Powered by the attacking play of Diego Fagundez, the New England Revolution will be looking to make a second consecutive trip back to the Eastern Conference playoffs. With the addition of several new players this offseason, the Revolution will be primed to make another run for a conference title and show the league just how dangerous the team can be.
One of the more anticipated teams in 2014, the Colorado Rapids are gearing up for a shot at a Western Conference Championship. The idea of the Rapids beating out teams like the LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders or Portland Timbers for a championship does seem a bit ridiculous. However, if there was any team in the Western Conference that could challenge the norm, Colorado would be that team. Powered by talent players like Deshorn Brown, Shane O’Neill, Clint Irwin, Drew Moor, Dillon Powers and Gabriel Torres, the Rapids will be exceptionally hard to beat in 2014.
Robbie Keane officially signed a new multi-year deal today, making his presence on the Galaxy roster incredibly important in 2014. With the pairing of Landon Donovan and Keane, the Galaxy can rest peacefully, know goals will continue to come. Coach Bruce Arena made several smart signings in the offseason, bringing in talented players like Samuel, Rob Friend and Stefan Ishizaki. It is no secret that the Galaxy are putting all their eggs in their basket this season, by bolstering their offense. Ultimately, the team will rely on the offense and Omar Gonzalez and AJ Delagarza to secure the defense.
With newly acquired midfielder Maurice Edu, the Philadelphia Union are primed for success in 2014. The Union were another team that was exceptionally busy during the 2014 offseason, bringing in players like Cristian Maldana, Andrew Blake, Vincent Nogueira and Austin Berry. Offensively, the team will look for Jack McInerney to produce a majority of the team’s goals this season, along with Connor Casey and Sebastien Le Toux. The players are certainly there for the club to be successful, but it will truly come down to how healthy players can stay and if the club can survive a brutal Eastern Conference grouping of opponents.
After a team losses in any championship game, fans are always curious on how that team will produce the following season. If I was a Real Salt Lake fan, it might be a littler nerve-racking. With the departure of Jason Kreis as head coach, another factor inserts itself, how will the team respond to a new coach? Preseason did show RSL fans numerous positive actions from both players and coaches, so fans do have something to look forward to this season. A majority of the success will come from how well Nick Rimando plays in goal and if Alvaro Saborio can keep his scoring touch alive all season long.
After having such an incredible regular season, the Portland Timbers made a disappointing exit from the 2013 Western Conference playoffs courtesy of Real Salt Lake. Since that devastating playoff loss, Coach Caleb Porter has been working day and night to build the best possible squad. Portland already been picked as a MLS Cup favorite, but if the team crumbles under pressure like it did last season, the Timbers could be looking at another early exit.
The team will all the money, aka Toronto FC. If you are like me, you were probably shocked when you found out all of the deals TFC made happen during the off-season. Now that the team has incredibly bolstered their team as a whole, fans and critics will be watching extra close to see how well the team performs in 2014. Even though these players are valuable to the team, it still does not fill all the holes. It certainly is a start, but the team still has miles to go in order to be a top-flight club.
Another club who has been cashing in on re-doing their squad has been DC United. After finishing at the very bottom of the league, the boys of DC will be looking for bigger and brighter things in 2014. With the additions of Eddie Johnson, Sean Franklin, Steve Birnbaum and Fabian Espindola, DC is certainly headed in the right direction. Obviously the team will be looking to make a sudden turn around just like Portland did last season. It will be interesting to see just how well the team does, and how quickly the chemistry develops.
As defending MLS Cup champions, Sporting Kansas City will have a huge task ahead of them in 2014. SKC has a majority of their championship squad coming back, the only large piece that will be missing is goalie Jimmy Nielsen. It is true that Nielsen was a huge part of the team’s run, but with all of the other weapons available, it is safe to say the Sporting KC could see another return to the MLS Cup in 2014.
The number of teams on this list that are actually MLS Cup contenders is rather large, but the Seattle Sounders are looking for more than a MLS Cup in 2014. Not only is the team looking for Clint Dempsey to finally wake up and score some goals, but the team is looking to finally assert themselves as the top team in all of MLS. This is no small feat, but if the club can finally win a MLS Cup, critics would finally stop hating on the Emerald City and finally give it the respect it deserves.
