Well…..we decided to do some preseason predictions. And honestly, I wouldn’t really be that surprised if at the end of the season we look back at these and find we struck out across the board. That is part of what makes MLS great, the league is still built around parity and anything could happen between now and the end of the season.

That said, it was a fun and thought provoking exercise. Therefore, without further ado, here are all of our predictions for the upcoming season.

As always, we are looking forward to hearing from you all on our picks and what you think. Hit us up in the comments.

Kyle Monk

MLS Cup: Toronto FC

I know it’s the boring choice, but they are just so good and probably got better in the offseason by adding Ager Aketxe and Gregory van der Wiel, and its only key departure being Steven Beitashour. Toronto looks seems like they want to do more than just win the MLS Cup, they look like they want to create a dynasty.

Supporters Shield: Toronto FC

See above.

East 1st: Toronto FC

See above. Atlanta will be good but not Toronto good.

West 1st: Sporting Kansas City

I was going to say Seattle but with Morris missing the whole season with a torn ACL my mind changed. Sporting will win by having a stingy defense like they did in 2017, allowing only 29 goals against. Despite sending Benny Feilhaber packing out west, they seem to have created a stronger and more versatile midfield by adding Designated Players Yohan Croizet and Felipe Gutierrez. The biggest concern is the center forward, expect lots of close low scoring games similar to the last season

Playoffs East: Toronto FC, Atlanta United FC, New York City FC, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, Orlando City SC

Toronto and Atlanta are no brainers for the playoffs, both of those teams are just so good. They have great managers, some of the best front offices, and rosters that are the envy of the rest of the league. Even if one or two of their stars get injured, they will still be able to be one of the best teams in MLS. NYCFC led by David Villa, like to play by keeping possession and playing out of the back. Who is going to score goals other than Villa? Last season Villa was the team’s leading goal scorer, followed by Jack Harrison who recently left for England, after him was Maximiliano Moralez with 5 goals.

NYCFC’s cross-town rivals, Red Bulls, have traded away their captain and league leader in assists the past two years. NYRB have created some large shoes to fill, they have brought in 23-year-old Alejandro “Kaku” Romero Gamarra to do just that. The team is starting to go through a bit of a youth movement with many young players expected to make the playoffs and go deep.This one might be a bit of a biased pick but I can’t help it. The loss of David Accam and the lack of a creative difference maker being brought in worries me. However many of the starting lineup returns from last year. Bastian Schweinsteiger and Dax McCarty will run things in the center of the park, a last years Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolić will be looking to retain his goal scoring. Orland had a bad 2017 but did what every MLS team should do after a bad season, strengthen their core. To do this they brought in some MLS veterans and quality foreign players. They will be one of 2018 most improved teams.

Playoffs West: Sporting Kansas City, Seattle Sounders FC, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps FC, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy

The wild wild West. Only 8 points separates seventh place and first place last year. I expect it to be another tight one this year. Coach Vermes will have Sporting playing strong defensively and physically. Improving their record away this year will be a big key after winning only 2 away games in 2017. The Cascadian teams were top three in the West last year and do not look like they will miss out on the playoffs this year. They have kept the core of their team and even improved overall, with resent additions. Before last year’s season, Dallas was one of the top teams. Something happened and as a team, they played bad, they are looking to make 2017 a one off year and return to the playoffs. They have a strong team full of quality players all over the field. If Orlando is not the most improved team I would have to think the Galaxy will be. Coming off a bad season and pressure to from new intown rivals, things needed to change, and change they did. Galaxy did a lot of similar things as Orlando, they got MLS veterans to give experience and also brought in some skilled foreign players.

Wooden Spoon: Minnesota United

Sorry Minnesota fans. For me it came down to Minnesota or Colorado. I gave it to Minnesota because they still don’t have a DP and Tyrone Mears was probably their biggest addition in the offseason. This teams looks like they will struggle all year and play without much of an identity other than strong wing play. They are definitely taking the long path to success; hopefully there is actually success at the end.

