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I wanted to take time in between coup d’etats to lay down a sort of personal state of play for the upcoming 2021 Major League Soccer season. This isn’t deeply-researched, I couldn’t give less of a shit about MLS’s roster mechanics (the end-product is all that matters, so…), and, with 27 teams (presently) committed to participate in the 2021 season, I don’t know all the players as well as I did even five years ago and likely never will again. Further, the league decision to limit the pandemic’s impact by confining the teams to regional competitions meant I didn’t see a few teams at all during 2020 - e.g., the Chicago whatever-the-fuck-they-are-right-now almost certainly, plus maybe L'Impact du Montreal, Toronto FC and DC United, but as everyone always says, last year took a decade, so who can really say?
And yet I have opinions on all the teams in the league - e.g., general understandings of their history, whether or not I see them in the playoffs season after season, sometimes, or not at all - some of them old, some of them new, a couple of them borrowed, and some of them blue (which, here, means they move me to profanity). That’s what this post will do: talk about how I see all 27 teams fitting into the Major League Soccer Extended Universe heading into 2021. I’ll start with word association - e.g., the first word or phrase that pops into mind when I think of that team - then try to back that up with a statement or two, and I’ll close with the updates on each provided in the handy “offseason snapshot tranfer news latest moves and projected lineups” tracker posted on The Mothership’s main page (that’s MLSsoccer.com) to see if I see anything in there that would change my understanding of that team. Think of it as framing…
As with (most) past seasons, I hope to post some league-wide commentary once a week…but I’ll have to figure out how to make that work with 27 variables to track. (You’ll know if I succeed, and likely won’t notice the absence if I don’t.) With that, let’s turn to the 2021 season, starting with whether there will be one at all.
COVID-19 & the CBA
These two things pose the greatest known threats to MLS’s 2021 season - with general political instability tossed in as a wild card. Broadly speaking, political chaos (in whatever form) runs the risk of tripping up the vaccine rollout, which makes the road to normal (new or old) longer. The UK mutation (what I call “fast COVID”) could also mean more case-spikes in the near-term, plus all the paralysis that goes along with that, but there’s also a potential recession, mass evictions, maybe even another insurrection or two, random domestic terror attacks, etc. etc. Those last two things only show in the worst-case scenarios, but it’s possible that people will not be able to ignore politics in 2021 (and beyond) no matter how badly they want to, or even that too many people simply won’t be able to afford the luxury of sports. It’s hard not to notice when your league suspends play, in other words…
As for the prosaic stuff, the league invoking the force majeure clause in the (I believe) as yet unratified collective bargaining agreement kicked up a lot of angst when it happened. They’ve since laid out a more concrete offer - as interpreted here ($ site) - but the broad strokes of the give-and-take go something like this:
“It would mean no cuts to current salaries, but also a pushing back of increases in player spending over the life of the CBA. It would mean marginal year-over-year financial growth in 2026 and 2027.”
“Extending the CBA until after the 2026 World Cup could also cost the players significant leverage in the next round of negotiations, while also delaying potential growth in free agency rights and other benefits by another two years.”
I don’t know how much the league and/or owners really lost in 2020, and I’m not sure it matters. The reality is that everyone endured a massive societal/economic disruption, and that’s a pretty minimal near-term hit for the players. And I expect the owners will eat some amount of the same kind of losses in 2021 that they did in 2020 - e.g., charter flights - so, there’s weighing that against how much the players expect to get screwed out of on the back-end of the deal. I’ll make peace with whatever happens here, but my one thought is this: if the wealthy are going to hoard all the wealth, they owe the masses bread and circuses - and at a good discount for us (goddammit) and with fat, happy and content gladiators.
League News
The latest trades, transfers and general goings-on will take up a bigger portion of these posts until the preseason starts (fwiw, my money’s on late-March at the earliest, and April wouldn’t surprise me), but, to flag a couple stories:
1) I can’t believe Columbus Crew SC got Kevin Molino; I can’t believe Minnesota United FC let him go: but it happened.
2) The Greg Vanney to the Los Angeles Galaxy thing is mostly interesting in that I saw him as less of a great coach than a guy who was handed a very fast car to race in a league with a wide variety of classes. Andrew Wiebe made a couple points in support of Vanney’s potential (the stuff about Toronto FC’s midfield structure on cheap parts) and, given the Galaxy’s fixation on remaining a glamour club, he’ll walk into a similar situation. Overall, though, I think we’re about to see what kind of coach Vanney is.
With those notes out of the way, it’s time for the main event. If the way I described what I’m doing didn’t make sense above, it should below. I’m going to start with the two teams I follow (and lurve and love, respectively), then list the rest of the teams in MLS according to where they finished overall in (fucked-up) 2020. All comments and opinions are my own and based on more or less knowledge. And the “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes” under each team is drawn from the “transfer tracker” stuff linked to above as well as the actual transfer tracker MLS posts every season.
MLS, by Word Association
Portland Timbers - Golden Generation
The Timbers built a perennial contender around a group of players - e.g., Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco - that (very) few Americans had heard of until they arrived and kicked ass a-plenty. That generation will age inevitably age out, leaving two questions: 1) what will replace them, and 2) will it be soon enough to remain perennially competitive? As noted in my 2020 Timbers review, it didn’t happen last season and Portland signed some great, promising new prospects; moreover, a couple players - Jeremy Ebobisse and Eryk Williamson - stepped up and look ready. Against that, a danger-prone defense left them permanently at risk and not enough of the replacements for the Golden Generation made the leap with Eryk and Ebo.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Against the chatter about “fullbacks in the modern game,” I’m not counting on Claudio Bravo to make or break Portland’s future. I didn’t know Larrys Mabiala was “in limbo” until reading that post, but, after 2020, thinking of any part of Portland’s defense as vital doesn’t make much sense. They need to sign someone back there, clearly, and get all the wounded running again. In the big picture, “more fun” tops my personal wish-list for 2021; a trophy would be nice, but I’m mostly focused on what the next generation brings.
FC Cincinnati - Passing a Stone
They couldn’t even swing “fun to watch at times” and that was the real blow, at least for me. There’s nowhere to go but up, obviously, but that’s by no means inevitable. I hate the word “identity,” but that’s more or less what Cincy needs: to figure out how they want to approach, play and manage games, which, as I argued in the my 2020 FC Cincy review, begins with sorting out a coherent midfield. For what it’s worth, I don’t know how they do that around Haris Medunjanin…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Throwing off some dead-weight (e.g., Siem de Jong and Greg Garza) was a necessary step, and I think I see the beginnings of a coherent midfield, but as with Bravo above, bringing in Ronald Matarrita isn’t going to get Cincinnati off its permanent place on the league floor. If they can’t find away to attack without dropping trou, expect another excruciating year.
Philadelphia Union - Closer
A Supporters’ Shield-winning team always impresses me, but, like too many of the past editions, I always expected Philly to falter in cutthroat scenarios - seeing them lose to the Timbers during MLS Is Back almost certainly played a role. Despite some changes (see below), they have enough figured out that I expect another run from them in 2021.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: I see losing Brenden Aaronson as a potential big deal - and see others going and lined-up to - but the Union has a good plan and a good pipeline in place. With Alejandro Bedoya, Jamiro Monteiro, and Andre Blake to keep them steady, a couple decent signings should see them through.
Toronto FC - Over-Achievers
Won’t lie: between aging/oft-injured stars, I keep expecting the wheels to come off in Toronto; the transition built into Vanney’s departure only deepens the suspicion they’ve got a dreaded “transition season” coming. Going the other way, Alejandro Pozuelo won last year’s MVP, they’ve got a sound core with semi-anonymous ploggers like Osorio, Delgado and DeLeon, plus a happy-spending ownership and rising stars like Ayo Akinola. So, yes, I have anti-Toronto bias and you should expect another playoff-competitive season for Toronto.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Not much beyond a random signing and an under-achieving DP (Pablo Piatti) on hold.
Sporting Kansas City - Paper Tiger
Yeah, yeah, the won the West in 2020 and went one round farther than Portland, but the way Minnesota shredded them in the playoffs underlined all the doubts I had about them. Their attacking talent ranks among the league’s best - e.g., Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, etc. - but there’s a whiff of old (Roger Espinoza, since re-signed) and soft about them.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: That SKC let go of Matt Besler (to Austin) and added Remi Walter to the midfield signals that someone agrees with my doubts. They’ll be good, but need some additions (e.g., Stian Gregersen?) to upgrade to “great” or contender.
Columbus Crew SC - Upgraded Brick-Shithouse
They started First Season Redux (MLS Is Back) as league darlings and ended as MLS Cup champions (and in a walk). They built it atop a sturdy defense (damn-near league-best), so they didn’t need to score often as everyone. My only doubt comes with head coach Caleb Porter, who I see as a guy who knows how to build a very strong team once (if given the right parts), but who struggles to adapt once other teams start finding the cracks.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They didn’t need any, then they added Molino and Bradley Wright-Phillips. If that defense holds, there’s a chance they could repeat.
Orlando City SC - Improvement and Indiscipline
It took five(?) years, but Orlando finally found its feet. Oscar Pareja finally put a defensive structure in place and that gave Nani, et. al., a platform on which to perform. They seem to have a good midfield brain-trust around Mauricio Pereyra and Uri Rossell and up-and-comers like Daryl Dike and Chris Mueller for a bright future. If there’s one thing I continue to see with Orlando, it’s too many players losing their shit too often. Also, Dom Dwyer is from a place called “Cuckfield.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: None of consequence so far, but they’re probably playoff-competitive on what they have.
Seattle Sounders FC - Bastards
I don’t know how many Timbers fans readily admit this - and I certainly know a few who don’t - but the Sounders field a strong, well-constructed team. They’ve got great attacking parts (e.g., Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Raul Ruidiaz) that know how to pack teams in and break them down - even if it sometimes takes the bouncy-ball turf advantage they get on their homefield. Overall, they’re built a lot like Columbus: a strong defense goes a long way. (Side note: seven of the top 11 teams in 2020 allowed 25 goals or fewer; the two teams that made the final each allowed just 21 goals.)
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It looks like they might lose Gustav Svennson, which should make re-signing Joao Paulo a flaming necessity. It sounds like they don’t have much flexibility. Then again, they don’t need it.
