Here’s one thing we can guarantee about the 2016 MLS season set to kick off Sunday: In 10 months, we’re going to look back in amazement at how rich – and in some cases how unlikely and unpredictable – all the storylines were.
As we enter Week 1, there is already plenty to whet our appetite about the season ahead:
Can the Atomic Ant Play Superhero Again?
No wonder FC Barcelona came sniffing in the offseason. Sebastian Giovinco’s superhuman effort in 2016 – No. 1 in goals (22) and assists (16) during a debut season culminating in the Landon Donovan MVP award – was the kind of showing that makes waves internationally.
With a year of MLS experience under his belt, will teams learn to contain him? Or perhaps it’s that he will know the league and his opponents so much better that he can find a way to top his 2015 haul? Either way, Toronto FC’s hopes of a return to the playoffs rest on his quick, creative feet.
These very same questions will also be asked of Kaka (Orlando City), Giovani Dos Santos (LA Galaxy) and the New York City FC trio of David Villa, Andrea Pirlo and Frank Lampard as they embark on their sophomore MLS campaigns.
LA Galaxy Reloaded
A team that already had Mexican star Dos Santos, Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane and English legend Steven Gerrard has found a way to add three more stars (helped by transferring two starters and using a share of the massive $37 million targeted allocation money investment made by MLS owners) to improve on the team’s very non-LA like 14-11-9 record from last year: Dutch World Cup veteran Nigel de Jong, Belgian international Jelle Van Damme and former England starting left back Ashley Cole.
If that doesn’t say “win now” then what does?
Bucking the Trend
Two more clubs in the win-now category – New York City FC and the Chicago Fire – needed new head coaches in 2016 … and both went overseas to find them, in the persons of former French international Patrick Vieira (to NYCFC) and reigning Under-20 World Cup champion with Serbia, Veljko Paunovic (to Chicago).
They’re two moves that fly in the face of history given the track record and the historically steep learning curve for coaches from overseas who work in MLS for the first time (although Paunovic played a season for the Philadelphia Union 2011).
The two happen to face off in Week 1 (Sunday, March 6 | 2 pm ET, MLS LIVE).
Good To Be Young
It's a boom time for Homegrown Players — players developed in MLS academy systems. There were a total of 17 more signed during this past offseason.
But the New York Red Bulls outdid everyone by giving seven of their own a first-team contract. There’s sure to be a new Matt Miazga, Gyasi Zardes or DeAndre Yedlin somewhere in that group.
Jordan Morris Takes MLS Bow
And here's the Homegrown everyone’s talking about. We really want to contain the enthusiasm, but deep down many are looking at 21-year-old Seattle Sounders academy product Jordan Morris and wondering whether we could be witnessing the emergence of a potential heir to Landon Donovan.
It's the kind of hyperbole that comes when you score against Mexico on your US senior national team debut ... as a college player. And the Sounders will need him to deliver on that promise in order to fill the shoes of star forward Obafemi Martins, who was transferred to China.
If it turns out Morris really is on track to emulate Donovan, he's off to a great start: Like the MLS legend, he turned his back on Europe (Werder Bremen in Germany) to fulfill his dream of playing for his hometown club.
In the Prime of their Careers
Do you see a theme developing?
Morris isn't the only up-and-coming prospect who chose MLS over other international leagues. Here's a short list of some of the other young internationals who want to be the next Fabian Castillo (FC Dallas & Colombia national team):
- 21-year-old Costa Rican national team left back Ronald Matarrita (NYCFC)
- 20-year-old Ecuadorean national teamer Carlos Gruezo (FC Dallas), who last played for Stuttgart
- 21-year-old ex-Boca Juniors attacker Luciano Acosta (D.C. United, pictured below)
- 21-year-old Argentine Lucas Ontivero (Montreal Impact), on loan from Turkish powers Galatasaray
- 24-year-old Danish international Emil Larsen (Columbus Crew SC)
- 19-year-old Manchester United product Jack Harrison (NYCFC), who went No. 1 in the SuperDraft
That doesn't mean the more established stars will stop coming to North America any time soon. The latest rumors have Yaya Toure, Fernando Torres, Radamel Falcao, Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all looking to make the move.
No Break in the Action
The next wave of star players in MLS like Morris, Darlington Nagbe (Portland Timbers) and Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution), will have plenty of opportunities to show off their skills in a jam-packed 2016 soccer calendar that already has July 28 circled: That's the date for the AT&T MLS All-Star Game against Arsenal.
There's the Copa America Centenario (June 3-June 26) for which MLS is taking a two-week break, the Olympics (USA faces Colombia at the end of March for a ticket to Rio in August) and FIFA World Cup Qualifying, where both the USA and Canada are in a good spot to make it to the final round (March, September and November).
But the real treat of the 2016 calendar comes in the final two weekends of the MLS season: In Week 33, Eastern and Western Conference matches will be played simultaneously. Then in the Decision Day Week 34 finale, all 10 matches will kick off at the same time, which is enough to guarantee a wild finish.
Building The Dream
MLS fans already know the kind of home-field advantage Toronto FC have at BMO Field in downtown Toronto. That edge will be even more pronounced in 2016 when they open the renovated BMO Field (rendering, below), where a new roof will make sure none of the raucous atmosphere escapes. In the meantime, TFC will have to play on the road for the first eight matches.
South of Toronto, we'll also be watching Orlando City's new stadium rise up in time for the 2017 season (you can actually watch the construction here) with an eye on potential news around D.C. United's new home, which is slated for 2018 (get all DC stadium updates here).
Expansion Chatter
They may not have arrived just yet, but expect to hear a lot more from the likes of Atlanta United FC, LAFC and Minnesota United FC as they prepare to enter MLS.
And the expansion talk doesn't stop there, as cities around the country make their case for an MLS team.
Keeping Track
So as you can see, there's a ton happening this year, and here's how to stay on top of it all:
