Sportsnet.ca looks ahead to the 2013 Major League Soccer season by previewing the Western Conference.
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
2012: First in West (19-6-9, 66 points), lost conference semifinals to Los Angeles
Additions: D Dan Gargan (re-entry), D Ty Harden (re-entry), D Bryan Jordan (re-entry), F Mike Fucito (trade, Portland), D Peter McGlynn (Supplemental Draft), D Nana Attakora (transfer, FC Haka (Finland.))
Departures: D Tim Ward, D/M Joey Gjertsen, M Khari Stephenson, D Ike Opara.
First Game: March 3 vs. Real Salt Lake.
Outlook: The Earthquakes were among the favourites to win the 2012 MLS Cup after a stellar league campaign but fell short in the playoffs to the eventual champions, Los Angeles Galaxy. None of San Jose’s off-season additions appear to be obvious difference makers, but the ‘Quakes should be right in the mix for top spot again. Up front, Steven Lenhart is one of the league’s peskiest forwards to play against, and while Chris Wondolowski might be hard-pressed to match his prodigious offensive output from 2012, he’ll bag his fair share of goals. The Earthquakes lost just one game at home during 2012, and a repeat of that form at tiny Buck Shaw Stadium will keep them primed for another Supporters Shield. But San Jose has some playoff demons to exorcize – simply getting to the post-season will not be considered a success for this talented squad.
REAL SALT LAKE
2012: Second in West (17-11-6, 57 points), lost conference semifinals to Seattle
Additions: M Cole Grossman (waiver draft), M Aaron Maund (trade, Toronto FC), M Lovel Palmer (re-entry), F Robbie Findley (rights traded from Portland), M John Stertzer (draft), F Joao Plata (trade, Toronto FC), F Devon Sandoval (draft), F Olmes García (transfer, Deportivo Quindío (Columbia)), GK Josh Saunders (free transfer), M Khari Stephenson (free transfer).
Departures: M Nico Muñiz, GK Kyle Reynish, M Jonny Steele, F Paulo Jr., F Emiliano Bonfigli, F Justin Braun, D Jámison Olave, F Fabián Espíndola, M Will Johnson.
First Game: March 3 vs. San Jose.
Outlook: Real Salt Lake decided to go a different direction after their disappointing playoff exit last season, dealing core players Jamison Olave and Fabian Espindola to New York. With Espindola gone, the club brought Robbie Findley back from England, and added the diminutive Joao Plata, who looks to revitalize a career gone off-track following a breakout 2011 campaign with Toronto FC. With one of the league’s more solid tactical coaches in Jason Kreis, Salt Lake is poised for another playoff appearance in 2013, assuming the new pieces can integrate into Kreis’ system.
SEATTLE SOUNDERS FC
2012: Third in West (15-8-11, 56 points), lost conference final to Los Angeles
Additions: D DeAndre Yedlin (homegrown), F Eriq Zavaleta (draft), M Lamar Neagle (trade, Montreal), M Shalrie Joseph (trade, Chivas USA), D Dylan Remick (draft), D Djimi Traoré (free).
Departures: GK Andrew Weber, F O’Brian White, D/M Mike Seamon, D Jeff Parke, F Fredy Montero.
First game: March 2 vs. Montreal.
Outlook: Seattle has established itself as a perennial contender in MLS and has been knocking on the door of a title since entering the league. Expect nothing different this year. The Sounders had a fairly quiet off-season, but have the pieces in place to be right up there again – the question is whether they’ve done enough to put them over the top. Seattle’s biggest off-season loss was Freddy Montero, who was one of the league’s more dynamic and effective attacking players. But in his place, the club looks to have added Obafemi Martins from Spanish side Levante, adding to a still-impressive group of attackers in Seattle. With the largest home crowds in MLS and a good organizational structure, expect Seattle to be on the fringes of the Supporters’ Shield race; but as with San Jose, anything short of lifting the MLS Cup will mark a massive disappointment for the club’s supporters.
LOS ANGELES GALAXY
2012: Fourth in West (16-12-6, 54 points), beat Houston in MLS Cup final
Additions: D Oscar Sorto (homegrown), M Colin Clark (re-entry), F Gyasi Zardes (homegrown), GK Carlo Cudicini (free).
Departures: D Andrew Boyens, D Bryan Jordan, M Kyle Nakazawa, F Pat Noonan, F Chad Barrett, M Christian Wilhelmsson, M David Beckham, F Edson Buddle, GK Josh Saunders.