New York City FC - Watch Out for That Tree!
Solid yet unspectacular, a team that can beat anyone, anywhere, so long as its not in the playoffs. They have some very nice, very fun players - e.g., Valentin Castellanos and Heber - but they get a little headless without Maxi Moralez. Good defense too, but there’s that ever-present ceiling. Something’s got to change to make that go away, but they’re probably still good for the playoffs.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Letting go of Alexander Ring (shipped to Austin FC) isn’t what I would have changed. Will not knock the right thing lose, or knock the legs out from under them?
Minnesota United FC - Jenga
You know how it works: the strong, sturdy tower keeps standing up until you take away one piece too many and in the wrong place - in this case, Molino. I’m confident the Loons can weather the loss - every time I saw them in 2020, I kept noticing how good they looked at every position, and Emanuel Reynoso was damned impressive - but Osvaldo Alonso can’t run forever. So long as he doesn’t need to, I think they’re good.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It was easier to believe they’d improve until they shipped Molino and Wil Trapp, whatever his qualities, won’t do it. It looks like the attack is in flux, but any upgrade could put them over the top.
Colorado Rapids - Random Number Generator
Despite a history of under-achieving - in recent years, especially - the Rapids serve up a lot of surprises for a tight-budget team. They’ve got good parts all over - e.g., Andre Shinyashiki, Lalas Abubakar, and Jack Price - but the biggest surprise for me last season was how well they played soccer - i.e., this wasn’t a hit-and-hope unit and I tend to trust those a little more. Call them promising, yet precarious.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: None so far and they probably need at least a thing or two before they can make loud noises. Regression is always a possibility, but I think they’re playoff-competitive.
FC Dallas - Struggling Tortoise
Based on a view from afar (I only saw them beat Portland in the playoffs), Dallas never really got going in 2020 - e.g., COVID hobbled their Disney vacay, and big signings like Franco Jara didn’t fully achieve - but Dallas has a solid core (e.g., Matt Hedges, Michael Barrios, Ryan Hollingshead) and a talent pipeline that produces at surplus capacity. It’s worth wondering whether they’ll ever make the jump, but they’re consistent AF and there’s no sign that’ll change.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They’re almost certain to ship Bryan Reynolds (and others?), but the transfer thing talks up their additions (e.g., “winger Jader Obrian and center back Jose Antonio Martinez”). They’re a solid team that could turn deadly with more frequent scoring.
Los Angeles FC - Sizzle v Steak
Despite terrorizing just about every team in MLS for the past two seasons, LAFC has stumbled reliably enough in the post-season to diminish them. Moreover, more than a couple teams - Seattle and Portland, in particular - appear to have decent reads on how to beat them. They played the same game as the Timbers in some ways - a weak defense meant living or dying on how many they could score.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Besides pinching Marco Farfan from Portland (a good get), not much. The transfer thing mentions interest in key pieces (e.g., Eduardo Atuesta and Diego Rossi), and losses there would hurt, but they’ve got the talent; they just need a defense.
New York Red Bulls - A Fainting Spell
The once-repeat Shield winners hasn’t looked like themselves for a couple seasons now - and is Chris Armas gone yet? Yes, Armas is gone and that’s a start. They’ve got some solid mainstays to build around - e.g., Tim Parker, Aaron Long, Daniel Royer - but they’ve failed to do much of anything with that for a while now.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It sounds like they might lose Kaku, but he’s been messy for a while now, so I’m not sure that’s a loss. The more interesting note was around the new coach, Gerhard Stuber, who looks like a stab at reviving the old methods.
Nashville SC - D-Fence
A new team that has lurked in a personal blind-spot for as long as they’ve been around, the only know Nashville by their defensive reputation. I haven’t heard a ton of chatter about the attacking talent I see on the roster - something that usually filters through - so maybe that’s all there is?
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It looks like they picked up a Uruguayan youth international (Rodrigo Pineiro), which can be good, but those don’t always translate like the ready-mades. I expect another year of being a pain in the ass, but would be surprised to see them in the playoffs barring some upgrades.
New England Revolution - Perpetual (Shrinking?) Bridesmaids
2020 presented as another year of “so close,” only for a team no longer contending in MLS Cups, but in the games before it. They’ve unlocked “fun” with players like Gustavo Bou and (often as he’s healthy) Carles Gil - and they’ve got great other great starters like Tajon Buchanan and Matt Turner - but there’s a reason that not even Bruce Arena has pushed them into conversations about league-elite teams.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They’re going to lose Cristian Penilla, but he slipped out of the first XI last season. They’ve added a “central midfielder,” Wilfried Kaptoum, who looked good enough to get signed to Spain’s first division, as well as bringing in journeymen like Emanuel Boateng and A.J. DeLeGarza. So long as they keep the big guns healthy, that may be enough to get them back among the elite.
