Tag Archives: Preseason

2016 Review As a team coming off a third place finish in 2015, Vancouver was expected to compete for the top of the Western Conference in 2016 but instead finished third from bottom. Their Expected Goal differential was worst in the league, indicating that the year could’ve been even more miserable. The team lacked a reliable forward and went long …

The fantasy game is back and one of the most talked about topics is not new players but the new unlimited transfers rule. MLS’s own Ben Baer stops by to chat with us about the 2017 rule changes to the fantasy game and shares some special news about the MLS Fantasy Insider Podcast. After the interview, Reid, Jason, Mike, and …

2016 Review D.C. United’s 2015 campaign came to an end with a playoff defeat to their bitter rival Red Bulls. This season it was a round earlier, and at home to a Montreal team that was not heavily favored. This similar result brought out the question of whether the team has “peaked out”? I say no, despite the frustrations of …

2016 Review Los Angeles came into the season expecting to be MLS Cup contenders. However, something was off for the normal powerhouse. The Galaxy finished 3rd in the Western Conference despite the late addition of Landon Donovan.  LA was eliminated by the Colorado Rapids in the conference semifinals. Transaction Watch The biggest transaction was not a player, but the coach. …

2016 Review The Colorado Rapids finished their 2016 campaign with a 15-6-13 record and finishing 2nd in the west with a 3-1 loss on aggregate to Seattle. Going from last in the west in 2015 to 2nd in 2016, Colorado improved in every facet of the game. The two noticeable transactions the Rapids made in 2016 were the acquisition of …

2016 Review The Montreal Impact were a mixed bag in 2016.  They showed promise all season, but struggled to put it all together until the very end. A fifth place Eastern Conference finish was not promising, but a road win against DC sparked the playoffs.  A series win against conference leader New York Red Bulls, set up a derby showdown …

2016 Review Missed chances was the theme for San Jose in 2016. With an Expected Goals total of an acceptable 43.51, they managed to put away only 32 tallies. That was worst in the league by six. With a defense-first approach, they were able to tie for second-fewest goals conceded with 38. The insistence on conservative, blue-collar soccer leads to …

2016 Review Orlando came into the season with playoff expectations, only to see it fall apart. They fired long-time head coach, Adrian Heath, and hired Jason Kreis. The change didn’t help significantly as Kaka continued to struggle with injuries while the defense gave up 60 goals. Orlando finished 7th in the East, and looked a solid step behind the playoff …

2016 Review The 2016 was a bit of a disappointment for Sporting Kansas City. It was the second straight year with a road playoff game and a first round exit. There is a definite sour taste in the mouths of many fans. Transaction Watch Jacob, the Answer, Peterson’s departure for Atlanta was no surprise to fans that followed him. Peterson …

New York City FC 2016 Review   New York City FC has only played two full seasons in the MLS, but they are already one of the best teams in the league. The club had a disastrous first year that saw them finish in 17th place in the league. A few key additions and a managerial change helped and NYCFC finsihed with …