Major League Soccer preseason power rankings: Toronto FC remains MLS Cup favorite
With the 2018 Major League Soccer season set to kick off this weekend, here's a look at how the teams stack up:
1. Toronto FC
After completing the greatest season in league history, Toronto FC will be vying for a third consecutive MLS Cup appearance. With the power core of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore still intact, TFC will be tough to beat.
2. Seattle Sounders
Like TFC, Seattle is taking aim at a third straight MLS Cup run. The core of the Sounders remains intact, but the team was dealt a serious blow before the season even began with a serious injury to Jordan Morris.
3. Atlanta United FC
As a follow-up to its successful first season, Atlanta paid an MLS-record transfer fee for 18-year-old Argentine midfielder Ezequiel Barco as the team aims to challenge the reigning MLS Cup champions.
4. New York City FC
Could this finally be the year NYCFC wins a title? Goal-scoring savant David Villa remains the fulcrum of this squad. Jesus Medina — another in a number of promising South Americans who are finding their way to MLS — replaces Andrea Pirlo and should provide more production than the retired Italian legend.
5. New York Red Bulls
For the second consecutive offseason, the team traded a team captain. A year ago, it was Dax McCarty. This year, assist maestro Sacha Kljestan was dealt. A youth movement is underway with this team, and the most exciting young prospect is Tyler Adams.
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6. Portland Timbers
Coach Caleb Porter and midfielder Darlington Nagbe were surprising offseason departures. New coach Giovanni Savarese has been tasked in keeping this enterprising team in title contention.
7. Orlando City FC
Entering its fourth season, this Orlando is still seeking its first playoff appearance. A massive offseason overhaul brings a heaping helping of optimism that this team can finally attain that elusive postseason berth.
8. Sporting Kansas City
This team has made the playoffs every year since it rebranded from Kansas City Wizards to SKC in 2011, and coach Peter Vermes should have this team contending for its first home playoff game in five years.
9. Real Salt Lake
Coach Mike Petke had this team rolling late in the 2017 season, winning eight and tying four of its last 15 games. Can RSL build off that momentum in 2018?
10. Columbus Crew SC
Entering the picture in Columbus is on-again, off-again U.S. national teamer Gyasi Zardes, who might benefit from the change of scenery.
11. Chicago Fire
Buoyed by the additions of Dax McCarty, Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic and German fußball legend Bastian Schweinsteiger, this team rebounded in a big way in 2017 after posting the league's worst record in back-to-back years. Now, expectations are elevated as the Fire try to build off that momentum.
12. Los Angeles Galaxy
The 2017 season was a disaster for one of the league's flagship franchises. In the offseason, the Galaxy rebuilt its roster and the team could feature one of the league's most potent offensive attacks.
13. San Jose Earthquakes
The Quakes could be bonzer in front of goal, featuring veteran Chris Wondolowski — who is 11 goals short of tying Landon Donovan's MLS career mark — and newcomer Magnus Eriksson — who is coming off a season in which he led the Swedish league in goals.
14. Vancouver Whitecaps
For a time last season, it appeared as if there might be an all-Canada MLS Cup. The Whitecaps didn't get to meet Toronto FC in the final, and might be hard-pressed to remain among the top contenders in the Western Conference.
15. Los Angeles FC
LAFC — MLS's latest expansion franchise — has impressive front-end pieces, but depth is rather unsettling.
16. FC Dallas
After experiencing an epic late-season collapse last year, it will be imperative that Dallas — which had accomplished consecutive first-place finishes in the Western Conference in 2015-16 — gets off to a strong start this year.
17. Houston Dynamo
This team might find it difficult to match last season's surprising run to the Western Conference finals, where it got boot-stomped by the Sounders.
18. D.C. United
It is a symbolic dawn of a new era in D.C., with United moving out of RFK Stadium and into Audi Field this summer. A necessary roster recalibration adds a fresh feel on the field. Time will tell if the results follow.
19. Philadelphia Union
The Union rarely generate buzz, but did manage to do so this offseason when it acquired David Accam in a trade with the Chicago Fire.
20. Montreal Impact
The Impact came tantalizingly close to the MLS Cup in 2016, missed the playoffs entirely in 2017, and enters 2018 after a major offseason overhaul.
21. New England Revolution
U.S. national team legend Brad Friedel is in as coach, and he might have his hands full trying to keep this team in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
22. Colorado Rapids
New coach Anthony Hudson faces the tall task of keeping pace in a Western Conference filled with very ambitious franchises.
23. Minnesota United FC
MNUFC has yet to sign its first designated player, and without possessing that top-end talent it's hard to imagine the Loons contending for a playoff spot out West.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.