MLS MVP: Miguel Almiron (Atlanta)

The Paraguayan proved he deserves to be the attacking centerpiece in the one of the best attacking teams in the MLS. With a year under his belt and time to mesh even more with his teammates, he will become one of the best players to play in MLS. He is going to lead the league in assist and bag his fair share of goals.

Golden Boot: Josef Martinez (Atlanta)

This man proved he can find the net in MLS scoring nineteen goals in 1528 minutes, averaging about a goal every 80 goals. This year he will stay fit and score even more goals with the help of the attacking trident behind him. He will also not have a World Cup to worry about as Venezuela did not qualify, so he will have some time to rest and get ready to score more in the second half of the season.

Defender of the Year: Ike Opara (Sporting KC)

After leading the best defense in MLS last year, Opara will keep the momentum going. The only thing that can get in his way is getting injured like he has so many times in the past. Opara is in perfect position to be the third back-to-back Defender of the Year. He will be a part of the same defense that he commanded last year in a set up that is designed to stop the other team from scoring. Opara will be a big reason Sporting let in the least amount of goals in the MLS

Goalkeeper of the Year: Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew)

2017 was the year he announced himself to MLS by making heroic saves and having maturity beyond his age. 2018 will be the year announces himself as one of the league’s best keepers. In the net for a rather average defence he will stand on his head to keep Columbus in playoff contention for most of the season.

Newcomer of the Year: Ezequiel Barco (Atlanta)

Coming in with the largest price tag in MLS history, Barco has got to be the best newcomer, right? He will face some serious competition with influx of the young South Americans and strong Europeans coming into the league. Barco will have the freedom to attack and bombard defenders across the league. Newcomers often have problems adjusting to the league and a new country, but Atlanta has proven to be a welcome home for young South Americans and Barco will have many teammates he can learn from who have been in his shoes a year ago.

Rookie of the Year: Tomas Hilliard-Arce (LA Galaxy)

Hilliard-Arce was selected 2nd overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft from Stanford. To be honest I’m not super familiar with many of the incoming rookies so I’m basing this off a couple of factors. Hilliard-Arce will benefit from LA Galaxy having a thin back line without any greater defenders, allowing him to get a spot in the lineup and hang on to it. In the past Defenders seem to have an easier time adjusting to the jump to pro.

Coach of the Year: Peter Vermes (Sporting KC)

The longest current serving coach in the MLS will show why he’s had the job for so long. 2018 will finally be the year he earns his first Coach of the Year Award. Game after game he will set up his team to play defense and not allow the other team to score. Hs game management and lineup decisions will be spot on and lead SKC to 1st in the west.

Carl Monk

MLS Cup: Toronto FC

As much as I know that returning to the MLS Cup final three years in a row in this league is such a difficult ask, and that as champions they will have a target on their backs all season long, I can’t convince myself to pick anyone else for this than Toronto. They took arguably the greatest team in league history and only improved upon their depth and options. Sorry to the rest of the league, but this award will likely be Toronto’s to lose.

Supporters Shield: New York FC

I think that Toronto will be the better team, but I also expect them to make a deep run in CCL (hopefully cementing their status in league history as the first winner) and targeted throughout the season by other teams. This will open the door to the second best team (at least in the East) to take the Supporters Shield. I think the biggest potential stumbling block for NYFC to prevent them from topping the league table is if David Villa gets injured.

East 1st: New York FC

New York FC will take the Supporters Shield in 2018.

West 1st: Seattle Sounders

I think this is actually one of the more difficult predictions to make. It doesn’t seem like the West has a predictably dominant team season long like the East. As with 2017, I also think you will see several teams in the East finish with a higher point total then the top finishing team in the West. However, since I have to throw out a team to come out on top, I will take Seattle Sounders to win the West. The injury to Morris will make this more difficult, but I just think they have more settled pieces in place compared to many of the other teams pushing for this spot.

