something that the RSL fans haven't experienced as of yet.
Of course, the spotlight will be on Adu all year long. But something tells me that if this team is really going to make a run at the playoffs, it will need Luis Tejada to come through and be the equivalent of what Carlos Ruiz was to the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 when he arrived in a similar fashion as a young rising star from the CONCACAF region.
Message to Tejada: You will get kicked in this league. You will be bumped off the ball far more than you were down in Panama. And you will deal with rock-solid types like Nick Garcia and Eddie Robinson who will run right through you to win a ball. My advice is to just embrace it. Smile both when you deserve a call and also when you fooled the official into blowing the whistle. Know that you also have Jason Kreis and Adu who can both turn 22-yard free kicks into highlight-reel goals, making some of those fouls as golden as a goal you scored on your own.
If he can cope with the change of style, not to mention the colder temps of the Rocky Mountains in the early and late stages of the season, then RSL will have a chance. If he doesn't, I'm not sure if RSL has what it takes to be the 2007 version of last season's Chivas USA.
Curt Onalfo's Wizards take form. MLS sage Jeff Bradley commented on this a few days back on this site in saying that Onalfo will bring a different vibe to K.C. than the one that was in place under Gansler and Bliss the past several years. This is a good opportunity for Bruce Arena's former assistant, though.
Think about it: If you were starting a team, you'd want to have your defense settled first and foremost. And with Jose Burciaga, Jr., Jimmy Conrad and Nick Garcia playing in front of Kevin Hartman, you'd have to think he feels as though there's a strong base to build from.
Josh Wolff is no longer in the mix, but this team has other scorers waiting in the wings. Yura Movsisyan, a player that current U.S. national team head coach Bob Bradley coveted greatly going into last year's MLS SuperDraft, is only 19, yet he's going into his second season and needs to live up to the hype surrounding him last winter.
Of course, Eddie Johnson is the bigger question mark. In fact, he's the biggest question mark in the league. Onalfo knows Johnson well from their days together with the U.S. national team, which could play a huge role in the young striker's re-emergence after a quiet 2006. If he doesn't get the best out of Johnson, it could be another long season for the Wizards.
Landon being Landon. Landon Donovan is now married. He turns 25 before the season begins. And he is entering his seventh season in Major League Soccer. In other words, he is no longer a young star who is just trying to find his way and cope with so much pressure and fame.
After a less-than-stellar World Cup, Donovan was the first to take it on the chin. He's also said during this offseason that he's looking forward to this coming season as much as any one in the past. You get the feeling that, even after scoring 12 goals in only 24 games in 2006, he is searching for some sort of redemption. And with a new running mate in Nate Jaqua and his old buddy, Joe Cannon, in the mix, I wouldn't bet against him winning the MVP in 2007.
More Frankie Hejduk. It's OK to admit that you miss Hejduk. There's something about that awkward expression on his face as he jogs back down the field after making yet another 40-yard run up the right flank, knowing he could probably play in a 190-minute game, never mind just 90 minutes. There's something about watching him shank three consecutive balls into the stands behind the net, knowing full well that his next ball could be the one to win the game.
Sigi Schmid knows all about injury woes and playing without a full deck after the season he had in Columbus last season. But of all the injuries the team endured, it was the one to Hejduk that had to hurt the most, when you consider how many teams switch up their wide midfielders to deal with his runs out of the back and incredible fitness and pace. And as much as Hejduk enjoys the laid back/SoCal personality that he has helped cultivate during his career, there aren't many better players in the league to emulate when it comes to taking care of yourself and coming to play every day.
All of those young players that Schmid has stockpiled in Columbus should take notice now that he's healthy and back in the fray.
The next no-name import. Everyone loves when a Youri Djorkaeff is signed by the league. And there will be probably four or five players with a similar track record joining MLS by the end of the next few transfer windows. However, the players I am looking forward to seeing in 2007 are the little-known gems picked up due to great scouting, a la Christian Gomez. Considering that so many of the coaching staffs have taken trips to South and Central American this past month, it'll be exciting to see which teams will come up with the biggest catches in 2007.
After trading both Freddy Adu and Alecko Eskandarian, and considering their track record in this department, my money is on D.C. United to triumph in this category.
Marc Connolly is the managing editor of ussoccerplayers.com and regularly writes for MLSnet.com. Marc can be reached at marc@oakwoodsoccer.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs
