Prior to opening day, MLSsoccer.com polled the head coaches of each MLS club, who were provided with an anonymous survey featuring an array of questions that many fans have always wanted to ask about the upcoming season.
This week, we’ll tell you how they answered (13 of 19 managers completed the survey). In this installment, managers answer two questions about the US men's national team.
How far will the US national team advance at the 2014 World Cup?
A majority of MLS managers, it turns out, do not think very highly of the US' chances in Brazil. Seven of the 13 managers polled do not think they will escape the “Group of Death" with Germany, Ghana and Portugal, while three managers did pick the US to make it to the Round of 16 before bowing out.
Three other managers have some higher hopes: One manager picked them to make it to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, another expects them to reach the semifinals, and another picked the US to win the World Cup.
Who's the best American soccer player today?
Managers boiled down their picks for this category to just three players: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley and Tim Howard.
Donovan – who turned 32 years old on Tuesday and heads into this 14th MLS season this wekend – received six votes as the top American player. Bradley received four votes and Howard earned three.
Surprisingly, Seattle Sounders star and US captain Clint Dempsey did not collect a single vote from the MLS managers polled.
Do you agree with the managers? Let us know in the comments below.