San Jose Earthquakes - Performance-Enhancing Drugs
My read on the ‘Quakes could be warped by watching the Timbers kick the holy shit out of them in 2020, but they strike me as a team trying to hang in on the cheap in a league where that’s increasingly untenable. Matias Almeyda gets a lot of hype, but there’s not much on their roster that portends a turn-around.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: So far, there’s nothing but shipping Nick Lima. On the plus side, they’ve opened up some roster/DP space by getting rid of Vako and Magnus Eriksson; if they reload right maybe they can get somewhere. If not, I see them yo-yoing on the wrong side of the playoff line.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Deck Chairs on the Titanic
The ‘Caps weren’t worst in the West in 2020, but, when you’ve been bad enough for long enough, does it matter? They’ve rebuilt twice over the past two seasons only to keep treading water. I’m not sure who’s on the roster outside Ali Adnan, Jr. and don’t think I need to learn until they improve.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Nothing so far besides getting rid of Evan Bush, but there’s a report they’ve got one of those no. 10s lined up with a guy “who excelled” in Portugal named Chiquinho. They’ll remain a case of “serve it up” until I see them do anything but loiter on the wrong end of the table.
Montreal Impact - Shit Thrown at a Wall
A little like Colorado in that they’re always capable of a surprise, but don’t deliver on it often enough. They’re another team in a blind spot, so I’m stuck on their former reputation as a counter-attacking team, only one without the great Ignacio Piatti to give menace to the method. Also, I wrote off 2020 as Thierry Henry’s transition year.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They picked up a random (to me) fullback in Kamal Miller, plus Djordje Mihailovic from Chicago, who’s always looked like reliable, but not super-star quality. One passage that stood out from the write-up: “[Henry] started preseason last year in a back four, hoping to play on the front foot, but ended up scrapping that for a back five which was most effective on the counter.” That doesn’t herald big changes thus far…
Inter Miami CF - Flamingos
Another new team, dig the uniforms, like some of the players (e.g., Rodolfo Pizarro and Gonzalo Higuain), but my overall impression is that Miami didn’t find their feet nearly as quickly as Nashville, and that’s all she wrote. To the future…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They ditched vets like Wil Trapp and Luis Robles, but things appear to be on somewhat on hold till they sign a head coach to replace Diego Alonso. So, more wait and see…
Los Angeles Galaxy - Third-Generation Offspring
Something about the third generation kids squandering a family’s fortunes. Once the royalty of MLS, the Galaxy used Zlatan to paper over an incoherent roster and, since they never replaced him, that incoherent roster is what remains. They were make-weights last season, even with Cristian Pavon playing a solid season.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: There’s Vanney, for one, but they also pinched Jorge Villafana (dammit!) from Portland. Word is, they have only thirteen (13!) players on the roster currently and lots of cap space to dick with. I’ll withhold judgment till the dicking stops. (dick-dick-dick-dick-dick-goose!)
Real Salt Lake - Low-Rent Wizards
Another team I could be misreading due to how they played Portland, but RSL generally rates at pain-in-the-ass on the low-end and playoff-competitive on the high. Despite some flashy talent - e.g., Albert Rusnak and Damir Kreilach - they generally present like San Jose, i.e., a team trying to do things on the cheap. Which is probably why they’re slipping against everyone but Portland…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Until they get a new ownership group in place, I’d imagine they’re in limbo…a bad place for a middling team to be. They lost Kyle Beckerman to retirement, but that was inevitable; they’re playing most of the same cards otherwise.
Chicago Fire - Rolling Disaster
They can’t even rebrand without inviting scorn and ridicule.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They ditched some MLS regulars (Mihailovic and CJ Sapong), but it looks like they’ve opted to stand pat to see what new coach Raphael Wicky can do in a second season with a lot of the same talent.
Atlanta United FC - Lost Season
Between Josef Martinez injury and the short, hideous and bitter tenure of Frank de Boer, Atlanta’s 2020 can arguably be summed up by the cash-burning under-achieving of Pity Martinez and Ezequiel Barco. From such great heights…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Getting a new head coach - Argentine Gabriel Heinze - was the first necessary step. Even with Pity gone, there’s still plenty of talent on that roster (or perhaps because he’s gone), so I’d say the main thing standing between Atlanta and better days is a healthy and whole Martinez and a better game-plan.
D.C. United - Curs’d
While DC was decent more recently than often remember (see the Rooney/Acosta team), they’ve been fucking awful for a lot of that time - and to the point where it’s worth wondering whether despair hasn’t seeped into the club culture. Much as I’ve always liked him, Benny Olsen might have been a monkey on their back, so it was good and wise to move on there. Edson Flores came in with some amount of hype, and I see decent performers on that roster, but they looked somewhat broken on both sides of the field by the numbers.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Oop, turns out they don’t have a head coach yet. Things will follow from there, obviously, but there’s not much else to get DC fans excited behind rumors of German legend, Mesut Ozil.
Houston Dynamo - Spazzing
The last time I got excited about Houston was when they first brought in Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto and Manual Manotas (aka, the Honduran Gambit). That thought alone describes a team stuck in one of the most persistent versions of MLS 2.0. When I look at the roster, I say a bunch of names, some of them good, but the entire barely rates even a shrug.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They finally pulled the plug on the Honduran Gambit, but intra-league moves for players no one’s really talking about sounds like more MLS 2.0. Another case of, if MLS had relegation…
Austin FC - Matthew McConaughey
They took some smart first steps - e.g., Alexander Ring, Danny Hoesen (flexible), Matt Besler for veteran savvy, and why not try to resurrect Diego Fagundez’ finer moments? - but I mostly think “all right, all right, all right,” any time I hear the name “Austin FC.” Rewrite history, boys…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: That’s all there is so far.