First game: March 3 vs. Chicago.
Outlook: There are certainly some question marks for the back-to-back champions heading in to 2013. David Beckham, a valuable part of the Galaxy’s on-field success, is gone to Paris St. Germain; Landon Donovan seems to be mulling his options and it remains to be seen when, or if, he’ll rejoin the club. Still, the Galaxy maintain a good core group, starting with central defender Omar Gonzalez, midfielders Juninho and Mike Magee, and forward Robbie Keane, who scored goals at will last season. Donovan would certainly bolster the club’s attack. And don’t’ be surprised if the Galaxy pull off a major player acquisition during the summer transfer window, as well. A drop in form from the Galaxy in 2013 is not an unreasonable expectation, but given the club’s playoff success over the past two years, it’s foolish to count them out of contention for the MLS Cup.
VANCOUVER WHITECAPS
2012: Fifth in West (11-13-10, 43 points), lost wildcard playoff to Los Angeles
Additions: F Paulo Jr. (re-entry), D Brad Rusin (transfer, HB Køge (Denmark), F Kekuta Manneh (draft), M Erik Hutado (draft), F Corey Hertzog (free), F Tommy Heinemann (free), M Daigo Kobayashi (free), D Johnny Leverón (free), D/M Nigel Reo-Coker (first right of refusal from Portland), GK Simon Thomas (free).
Departures: GK Brian Sylvestre, M Tiago Ulisses, F Etienne Barbara, M Michael Nanchoff, M John Thorrington, M/F Atiba Harris, M Barry Robson, D Martín Bonjour, M Michael Nanchoff.
First game: March 2 vs. Toronto FC.
Outlook: 2012 was a tale of two seasons for the Whitecaps, who started out strong but struggled in the second half after a slew of midseason transactions. The ‘Caps look to have a deep squad and despite the turnover last year, have established some degree of roster continuity as they enter their third MLS season. At this point, however, it’s unclear how their off-season acquisitions will settle in to the squad. The additions of Premier League veteran Nigel Reo-Coker should fare well at this level, and Japanese midfielder Daigo Kobayashi provides another intriguing option for a well-rounded midfield group. Up front, the ‘Caps will rely on Darren Mattocks, who established himself as one of the best forwards in the league during his rookie campaign, to continue to improve and mature this season. Vancouver will also hope that Scottish striker Kenny Miller has more in the tank than he showed last season. The club should certainly be competitive for another playoff appearance in 2013.
FC DALLAS
2012: Sixth in West (9-13-12, 39 points), missed the playoffs
Additions: M Peter Luccin (free), D Stephen Keel (re-entry), F Pipico (transfer, Vasco da Gama (Brazil), F/M Bradlee Baladez (homegrown), D London Woodberry (homegrown), GK Raúl Fernández (free), D Walker Zimmerman (draft), F Eric Hassli (trade, Toronto), F Kenny Cooper (trade, New York) M Je-Vaughn Watson (trade, Houston), D Michel (free).
Departures: M Bryan Leyva, M Bruno Guarda, F Ruben Luna, F Matías Jara, GK Kevin Hartman, M Julian de Guzman, F Scott Sealy, D Moises Hernandez, M Ricardo Villar, M James Marcelin, M Brek Shea.
First game: March 2 vs. Colorado.
Outlook: After missing out on the playoffs by four points last season, FC Dallas looks determined to score their way into the post-season for 2013. Despite the recent transfer of American star Brek Shea to Stoke City of the English Premier League, bagging goals should not be a problem for the Hoops — the club’s forward duo of Kenny Cooper and Blaz Perez, with Eric Hassli offering a change of pace, should give defences around the league nightmares. Dallas is also hoping that veteran Brazilian defender Michel, most recently with Aris of Greece, will add a steadying presence to their backline, and that highly touted draft pick Walker Zimmerman is able to live up to the hype coming out of the NCAA. Expect Dallas to surprise some people and be among the top teams in the West.
COLORADO RAPIDS
2012: Seventh in West (11-19-4, 37 points), missed the playoffs
Additions: M/F Atiba Harris (trade, Vancouver), F Edson Buddle (trade, LA Galaxy), M Nathan Sturgis (trade, Houston), D Diego Calderón (transfer, LDU Quito (Ecuador)), F Kevin Harbottle (free), D DeShorn Brown (draft), M Dillon Powers (draft), M Dillon Serna (homegrown), M Nick LaBrocca (trade, Chivas USA), F Charles Eloundou (weighted lottery), GK Clint Irwin (free), D Korey Kindle (draft).
