MLS Eastern Conference Preview Capsules
ATLANTA UNITED
Coach: Frank de Boer
2019 Record: 18-12-4, second in the East. Eliminated in conference final by Toronto.
Key Players: Forward Josef Martinez, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, forward Pity Martinez.
Lowdown: Josef Martinez, the 2018 MLS Golden Boot winner, followed up his MVP debut season with 27 goals last year, including a 15-match scoring streak. He makes Atlanta go, but he’s also got a tremendous supporting cast, including national team goalkeeper Brad Guzan. This may be the season that high-profile transfer Pity Martinez and 20-year-old Ezequiel Barco take the next step. If that happens, Atlanta’s attack will be hard to stop. United, the 2018 MLS Cup winners, won both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup last season.
CHICAGO FIRE
Coach: Raphael Wicky
2019 Record: 10-12-12, eighth in the East. Did not make the playoffs.
Key Players: Forward C.J. Sapong, midfielder Gaston Gimenez, midfielder Alvaro Medran.
Lowdown: The Chicago Fire underwent an extreme makeover in the offseason, thanks in part to the forward thinking of Joe Mansueto, who took over as majority owner. The team is moving back to Chicago and will play again at historic Solider Field. The Fire also got a total rebrand, with a new logo and colors. In addition to new coach Raphael Wicky, sporting director George Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer are also new. And the roster looks completely different. 2020 should be interesting.
FC CINCINNATI
Coach: Yoann Damet (Interim)
2019 Record: 6-22-6, 12th in the East. Did not make the playoffs.
Key Players: Forward Jurgen Locadia, midfielder Allan Cruz, forward Yuya Kubo.
Lowdown: Cincinnati’s start to 2020 has been tumultuous. Coach Ron Jans, hired last August to get the league’s worst team on the right track, resigned about two weeks before the season’s start after he was accused of using a racial slur while singing along to music playing in the team’s locker room. Jans apologized. He was replaced in the interim by Yoann Damet, who also was interim coach when Cincinnati let go of Alan Koch.
COLUMBUS CREW
Coach: Caleb Porter
2019 Record: 10-16-8, 10th in the East. Did not make the playoffs.
Key Players: Forward Gyasi Zardes, midfielder Darlington Nagbe, midfielder Lucas Zelarayan.
Lowdown: Between coach Caleb Porter, forward Fanendo Adi and midfielder Darlington Nagbe, the Crew are a bit of a reunion of the Timbers. Adi and Nagbe played for Porter in Portland. For Nagbe, it’s also a homecoming. He settled in Ohio as a child and played for Porter at Akron. An ACL injury essentially ended the career of fan favorite Federico Higuain, but the addition of Lucas Zelarayan should help fill that gap.
D.C. UNITED
Coach: Ben Olsen
2019 Record: 13-10-11, fifth in the East. Eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs by Toronto.
Key Players: Midfielder Edison Flores, goalkeeper Bill Hamid, midfielder Julian Gressel.
Lowdown: Wayne Rooney is gone, so is Luciano Acosta. Midfielder Paul Arriola has a torn ACL and could miss the season. But coach Ben Olsen doesn’t need to fret because of a what appears to be a solid and deep roster. United added attacking midfielder Edison Flores from Liga MX, acquired versatile midfielder/defender Julian Gressel from Atlanta, and took the “on loan” designator off goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Ola Kamara is a proven scorer up top.
INTER MIAMI
Coach: Diego Alonso
2019 Record: Expansion team for 2020.
Key Players: Midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro, midfielder Matias Pellegrini, forward Robbie Robinson.
Lowdown: All eyes are going to be on David Beckham’s team in its first season. Sporting director Paul McDonough has built a solid team under two-time CONCACAF Champions League winner Diego Alonso. Playmaking midfielder Rodolfo Pizarro is the centerpiece. The team’s designated player comes to MLS via Monterrey, which won the Liga MX Apertura and the CONCACAF Champions League titles last year. Alonso was Pizarro’s coach. Top draft pick Robbie Robinson out of Clemson could start after a strong preseason.
MONTREAL IMPACT
Coach: Thierry Henry
2019 Record: 12-17-5, ninth in the East. Did not make the playoffs.
Key Players: Midfielder Saphir Taider, forward Romell Quioto, midfielder Bojan Krkic.
