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 senior editor Matt Doyle is "Space" by Glitter Wizard.
1. FORMATION IS FALLACY: The much-discussed 3-5-2 provided the USMNT with some intriguing attacking play as well as a few rough defensive moments, but the decision to pull the plug on the experiment halfway through the game is the big talking point for me. It’s one thing when there are points on the line, but in the first friendly of the year why not give it a full 90 minutes and maybe gain a few more answers? We’ll see what Jurgen Klinsmann has in store for Panama a week from Sunday, but a cohesive, 90-minute game plan would be a reassuring sight. – NICHOLAS ROSANO
2. A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS: Michael Bradley was asked to do too much last year in Toronto. He was used as No. 6, a No. 8, and even a No. 10 at different points in the season. Tim Bezbatchenko and Greg Vanney seemed to have solved that issue this winter. First came Sebastian Giovinco, who is not a classic No. 10 but can do some playmaking. On Thursday the Reds signed Ligue 1 veteran Benoit Cheyrou, who should be able to sit in front of the backline and play as a traditional No. 6. Hopefully Bradley can shine playing in a box-to-box role in 2015 and show his full capabilities in MLS. – BEN BAER
3. TFC PART II: Toronto are playing the diplomatic card and letting Giovinco work out his plan for the next six months with current club Juventus, but wouldn’t it be great for the Reds if they could count on him from the start? There’s a whole lot to be said for the continuity generated by starting from the beginning of the season. Midseason DPs usually require an adjustment period after finishing a long European season, and having Giovinco ready to hit the ground running could make all the difference in TFC’s playoff push. – NICHOLAS ROSANO
4. ANOTHER MIGHTY MITE: Real Salt Lake’s preseason got off to a rough start on Sunday, when forward Joao Plata – who led the team with 13 goals in 2014 – went down with a broken fifth metatarsal in RSL’s first training session of the year. The tiny Ecuadorian will miss three to four months due to the injury, putting him out at least until the end of April. That’s a big hit for RSL, who will need Alvaro Saborio – himself injured for much of last year – and Sebastian Jaime – essentially invisible after signing a DP contract in August – to fill Plata’s big/little shoes. – SAM STEJSKAL
5. I LOVE LAMP: I spent my teen years retreating from real life by focusing on either soccer or fantasy/sci-fi of the Tolkien persuasion. It looks like Crew SC 'keeper Matt Lampson did the same. Matt, you have a standing invite to join the MLSsoccer.com San Francisco office's weekly dungeon crawl. (Garth Lagerwey's invited, too.) – MATT DOYLE
6. JUAN AGUDELO, SOCIAL DP:Juan Agudelo deserves DP money. Not for the number of goals he’ll score. Not because he’s the Revs' missing piece. And no, not for his locker-room presence (though he has that in spades). Juan Agudelo deserves DP money because he has the quality to be social media Best XI for the next five years. A typical day for Agudelo involves waking up in sheets patterned with his own face, bottle-feeding baby tigers and cameo appearances on Scare Tactics. He does all of this with with an unprecedented amount of swag (thus, Swagudelo). In conclusion, pay the man DP money because what happens on Vine is more important than the Supporters’ Shield. – MATT FOLGER
7. TWEET OF THE WEEK: Excellent use of meme. We all still miss noted soccer fan Robin Williams – One of us! One of us! – but it's sure nice to have Brek Shea back:
8. CANALEROS LOOKING FOR REVENGE?: Panama announced its 21-man roster for the friendly against the USMNT (Feb. 8 at Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif.), and head coach Hernan Dario Gomez called a strong roster with seven “foreigners,” including all three MLSers. Looking to take some revenge? Perhaps, especially if Jaime Penedo, Blas Perez and Gabriel Torres still have the World Cup that wasn't on their minds. Panama will be facing the USMNT for the first time since that painful 3-2 loss in October 2013 that trashed their dreams of Brazil. Thankfully for Los Canaleros, no Graham Zusi this time around. – KRISTEL VALENCIA
9. FRANK VS. AGUERO/CHELSEA: While MLS twitter lights up with outrage (followed quickly by gratuituous jokes) about New York City FC's reported supporters section rules, one of their players – come the summer, that is – is preparing to take part in what will be one of the biggest games of the European club season. Frank Lampard may not start against former club Chelsea on Saturday (12:30 pm ET, NBC), but here's what NYCFC fans have to look forward to in dead-ball situations once the Englishman arrives. – ANDREW WIEBE
10. PARLA ITALIANO?: New England Revolution confirmed Friday morning the re-signing of Juan Agudelo, but is another young Revs players headed the other way? If reports out of Italy are to be believed, Diego Fagúndez could trade the Rivoluzione for La Dea ("the Goddess"), with Atalanta inquiring about the Uruguayan starlet. Fagundez is currently with Uruguay's U-20 team in the final stage of the South American championship, which also serves as the 2016 Olympic qualifiers. – DIEGO PINZÓN
11. MLK NEXT: Did someone finally invent a better sport than soccer?
No. – MATT DOYLE