Departures: F Conor Casey, M Edu, GK Ian Joyce, D Tyrone Marshall, M Joseph Nane, D Scott Palguta, D Tyson Wahl, D Luis Zapata, D Hunter Freeman, F Omar Cummings, M Jeff Larentowicz, M Eric Avila.
First game: March 2 vs. FC Dallas.
Outlook: The Rapids’ roster has undergone a major overhaul in the offseason. Gone are standouts Conor Casey, Omar Cummings and Jeff Larentowicz. In their place, Colorado brought in more players with lots of MLS experience: forward Edson Buddle, midfielders Atiba Harris and Nick LaBrocca. Other intriguing signings include Ecuadorean defender Diego Calderon and Chilean winger Kevin Harbottle. Whether the new group of players is actually better than last year’s squad seems like a bit of a toss-up. They’ll be competitive, but still seem to lack top-end talent. A playoff appearance will be a stretch for the club, as currently assembled.
PORTLAND TIMBERS
2012: Eighth in West (8-16-10, 34 points), missed the playoffs
Additions: D Michael Harrington (trade, Sporting KC), M Will Johnson (trade, RSL), F Ryan Johnson & GK Milos Kocic (trade, Toronto FC), D/M Mobi Fehr (weighted lottery), M Steven Evans (Homegrown), M Diego Valeri (loan, Lanús (Argentina), D Ryan Miller (transfer, Halmstads BK (Sweden)), D Dylan Tucker-Gangnes (SuperDraft), M Ben Zemanski (trade, Chivas USA) M Michael Nanchoff (Vancouver), D Mikaël Silvestre (first right of refusal from Seattle), M Franck Songo’o (waived), D Chris Taylor (waived).
Departures: M Freddie Braun, M Charles Renken, D Ian Hogg, D Kosuke Kimura, D Eric Brunner, M Lovel Palmer, D Steve Purdy, D Steve Smith, GK Joe Bendik, F Robbie Findley (rights), F Mike Fucito, F Kris Boyd, M Eric Alexander.
First game: March 3 vs. New York.
Outlook: Home to one of the most fervent fan bases in the league, Portland supporters deserve better than the Timbers’ horrendous 2012 season. The club has had a busy off-season and should be improved in 2013 – but just how much remains to be seen. Designated player Kris Boyd has been jettisoned and former Manchester United and Arsenal defender Mikael Silvestre has been brought in. Canadian midfielder Will Johnson and Argentine Diego Valeri should improve the Timbers’ production and service from the midfield. An injury to promising youngster Bright Dike hurts Portland up front, who will rely on the streaky Ryan Johnson and promising youngster Darlington Nagbe for offence. The Timbers have some good pieces in place, but in a tough Western Conference, they’ll be in for a battle to snag a playoff spot.
CHIVAS USA
2012: Ninth in West (7-18-9, 30 points), missed the playoffs
Additions: M Carlos Alvarez (draft), M Eric Avila (trade, Colorado), D Steve Purdy (free), D Carlos Borja (free); M Edgar Mejía, F Giovani Casillas, D Mario de Luna, D Joaquín Velázquez (loan, CD Guadalajara (Mexico)), D Wálter Vílchez (discovery)
Departures: F Juan Pablo Ángel, M Peter Vagenas, D Danny Califf, F Alejandro Moreno, M Nick LaBrocca, F Casey Townsend, M Ben Zemanski, D James Riley, M Paolo Cardozo, M Ryan Smith, D John Valencia, F Cesar Romero, M Shalrie Joseph.
First game: March 2 vs. Columbus.
Outlook: Since entering the league in 2005, Chivas has perpetually lived in the shadow of their fellow Angelenos, the Galaxy. Ownership has placed a renewed focus on players of Mexican and Latin American heritage this season in an attempt to rekindle a distinct identity. Chivas USA’s parent club, Chivas Guadalajara of the Mexican league, has loaned them four players and the American side’s improvement could be largely dependent on the quality of the loanees. Otherwise, they haven’t added a whole lot worth crowing about, though rookie attacking midfielder Carlos Alvarez should be an interesting player to keep an eye on. Chivas gave up the second-most goals in the league last season, so improving on that will be crucial to a turnaround; it doesn’t look particularly likely. Luckily for hardened Chivas supporters, new head coach Chelis is already proving to be one of the more interesting characters around the league and should keep things interesting in another potentially bleak season for the Goats.