Yes as the great Charlie Sheen once said…well, on second thought…we can’t really publish on this site what Charlie Sheen has said recently. But winning is everything in MLS and we can all agree on that. Love it or hate it, this is my take on how the table will stack up in 2011.
Eastern Conference:
- Houston Dynamo – Dominic Kinnear’s team will quietly get the job done in the spring and summer and hold off NYRB to win the Eastern Conference.
- New York Red Bulls – The Boys from Harrison will fall short of a Supporters’ Shield title, but will pickup silverware in 2011. With this team, there’s no way not to. Remember, the U.S. Open Cup gives a berth to the Champions League.
- Philadelphia Union – The DOOP song will be chanted by the Sons of Ben, all the way to the Playoffs. This prediction rests on the shoulders of Columbian GK Mondragon and the new look Philly backline. Sebastian Le Toux will be your MVP.
- Columbus Crew – In his third season as head coach, Coach Robert Warzycha will finally have the freedom to play his style of soccer. There will be growing pains, but the Crew make the playoffs for the fourth year in a row as a wild card.
- D.C. United – A much improved United side get to the cusp of the playoffs, possibly stealing a wild card spot from the Western Conference with their late season play.
- Sporting KC – A new stadium and a possible OchoCinco signing can’t overcome a 10 game road trip to start the season off. But they will make it close.
- Chicago Fire – I could see Carlos De Los Cobos leading the sack race and the Fire going down in, well, flames if they fall behind too quickly in the spring. But the young core of this team will improve as the year progresses and will finish ahead of the bottom feeders, giving hope for 2012 and beyond.
- Toronto FC – Aron Winter has preached patience all winter long and the TFC faithful will need to show their support again for their hometown club as there is a rebuilding. BUT I predict TFC will win MLS Cup 2013. Not kidding. I like this Winter guy.
- New England – Steve Nichol has a gut check year as the Revs finish last in the table. I personally would not care if this prediction backfired and we see Nichol hoist the MLS Cup. He’s a top three coach in this league and has a long leash in my opinion. Hold down The Fort, Stevie. Literally and figuratively.
Western Conference:
- Colorado Rapids – Ladies and Gentleman, your 2011 MLS Supporters’ Shield winner. Rapids go the way of the Crew in 2009, backing up an MLS Cup by winning the Shield the following year. The addition of Caleb Folan will provide a valuable safety net in case of an injury to Casey or Cummings up top.
- Real Salt Lake – Will end up empty handed. No Champions League, no Supporters Shield and no MLS Cup. A very solid season, a lot of points, even a few semis and finals appearances, but no silverware to prove it.
- LA Galaxy – Beckham ends his run in Los Angeles with another playoff berth and another appearance at MLS Cup. Let’s face it, he’ll be there as an ambassador or on the field, either way I’m right and you know it.
- Chivas USA – The additions of Jimmy Conrad and Zarek Valentin will solidify this once shaky backline and Tristan Bowen will become a household name amongst MLS fans. Robin Fraser will turn this ship around and dock into one of the wild card spots in the Western Conference bracket of the MLS playoffs.
- FC Dallas – This may be the most awkward pick of this entire article, but I just see FCD losing a step, but still making the playoffs as a wild card. Losing Cunningham, Harris, and McCarty to free agency and Shea to the backline, I just wonder if too much pressure will be placed on David Ferreira to do too much in the attack. This may come back to bite me.
- San Jose – Yallop and company fight to claim that last Wild Card spot from teams in the East. The addition of Stephen Lenhart to the attack will give Bobby Convey a second quality target aside from 2010 Golden Boot winner, Chris Wondolowski . As the backline goes, so goes this last Wild Card spot.
- Vancouver – Solid defense and a lot of 1-0 wins, keep this team alive in the playoff hunt. In reference to a new Seattle team from 2009, I also guarantee an Alonso, a Le Toux and a Levesque are out there in the Vancouver lineup waiting to be discovered by the rest of the league.
- Seattle – This team lacks the intestinal fortitude to drop the hammer and grind their way to victories when it counts. One thing’s for sure Sounders fans have the guts to chant for 90 minutes plus pre and post game, regardless of the score. Maybe the players should take notes. Don’t get me wrong, Sigi is a great coach and 8th in the West could have as many points as 5th in the East, but still, they will not make the playoffs in 2011.
- Portland – Last in the West is not as disappointing as it sounds, many a great team hail from the West in this league. An expansion, attacking team in this league will not post many shutouts, the lifeblood to a successful MLS League campaign. But my goodness, Darlington Nagbe will be a treat to watch this year.
MLS Final:
LA Galaxy over NY Red Bulls – While the Red Bulls will play in front of a sellout home crowd, David Beckham, love him or hate him, plays his best soccer when it counts. In his last game ever for the LA Galaxy, the man who changed the league forever, just by his willingness to sign with the league in his somewhat young age of 31, will go out on top and be the second LA man on stage to hoist the MLS Cup, once Captain America Landon Donovan gets his fill.