Lowdown: Arsenal legend Thierry Henry is back in MLS, this time as a coach. Henry played for the New York Red Bulls from 2010-2014 before moving into coaching. He spent a season as head coach of Monaco in his native France. He’ll be challenged in Montreal. The Impact will be without star Nacho Piatti, who returned home to Argentine club San Lorenzo. Piatti spent six seasons with the Impact, scoring 78 goals. The team was also hurt when center back Rudy Camacho was hurt against Saprissa in the opening leg of CONCACAF Champions League play.
NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION
Coach: Bruce Arena
2019 Record: 11-11-12, seventh in the East. Eliminated in the opening round of the playoffs by Atlanta.
Key Players: Midfielder Carles Gill, forward Gustavo Bou, goalkeeper Matt Turner.
Lowdown: Under five-time MLS Cup winning coach Bruce Arena, the Revolution hope to improve on last season, when they went to the playoffs for the first time since 2015. Carles Gill had 10 goals and 14 assists last year in his debut MLS season and was named the league’s Newcomer of the Year. Goalkeeper Matt Turner’s play last season helped him earn call-ups for a pair of U.S. national team camps.
New York City FC
Coach: Ronny Deila
2019 Record: 18-6-10, first in the East. Eliminated in the conference semifinals by Toronto.
Key Players: Midfielder Maxi Moralez, forward Heber Araújo dos Santos, defender Gudmundur Thorarinsson.
Lowdown: Coach Ronny Delia, hired by NYCFC in the offseason after the team parted ways with Dome Torrent, saw success as coach of Celtic from 2014-16, leading the team to a pair of Scottish Premiership titles. It was one of the few changes NYCFC made in the offseason. The team returns much of its roster from last season, led by midfielder Maxi Moralez, who led the league in assists last season with 20. Brazilian center-forward Heber had 15 goals in just 22 appearances with the team last season.
NEW YORK RED BULLS
Coach: Chris Armas
2019 Record: 14-14-6, sixth in the East. Eliminated in the first round by the Philadelphia Union
Key Players: Midfielder Kaku, midfielder Daniel Royer, forward Brian White
Lowdown: It’s the end of an era with the departures of Luis Robles, Bradley Wright-Phillips and Kemar Lawrence. Forward Brian White spent part of last season with the Red Bulls II, but in his 16 games with the MLS side he had eight goals. He considered Wright-Phillips a mentor. Ryan Meara is tasked with replacing Robles in goal, while rookie Patrick Seagrist will have a daunting task at fullback in place of Lawrence, who went to play in Belgium.
ORLANDO CITY
Coach: Oscar Pareja
2019 Record: 9-15-10, 11th in the East. Did not make the playoffs.
Key Players: Forward Dom Dwyer, midfielder Nani, goalkeeper Pedro Gallese.
Lowdown: Coach Oscar Pareja returns to MLS after a short stint with Tijuana. Before that, Pareja was coach at FC Dallas, where he spent seven seasons as a player. He’s certainly got a challenge with the Lions. Nani, the former Manchester United star, had 12 goals in 30 matches with the team last season, but his production slowed in the latter half of the season. The addition of goalkeeper Pedro Gallese, who spent last season on loan to Alianza Lima in his native Peru, should boost the defense. Brazilian center back Antonio Carlos should help, too.
PHILADELPHIA UNION
Coach: Jim Curtin
2019 Record: 16-11-7, third in the East. Eliminated in the conference semifinal by Toronto.
Key Players: Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, forward Kacper Przybylko, forward Sergio Santos.
Lowdown: Brazilian Kacper Przybylko showed promise last season with 15 goals but was hampered by a foot injury. He is healthy heading into 2020 and the Union are hoping he develops consistency. Jamiro Monteiro’s tenure with the Union was made permanent and Alejandro Bedoya is reliable. They’ve been hit a bit with injuries during the preseason, and left back Kai Wagner will sit out the start of the season with a calf injury. The Union are deep once again, and should contend at the top of the table.
TORONTO FC
Coach: Greg Vanney
2019 Record: 13-10-11, fourth in the East. Lost to Seattle in the MLS Cup final.
Key Players: Forward Jozy Altidore, midfielder Michael Bradley, midfielder Pablo Piatti.
Lowdown: Michael Bradley is out until at least May because of offseason ankle surgery. His on-field leadership will be missed. But Jozy Altidore also provides veteran leadership, along with proven scoring prowess. He had 11 goals and seven assists in 22 games last season. Fellow vet Justin Morrow helps hold down the back line. Pablo Piatti, who played for more than a decade in La Liga, is a versatile newcomer.