And that’s the post. I’ll be back with something next week, even if it’s just vague rambling.
And yet I have opinions on all the teams in the league - e.g., general understandings of their history, whether or not I see them in the playoffs season after season, sometimes, or not at all - some of them old, some of them new, a couple of them borrowed, and some of them blue (which, here, means they move me to profanity). That’s what this post will do: talk about how I see all 27 teams fitting into the Major League Soccer Extended Universe heading into 2021. I’ll start with word association - e.g., the first word or phrase that pops into mind when I think of that team - then try to back that up with a statement or two, and I’ll close with the updates on each provided in the handy “offseason snapshot tranfer news latest moves and projected lineups” tracker posted on The Mothership’s main page (that’s MLSsoccer.com) to see if I see anything in there that would change my understanding of that team. Think of it as framing…
As with (most) past seasons, I hope to post some league-wide commentary once a week…but I’ll have to figure out how to make that work with 27 variables to track. (You’ll know if I succeed, and likely won’t notice the absence if I don’t.) With that, let’s turn to the 2021 season, starting with whether there will be one at all.
COVID-19 & the CBA
These two things pose the greatest known threats to MLS’s 2021 season - with general political instability tossed in as a wild card. Broadly speaking, political chaos (in whatever form) runs the risk of tripping up the vaccine rollout, which makes the road to normal (new or old) longer. The UK mutation (what I call “fast COVID”) could also mean more case-spikes in the near-term, plus all the paralysis that goes along with that, but there’s also a potential recession, mass evictions, maybe even another insurrection or two, random domestic terror attacks, etc. etc. Those last two things only show in the worst-case scenarios, but it’s possible that people will not be able to ignore politics in 2021 (and beyond) no matter how badly they want to, or even that too many people simply won’t be able to afford the luxury of sports. It’s hard not to notice when your league suspends play, in other words…
As for the prosaic stuff, the league invoking the force majeure clause in the (I believe) as yet unratified collective bargaining agreement kicked up a lot of angst when it happened. They’ve since laid out a more concrete offer - as interpreted here ($ site) - but the broad strokes of the give-and-take go something like this:
“It would mean no cuts to current salaries, but also a pushing back of increases in player spending over the life of the CBA. It would mean marginal year-over-year financial growth in 2026 and 2027.”
“Extending the CBA until after the 2026 World Cup could also cost the players significant leverage in the next round of negotiations, while also delaying potential growth in free agency rights and other benefits by another two years.”
I don’t know how much the league and/or owners really lost in 2020, and I’m not sure it matters. The reality is that everyone endured a massive societal/economic disruption, and that’s a pretty minimal near-term hit for the players. And I expect the owners will eat some amount of the same kind of losses in 2021 that they did in 2020 - e.g., charter flights - so, there’s weighing that against how much the players expect to get screwed out of on the back-end of the deal. I’ll make peace with whatever happens here, but my one thought is this: if the wealthy are going to hoard all the wealth, they owe the masses bread and circuses - and at a good discount for us (goddammit) and with fat, happy and content gladiators.
League News
The latest trades, transfers and general goings-on will take up a bigger portion of these posts until the preseason starts (fwiw, my money’s on late-March at the earliest, and April wouldn’t surprise me), but, to flag a couple stories:
1) I can’t believe Columbus Crew SC got Kevin Molino; I can’t believe Minnesota United FC let him go: but it happened.
2) The Greg Vanney to the Los Angeles Galaxy thing is mostly interesting in that I saw him as less of a great coach than a guy who was handed a very fast car to race in a league with a wide variety of classes. Andrew Wiebe made a couple points in support of Vanney’s potential (the stuff about Toronto FC’s midfield structure on cheap parts) and, given the Galaxy’s fixation on remaining a glamour club, he’ll walk into a similar situation. Overall, though, I think we’re about to see what kind of coach Vanney is.
With those notes out of the way, it’s time for the main event. If the way I described what I’m doing didn’t make sense above, it should below. I’m going to start with the two teams I follow (and lurve and love, respectively), then list the rest of the teams in MLS according to where they finished overall in (fucked-up) 2020. All comments and opinions are my own and based on more or less knowledge. And the “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes” under each team is drawn from the “transfer tracker” stuff linked to above as well as the actual transfer tracker MLS posts every season.
MLS, by Word Association
Portland Timbers - Golden Generation
The Timbers built a perennial contender around a group of players - e.g., Diego Chara, Diego Valeri and Sebastian Blanco - that (very) few Americans had heard of until they arrived and kicked ass a-plenty. That generation will age inevitably age out, leaving two questions: 1) what will replace them, and 2) will it be soon enough to remain perennially competitive? As noted in my 2020 Timbers review, it didn’t happen last season and Portland signed some great, promising new prospects; moreover, a couple players - Jeremy Ebobisse and Eryk Williamson - stepped up and look ready. Against that, a danger-prone defense left them permanently at risk and not enough of the replacements for the Golden Generation made the leap with Eryk and Ebo.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Against the chatter about “fullbacks in the modern game,” I’m not counting on Claudio Bravo to make or break Portland’s future. I didn’t know Larrys Mabiala was “in limbo” until reading that post, but, after 2020, thinking of any part of Portland’s defense as vital doesn’t make much sense. They need to sign someone back there, clearly, and get all the wounded running again. In the big picture, “more fun” tops my personal wish-list for 2021; a trophy would be nice, but I’m mostly focused on what the next generation brings.
