Tag Archives: Preseason

Western Conference 2023 Preseason Preview Part 1 LAFC 2022 Takeaways Bale arrived to win a trophy and swiftly retire. Chicho Aarango scored more goals than anyone in MLS except Mukhtar. Crepeau posted a stellar first season behind a backline that changed more often than Montreal and Chicago changed their crests. Hollingshead scored goals and Bouanga joined in the summer and …

Previous Year Recap Sporting KC was largely disappointed in 2021 with a 3rd place finish in the Western Conference and another early exit from the MLS Cup Playoffs. Injuries and an inability to score at key times created some difficulty down the stretch for the MLS Cup hopefuls. Despite the prolonged absence of DP Alan Pulido, SKC had a lot …

Previous Year Recap The Black and Red entered 2021 with a new manager and a stated commitment to playing a more attacking style of football. After beginning the campaign with a heap of injuries at key positions and questions about the squad’s overall fitness, Hernán Losada’s “Maximum Overdrive” system finally found its footing in the summer. United were solidly in …

Previous Year Recap If you’re a returning MLS Fantasy player or someone who is already familiar with Major League Soccer, then you already know what I’m about to say and can just skip ahead to the next section. For everyone else, don’t worry, this will be quick. For the past three years, FC Cincinnati has been the worst team in …

Previous Year Recap Last season was far from great for Chicago Fire FC. The club’s massive rebranding and ‘return to relevance’  campaign that began in 2020 was still pretty much stuck in second gear by the end of 2021. The Fire never got within sniffing distance of the playoffs and finished down near the bottom of the Eastern Conference table. …

Previous Year Recap Last season the Los Angeles Galaxy were a playoff team until they weren’t, missing out on a playoff spot due to goal difference on the final day of the season. The team grew Chicharito dependent and struggled when he was off the field due to injury. When he was on the field, Chicharito had one of the …

Previous Year Recap The Colorado Rapids were one of the biggest surprises in MLS last season. They finished top of the Western Conference behind consistent play, a next man up mentality, defense, and set pieces. A crazy Decision Day that saw them score five goals against LAFC got them the Thanksgiving Day match at home. They lost that game at …

Previous Year Recap Last season was as paradoxical as it can get – highest expected goal value in league history, yet missed the playoffs on a supremely disappointing final day. Plenty has been written, and hedged, about LAFC as the most mercurial preseason team to predict, but here’s what will be written come October: this is a remarkably similar iteration …

Previous Year Recap The more things change, the more they stay the same.  Valeri is gone, Blanco is back although at what fitness level? The back four are the same as last year (except both starting CBs had sports hernia surgery in early February).  The midfield is crowded: Great things are expected from Santiago Moreno and Diego Chara is still …

Previous Year Recap In the games Jara didn’t start, FC Dallas had 7 wins, 7 losses, and 8 draws. They scored 1.63 goals per game in those matches which was a season pace good for fifth in the league. At that clip, you would have thought they were a playoff team assuming the defense was up to their typical standard. …