS, it’s time for the LA Galaxy to get back to winning ways, thanks to the arrival of Javier Hernández and a more cohesive Zlatan-less roster. Toronto FC will be back in MLS Cup, because they are so good in the playoffs, but the Galaxy will be more than the sum of their parts and take the title. CM

LAFC will beat Atlanta United in the final. They put together the strongest regular season in MLS history last year, but weren’t able to continue their success come playoff time. So how did they respond? By adding even more talent in the form of José Cifuentes and Francisco Ginella. Their backline is still less than optimal, but when you score at the rate they do, it’s hard to be pessimistic. JF

I say this because Seattle Sounders like showing the rest of the world that the MLS playoffs are the Thunderdome: only about survival. Joking aside, I think they’ve added dashes of quality to the roster, while the only real loss is Brad Smith going back to Bournemouth. They’ll beat Atlanta United in the final. KH

LAFC were the best team in the league by a wide margin last year. Anything can happen in the playoffs, but will the same thing happen two straight years? They’ll beat Toronto in the final. BD