FC Cincinnati - Passing a Stone
They couldn’t even swing “fun to watch at times” and that was the real blow, at least for me. There’s nowhere to go but up, obviously, but that’s by no means inevitable. I hate the word “identity,” but that’s more or less what Cincy needs: to figure out how they want to approach, play and manage games, which, as I argued in the my 2020 FC Cincy review, begins with sorting out a coherent midfield. For what it’s worth, I don’t know how they do that around Haris Medunjanin…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Throwing off some dead-weight (e.g., Siem de Jong and Greg Garza) was a necessary step, and I think I see the beginnings of a coherent midfield, but as with Bravo above, bringing in Ronald Matarrita isn’t going to get Cincinnati off its permanent place on the league floor. If they can’t find away to attack without dropping trou, expect another excruciating year.
Philadelphia Union - Closer
A Supporters’ Shield-winning team always impresses me, but, like too many of the past editions, I always expected Philly to falter in cutthroat scenarios - seeing them lose to the Timbers during MLS Is Back almost certainly played a role. Despite some changes (see below), they have enough figured out that I expect another run from them in 2021.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: I see losing Brenden Aaronson as a potential big deal - and see others going and lined-up to - but the Union has a good plan and a good pipeline in place. With Alejandro Bedoya, Jamiro Monteiro, and Andre Blake to keep them steady, a couple decent signings should see them through.
Toronto FC - Over-Achievers
Won’t lie: between aging/oft-injured stars, I keep expecting the wheels to come off in Toronto; the transition built into Vanney’s departure only deepens the suspicion they’ve got a dreaded “transition season” coming. Going the other way, Alejandro Pozuelo won last year’s MVP, they’ve got a sound core with semi-anonymous ploggers like Osorio, Delgado and DeLeon, plus a happy-spending ownership and rising stars like Ayo Akinola. So, yes, I have anti-Toronto bias and you should expect another playoff-competitive season for Toronto.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Not much beyond a random signing and an under-achieving DP (Pablo Piatti) on hold.
Sporting Kansas City - Paper Tiger
Yeah, yeah, the won the West in 2020 and went one round farther than Portland, but the way Minnesota shredded them in the playoffs underlined all the doubts I had about them. Their attacking talent ranks among the league’s best - e.g., Alan Pulido, Johnny Russell, etc. - but there’s a whiff of old (Roger Espinoza, since re-signed) and soft about them.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: That SKC let go of Matt Besler (to Austin) and added Remi Walter to the midfield signals that someone agrees with my doubts. They’ll be good, but need some additions (e.g., Stian Gregersen?) to upgrade to “great” or contender.
Columbus Crew SC - Upgraded Brick-Shithouse
They started First Season Redux (MLS Is Back) as league darlings and ended as MLS Cup champions (and in a walk). They built it atop a sturdy defense (damn-near league-best), so they didn’t need to score often as everyone. My only doubt comes with head coach Caleb Porter, who I see as a guy who knows how to build a very strong team once (if given the right parts), but who struggles to adapt once other teams start finding the cracks.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They didn’t need any, then they added Molino and Bradley Wright-Phillips. If that defense holds, there’s a chance they could repeat.
Orlando City SC - Improvement and Indiscipline
It took five(?) years, but Orlando finally found its feet. Oscar Pareja finally put a defensive structure in place and that gave Nani, et. al., a platform on which to perform. They seem to have a good midfield brain-trust around Mauricio Pereyra and Uri Rossell and up-and-comers like Daryl Dike and Chris Mueller for a bright future. If there’s one thing I continue to see with Orlando, it’s too many players losing their shit too often. Also, Dom Dwyer is from a place called “Cuckfield.”
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: None of consequence so far, but they’re probably playoff-competitive on what they have.
Seattle Sounders FC - Bastards
I don’t know how many Timbers fans readily admit this - and I certainly know a few who don’t - but the Sounders field a strong, well-constructed team. They’ve got great attacking parts (e.g., Nicolas Lodeiro, Jordan Morris, Raul Ruidiaz) that know how to pack teams in and break them down - even if it sometimes takes the bouncy-ball turf advantage they get on their homefield. Overall, they’re built a lot like Columbus: a strong defense goes a long way. (Side note: seven of the top 11 teams in 2020 allowed 25 goals or fewer; the two teams that made the final each allowed just 21 goals.)
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It looks like they might lose Gustav Svennson, which should make re-signing Joao Paulo a flaming necessity. It sounds like they don’t have much flexibility. Then again, they don’t need it.
New York City FC - Watch Out for That Tree!
Solid yet unspectacular, a team that can beat anyone, anywhere, so long as its not in the playoffs. They have some very nice, very fun players - e.g., Valentin Castellanos and Heber - but they get a little headless without Maxi Moralez. Good defense too, but there’s that ever-present ceiling. Something’s got to change to make that go away, but they’re probably still good for the playoffs.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Letting go of Alexander Ring (shipped to Austin FC) isn’t what I would have changed. Will not knock the right thing lose, or knock the legs out from under them?