Playoffs East: New York FC, Toronto FC, Atlanta United, New York Red Bulls, Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew

I think the top four are pretty much set to make the playoffs this year. The fifth and sixth position is up for grabs. I have to think that Schweinsteiger, McCarty, and Niko can carry the Fire into the playoffs once again. For the final position, I went with Gregg Berhalter’s system over the revamped Orlando.

Playoffs West: Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, Sporting KC, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Real Salt Lake

As I said earlier, I don’t really know what to make of the West. I think there are several teams that could end up at the top of the West, but I could also see most of those teams struggling throughout the season. I think the LA Galaxy will get back into the playoffs after their rebuild. Real Salt Lake put together strong second half of last season that I expect them to build upon for this season.

Wooden Spoon: Minnesota United

I have a hard time seeing how Minnesota improved over the offseason enough to dig themselves out of last place. As a Chicago Fire fan, I can certainly relate to failed offseasons and limited prospects going into the season. It just seems like Minnesota put in just enough effort going after a few players to say they tried to make some big signings. I don’t think they really lost anyone of great importance, but I don’t think they really added any difference makers.

MLS MVP: Miguel Almirón (Atlanta United)

I think if Almirón stays with Atlanta for the entire season, he will be on the top of the list for MLS MVP. Ezequiel Barco and Josef Martinez will draw some of the attention away from Almirón but he will also gain a number of assistants and goals by playing alongside them. With all of the firepower going forward for Atlanta, Almirón will rack up the numbers.

Golden Boot: Josef Martinez (Atlanta United)

Assuming Martinez is able to stay healthier in 2018 compared to 2017, I think he will be the runaway favorite to win the Golden Boot. Martinez will be leading the forward line on what looks to be the highest scoring team in the league. While I don’t see him finishing at the same rate as he did in 2017, Martinez will continue to benefit from playing in front of Ezequiel Barco, Miguel Almirón, Darlington Nagbe, and Hector Villalba.

Defender of the Year: Chad Marshall/Roman Torres (Seattle Sounders)

It is kind of cheating to hedge my bets and go with both of them. I can admit that. Nevertheless, I could also realistically see neither of them actually being in the discussion for this award at the end of the year. So I will allow it. If Seattle hopes to repeat the success they have had over the past few years, they need to both stay healthy and play at a high level.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Tim Melia (Sporting Kansas City)

Sporting KC has created an identity around being a difficult team to beat by playing great defense. Melia benefitted from a strong defense in front of him last year and will expect to do the same again this year. While he might not have the highlight reel saves of Steffens and some of the other top keepers, he will be consistently reliable and stop the shots he is meant to save.

Newcomer of the Year: Ezequiel Barco (Atlanta United)

With all the hype surrounding the arrival of Barco, it would seem like he already has a big leg up on Newcomer of the Year. I think Barco will take some time to adjust to the league and the new team, but Tata Martino will be able to get the best out of him and help him to adjust. The other great players around him will also help to take some of the on-field pressure off him. If Atlanta moves either Almiron or Martinez over the summer, Atlanta will need Barco to deserve the award.

Rookie of the Year: Jon Bakero (Chicago Fire)

I am going to let my homer-ism take over here and pick Jon Bakero for Rookie of the Year. While it might be a bit of a stretch, I think there are a few factors that might help make this a realistic guess. First and foremost, Bakero is going to get plenty of playing time right away for the Fire, and let’s face it, that is a big hurdle for many young players in this league. It also looks like he will be playing in the 10 role or as a second forward, so can look forward to gaining the necessary stats to stay in the discussion.

Coach of the Year: Patrick Vieira (New York FC)

I think beating out Toronto for the Supporters Shield this year will be enough to earn Patrick Vieira top coaching award for the year. Certainly, he has been one of the top coaches in MLS since his arrival, so it would be fitting to see him recognized with the Coach of the Year award.