Welcome to Starting XI, our Friday rundown of what to watch for this weekend in MLS and beyond. And don't forget to get your Spanish-language fix with FutbolMLS.com.
Our recommended listening for this weekend as per new media editor Nicholas Rosano is "Fame" by David Bowie, in honor of the 5-star arrival of Toronto FC's new Atomic Ant.
1. AND SO IT BEGINS: Doesn’t it feel nice to have a full slate of MLS games on Saturday again? OK, maybe we’re just desperate after two months away, but the busiest day of the preseason (so far) will feature seven MLS teams in five games, including a pair of intra-MLS clashes in the Desert Friendlies: San Jose vs. Vancouver (7 pm ET) and Portland vs. Houston (9 pm ET). Check back on MLSsoccer.com for stream information and full coverage. – NICHOLAS ROSANO
2. GOALS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA?: Preseason goals are, well, preseason goals. Finish, turn around and run back to your own half. But there was something about Whitecaps' young Designated Player Octavio Rivero's movement vs. the Revs on Wednesday. Something that indicates he'll be getting in on goal an awful lot in 2015 with Pedro Morales and friends feeding him. Look at the pause, lulling the defense to sleep. Then comes the burst, and we all know what happens next. Might Carl Robinson have found a way to compete, toe-to-toe, with the Western Conference big boys? – ANDREW WIEBE
3. SPEAKING OF...: The two best teams in 2014 were the Sounders and the Galaxy. This offseason these two teams have done little to change things -- there's no Rivero stealing headlines in either camp. Steven Gerrard's shirt is the biggest new star for LA, who will spend the first half of the season relying on the development of their Homegrowns. The Sounders have brought in a couple youngsters themselves, along with veteran right back Tyrone Mears, who is more solid than spectacular.
Does this mean that they are doomed? Of course not. But it does feel like the door's open for the chasing pack to begin catching up. – BEN BAER
4. IN MEMORIAM: The Red Bulls are one of those in the chasing pack, and their famously cynical fans have found a rather amusing way to deal with yet another offseason full of turnover. Goals from star arrival Sacha Kljestan surely help, but the South Ward will never forget the dearly departed... – MATT DOYLE
5. CAPITOL KIT CONCERNS: With their frugal approach to roster construction and relative absence of headline-grabbing superstars, D.C. United continue to fly under the MLS radar. But they're headed home from a Florida training camp to rub shoulders with their dearest fans this weekend, as the team's 2015 alternate kits are unveiled on Sunday. Sneak previews suggest these unis could have the most red on them since the good old days of Marco Etcheverry & Co. Might that be a precursor to an epic season ahead? – CHARLES BOEHM
6. FITNESS TEST, ANYONE?: Chile wasn't a good enough test for Klinsmann. Well, actually it wasn't a good test for his players fitness-wise, according to him. With a week and a half extra to work on that, surely the USMNT will improve against a Panama side made up of a few veterans and a decent crop of U-20 players. If not, then Klinsmann can always reach out to his Mexican counterpart, who has taken his advice and is now looking into football to raise his fitness level.
BTW, "Piojo" also gave Klinsmann some advice on our exclusive interview for Tiro Libre Radio. – DIEGO PINZÓN
7. CALLE EN CAMINO: Jason Kreis and NYCFC made their move on Friday, finally announcing the loan signing of former Colombian U20 international Javier Calle on loan. He's young (23), versatile and creative – all exciting buzzwords, but Kreis' record in plucking players from South America has been impressive, and we're very intrigued to see what he can bring the table after Rivero got the way-too-early Newcomer of the Year hype started.
That's a glimpse from his early days, so here's hoping we can see a little more as the preseason rolls along. – NICHOLAS ROSANO
8. TWEET OF THE WEEK: Cozmo throwing some serious shade at Bob Kraft and the Revs right after the Patriots won the Super Bowl:
9. GAGA FOR GIOVINCO: That was quite the arrival for Sebastian Giovinco, a bloody big one, in fact. While moments like these are a pretty neat measure of the league’s growth, Toronto FC fans who were around last winter know they don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things.
The Atomic Ant has Toronto FC’s heart now, but there’s only one way for him to keep it come this fall: Give the club their first-ever berth in the MLS Cup Playoffs. – SAM STEJSKAL
10. HIGH STAKES: There’s no time to be friendly for two MLSers on international duty this weekend. That’s because New England’s Diego Fagundez and new Chicago DP David Accam are both in line to pick up some silverware. Fagundez and Uruguay have a chance at the South American Under-20 title (not to mention an automatic berth in the 2016 Olympics) should they conquer rivals Argentina in their tournament finale on Saturday (7:10 pm ET, beIN Sports en Español). The following day, Accam and Ghana will face off against neighbors Cote d’Ivoire in the African Cup of Nations final (2 pm ET, beIN Sports). – NICHOLAS ROSANO
11. ACHTUNG, BABY: This is really one of the most amazing soccer videos I've ever seen. After Dortmund's latest flop in a season that's gone from "inexplicable" to "full-on Lovecraftian nightmare," captain Mats Hummels and long-serving 'keeper Roman Weidenfeller went over to the supporter's section to commisserate with understandably upset fans. – MATT DOYLE
Dortmund lose to stay bottom, Weidenfeller and Hummels discuss match with their furious fans. Amazing. https://t.co/iB5HUBVnqn
— Football Vines (@FootballVines) February 4, 2015