Minnesota United FC - Jenga
You know how it works: the strong, sturdy tower keeps standing up until you take away one piece too many and in the wrong place - in this case, Molino. I’m confident the Loons can weather the loss - every time I saw them in 2020, I kept noticing how good they looked at every position, and Emanuel Reynoso was damned impressive - but Osvaldo Alonso can’t run forever. So long as he doesn’t need to, I think they’re good.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It was easier to believe they’d improve until they shipped Molino and Wil Trapp, whatever his qualities, won’t do it. It looks like the attack is in flux, but any upgrade could put them over the top.
Colorado Rapids - Random Number Generator
Despite a history of under-achieving - in recent years, especially - the Rapids serve up a lot of surprises for a tight-budget team. They’ve got good parts all over - e.g., Andre Shinyashiki, Lalas Abubakar, and Jack Price - but the biggest surprise for me last season was how well they played soccer - i.e., this wasn’t a hit-and-hope unit and I tend to trust those a little more. Call them promising, yet precarious.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: None so far and they probably need at least a thing or two before they can make loud noises. Regression is always a possibility, but I think they’re playoff-competitive.
FC Dallas - Struggling Tortoise
Based on a view from afar (I only saw them beat Portland in the playoffs), Dallas never really got going in 2020 - e.g., COVID hobbled their Disney vacay, and big signings like Franco Jara didn’t fully achieve - but Dallas has a solid core (e.g., Matt Hedges, Michael Barrios, Ryan Hollingshead) and a talent pipeline that produces at surplus capacity. It’s worth wondering whether they’ll ever make the jump, but they’re consistent AF and there’s no sign that’ll change.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They’re almost certain to ship Bryan Reynolds (and others?), but the transfer thing talks up their additions (e.g., “winger Jader Obrian and center back Jose Antonio Martinez”). They’re a solid team that could turn deadly with more frequent scoring.
Los Angeles FC - Sizzle v Steak
Despite terrorizing just about every team in MLS for the past two seasons, LAFC has stumbled reliably enough in the post-season to diminish them. Moreover, more than a couple teams - Seattle and Portland, in particular - appear to have decent reads on how to beat them. They played the same game as the Timbers in some ways - a weak defense meant living or dying on how many they could score.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Besides pinching Marco Farfan from Portland (a good get), not much. The transfer thing mentions interest in key pieces (e.g., Eduardo Atuesta and Diego Rossi), and losses there would hurt, but they’ve got the talent; they just need a defense.
New York Red Bulls - A Fainting Spell
The once-repeat Shield winners hasn’t looked like themselves for a couple seasons now - and is Chris Armas gone yet? Yes, Armas is gone and that’s a start. They’ve got some solid mainstays to build around - e.g., Tim Parker, Aaron Long, Daniel Royer - but they’ve failed to do much of anything with that for a while now.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It sounds like they might lose Kaku, but he’s been messy for a while now, so I’m not sure that’s a loss. The more interesting note was around the new coach, Gerhard Stuber, who looks like a stab at reviving the old methods.
Nashville SC - D-Fence
A new team that has lurked in a personal blind-spot for as long as they’ve been around, the only know Nashville by their defensive reputation. I haven’t heard a ton of chatter about the attacking talent I see on the roster - something that usually filters through - so maybe that’s all there is?
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: It looks like they picked up a Uruguayan youth international (Rodrigo Pineiro), which can be good, but those don’t always translate like the ready-mades. I expect another year of being a pain in the ass, but would be surprised to see them in the playoffs barring some upgrades.
New England Revolution - Perpetual (Shrinking?) Bridesmaids
2020 presented as another year of “so close,” only for a team no longer contending in MLS Cups, but in the games before it. They’ve unlocked “fun” with players like Gustavo Bou and (often as he’s healthy) Carles Gil - and they’ve got great other great starters like Tajon Buchanan and Matt Turner - but there’s a reason that not even Bruce Arena has pushed them into conversations about league-elite teams.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They’re going to lose Cristian Penilla, but he slipped out of the first XI last season. They’ve added a “central midfielder,” Wilfried Kaptoum, who looked good enough to get signed to Spain’s first division, as well as bringing in journeymen like Emanuel Boateng and A.J. DeLeGarza. So long as they keep the big guns healthy, that may be enough to get them back among the elite.
San Jose Earthquakes - Performance-Enhancing Drugs
My read on the ‘Quakes could be warped by watching the Timbers kick the holy shit out of them in 2020, but they strike me as a team trying to hang in on the cheap in a league where that’s increasingly untenable. Matias Almeyda gets a lot of hype, but there’s not much on their roster that portends a turn-around.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: So far, there’s nothing but shipping Nick Lima. On the plus side, they’ve opened up some roster/DP space by getting rid of Vako and Magnus Eriksson; if they reload right maybe they can get somewhere. If not, I see them yo-yoing on the wrong side of the playoff line.
Vancouver Whitecaps FC - Deck Chairs on the Titanic
The ‘Caps weren’t worst in the West in 2020, but, when you’ve been bad enough for long enough, does it matter? They’ve rebuilt twice over the past two seasons only to keep treading water. I’m not sure who’s on the roster outside Ali Adnan, Jr. and don’t think I need to learn until they improve.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Nothing so far besides getting rid of Evan Bush, but there’s a report they’ve got one of those no. 10s lined up with a guy “who excelled” in Portugal named Chiquinho. They’ll remain a case of “serve it up” until I see them do anything but loiter on the wrong end of the table.
Montreal Impact - Shit Thrown at a Wall
A little like Colorado in that they’re always capable of a surprise, but don’t deliver on it often enough. They’re another team in a blind spot, so I’m stuck on their former reputation as a counter-attacking team, only one without the great Ignacio Piatti to give menace to the method. Also, I wrote off 2020 as Thierry Henry’s transition year.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They picked up a random (to me) fullback in Kamal Miller, plus Djordje Mihailovic from Chicago, who’s always looked like reliable, but not super-star quality. One passage that stood out from the write-up: “[Henry] started preseason last year in a back four, hoping to play on the front foot, but ended up scrapping that for a back five which was most effective on the counter.” That doesn’t herald big changes thus far…
Inter Miami CF - Flamingos
Another new team, dig the uniforms, like some of the players (e.g., Rodolfo Pizarro and Gonzalo Higuain), but my overall impression is that Miami didn’t find their feet nearly as quickly as Nashville, and that’s all she wrote. To the future…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They ditched vets like Wil Trapp and Luis Robles, but things appear to be on somewhat on hold till they sign a head coach to replace Diego Alonso. So, more wait and see…
Los Angeles Galaxy - Third-Generation Offspring
Something about the third generation kids squandering a family’s fortunes. Once the royalty of MLS, the Galaxy used Zlatan to paper over an incoherent roster and, since they never replaced him, that incoherent roster is what remains. They were make-weights last season, even with Cristian Pavon playing a solid season.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: There’s Vanney, for one, but they also pinched Jorge Villafana (dammit!) from Portland. Word is, they have only thirteen (13!) players on the roster currently and lots of cap space to dick with. I’ll withhold judgment till the dicking stops. (dick-dick-dick-dick-dick-goose!)
Real Salt Lake - Low-Rent Wizards
Another team I could be misreading due to how they played Portland, but RSL generally rates at pain-in-the-ass on the low-end and playoff-competitive on the high. Despite some flashy talent - e.g., Albert Rusnak and Damir Kreilach - they generally present like San Jose, i.e., a team trying to do things on the cheap. Which is probably why they’re slipping against everyone but Portland…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Until they get a new ownership group in place, I’d imagine they’re in limbo…a bad place for a middling team to be. They lost Kyle Beckerman to retirement, but that was inevitable; they’re playing most of the same cards otherwise.
Chicago Fire - Rolling Disaster
They can’t even rebrand without inviting scorn and ridicule.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They ditched some MLS regulars (Mihailovic and CJ Sapong), but it looks like they’ve opted to stand pat to see what new coach Raphael Wicky can do in a second season with a lot of the same talent.
Atlanta United FC - Lost Season
Between Josef Martinez injury and the short, hideous and bitter tenure of Frank de Boer, Atlanta’s 2020 can arguably be summed up by the cash-burning under-achieving of Pity Martinez and Ezequiel Barco. From such great heights…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Getting a new head coach - Argentine Gabriel Heinze - was the first necessary step. Even with Pity gone, there’s still plenty of talent on that roster (or perhaps because he’s gone), so I’d say the main thing standing between Atlanta and better days is a healthy and whole Martinez and a better game-plan.
D.C. United - Curs’d
While DC was decent more recently than often remember (see the Rooney/Acosta team), they’ve been fucking awful for a lot of that time - and to the point where it’s worth wondering whether despair hasn’t seeped into the club culture. Much as I’ve always liked him, Benny Olsen might have been a monkey on their back, so it was good and wise to move on there. Edson Flores came in with some amount of hype, and I see decent performers on that roster, but they looked somewhat broken on both sides of the field by the numbers.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: Oop, turns out they don’t have a head coach yet. Things will follow from there, obviously, but there’s not much else to get DC fans excited behind rumors of German legend, Mesut Ozil.
Houston Dynamo - Spazzing
The last time I got excited about Houston was when they first brought in Alberth Elis, Romell Quioto and Manual Manotas (aka, the Honduran Gambit). That thought alone describes a team stuck in one of the most persistent versions of MLS 2.0. When I look at the roster, I say a bunch of names, some of them good, but the entire barely rates even a shrug.
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: They finally pulled the plug on the Honduran Gambit, but intra-league moves for players no one’s really talking about sounds like more MLS 2.0. Another case of, if MLS had relegation…
Austin FC - Matthew McConaughey
They took some smart first steps - e.g., Alexander Ring, Danny Hoesen (flexible), Matt Besler for veteran savvy, and why not try to resurrect Diego Fagundez’ finer moments? - but I mostly think “all right, all right, all right,” any time I hear the name “Austin FC.” Rewrite history, boys…
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: That’s all there is so far.
And that’s the post. I’ll be back with something next week, even if it’s just vague rambling.
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