>By Evan Ream, with help from the Intern
Last Year: N/A
Key Losses: N/A
Key Additions: Joe Cannon, Alain Rochat, Jay DeMerit, Atiba Harris, John Thorrington, Michael Nanchoff, Omar Salgado, Eric Hassli
Projected Starting XI: Many of these projected starting players are untested in MLS and thus Vancouver is somewhat of an unknown side. Up top, Atiba Harris has been a fringe starter everywhere that he has gone as a utility man; Vancouver will count on him to score goals, not something he is exactly known for. Their newly signed designated player Eric Hassli scored quite a few goals in the Swiss First Division, but the level of competition there isn’t what it is in other parts of Europe. Vancouver are counting on him to make the same impact as Alvaro Saborio, another player with Swiss First Division experience. Other than John Thorrington, the entire midfield is completely untested. Blake Wagner had a decent stint with FC Dallas a few years back and he will join Wes Knight and Terry Dunfield as players trying to prove they can play at this level. The backline is led by team captain Jay DeMerit, an EPL and USMNT veteran. DeMerit was one of the best signings any team made of the offseason and should solidify a decent backline. He will be partnered by former USL super defender Greg Janicki who was solid but unspectacular for DC United a few years back. Alain Rochat, also a former Swiss First Division player will be the team’s starting right back while former Kansas City Wizards player Jonathan Leathers will look to play right back. In goal two time Goalkeeper of the Year Joe Cannon should be the starter, but there are rumblings around camp that Jay Nolly could take the starting spot if Cannon, 36, starts showing his age.
Prognosis: I don’t really know what is going on with this team. They have signed some decent players in Jay DeMerit, 
Joe Cannon, and John Thorrington, but they have just 20 players overall signed, one of which (Omar Salgado) can’t begin playing until he turns 18 in September due to FIFA laws. Not only is this team extremely light on depth, but they just don’t seem to have signed very many quality players as well. Vancouver may have the worst midfield in the entire league with only one above average player. I think this team could very well be headed to a last place finish, especially if Eric Hassli doesn’t pan out. They could possibly win some games based on the strength of their backline, but I expect Vancouver to struggle like Toronto did in their first season.
The Intern’s Take: Although the quality of the teams likely won’t be as great as those in tomorrow’s opener between the Sounders and the Galaxy, the opening game for the Whitecaps against Canadian rival Toronto FC should be a fun game. There will be a lot of emotion tied up in that matchup, both because of it being Vancouver’s first game in MLS, and both teams will be playing for Canadian bragging rights. As far as the actual team goes, Vancouver just do not seem to have the talent and experience needed to have a strong year, which is alright at this point. Just getting adjusted to MLS and improving the team are reasonable goals for the Whitecaps and there really isn’t anywhere for them to go besides up. They have a veteran leader in the back in Jay DeMerit, but he was without a club for several months after the World Cup has not played competitively since the USA-Ghana game, nearly nine months ago. The Whitecaps have some decent players, but they do not seem to have done as much during the offseason as this year’s other expansion team, the Portland Timbers, and Vancouver will likely struggle as they try to find a style of play and develop their on-field chemistry. The signing of Eric Hassli is a good one because Vancouver do not seem to be pinning their hopes on him, which should allow him time to adjust to MLS without having unrealistic expectations and pressure placed upon him. The forward duo of Hassli and Atiba Harris should be interesting and will need to score often if Vancouver are to finish above the bottom four or five spots at the conclusion of the season.
Darlington Nagbe. John Spencer should look to make his left side the same as the 2008 Maryland side with Jeremy Hall playing left mid and Rodney Wallace at left back. The combination of those two will be key to the Timers success this year. In the middle, Peter Lowry should accompany the newly acquired team captain Jack Jewsbury. Sal Zizzo looks to be the front-runner at right mid. The rest of the backline should be made up by David Horst, Eric Brunner (two reserves on top 5 MLS teams last year), and converted center back Steve Purdy. In goal, Troy Perkins looks to be the clear starter. 
Kenny Cooper’s return to MLS after a rather unspectacular few years in Europe, and hopefully he will make a strong rebound and score plenty of goals. By expansion team standards, I think that this team is lined up to have a very good year and although I do not think they will make the playoffs, they should have a very respectable season. The one aspect of this team that I am most eagerly anticipating however is what they will bring to MLS off the field. The Portland fans, especially the Timbers Army have shown they have plenty of passion for their team and they will bring that in full force to the league. The games against Seattle and Vancouver should all have incredible atmospheres (hopefully similar to or even more spectacular than 
Landon Donovan could see some time up top as well. Donovan will probably be preferred at left midfield where he can see more of the ball and make better use of his speed. On the opposite flank, David Beckham is the clear starter. In the middle Juninho will likely start alongside Chris Birchall. Juninho will likely be slightly more of an attacking player than Birchall, but not necessarily that much higher up on the field. Juninho is a linking player who plays further back than people think while Birchall is just a prototypical destroyer. This year’s Galaxy backline looks to be one of the strongest in the league: perhaps only second to Real Salt Lake. Todd Dunivant should be the starter at left back; Gregg Berhalter should play next to him, though it is unclear how well he will hold up during the entire season. Leonardo should get a good amount of starts in place of Berhalter. Omar Gonzalez is one of the best defenders in the league and he is a clear starter here as well. Sean Franklin, an underrated player in my eyes, will be a lock at right back. Frankie Hejduk should be able to come off the bench late in games to preserve leads or be a solid back-up to Dunivant and Franklin. In goal, Donovan Ricketts will be the starter for the third year in a row. 
Angel stays healthy (and Chad Barrett actually decides to play soccer), this team could be one of the best offensive teams in league history. One thing that I have learned to do over the years is never to doubt David Beckham. He has overcome so much, and I think even he knows that his MLS legacy will look a lot better if he wins a title in his last year. For that reason, and the quality of players and coaches the Galaxy have, I can’t see them finishing out of the top two. This team will make a good playoff run and should be considered one of the, if not the favorite for the title. 
Thierry Henry is obviously a lock to start despite having a disappointing season last year. He should partner Juan Agudelo, the player many are labeling as “the future” of US Soccer. This should be as dynamic as any partnership in MLS as both players are strong, fast, good in the air, and can use either foot. In the midfield, Jan Gunnar Solli, a new acquisition and experienced Norwegian player has been getting looks on the left side in preseason. Though he is somewhat of a question mark, look for him to start. In the middle, Joel Lindpere and Tony Tchani should form a solid partnership with Joel Lindpere being the slightly more attacking of the two. Dane Richards, one of the best players in the second half of last season, should start on the right side. The backline looks similar to last year, but Rafael Marquez should slide into his natural center back spot instead of Carlos Mendes. Roy Miller, a talented but error prone Costa Rican should start at left back with the impressive Tim Ream by his side. Though he is injured at the moment, Chris Albright, once healthy, should fill in at the right back spot. Lastly, Bouna Coundoul is the unquestioned starter in goal. Hans Backe may want to play a 4-5-1 in some games, if he does, look for Agudelo to take a seat on the bench with Mehdi Ballouchy coming in to play in an attacking midfield role. Luke Rodgers and Corey Hertzog should get some starts for this team while Agudelo is representing the USMNT at the Under-20 World Cup (and maybe even the CONCACAF Gold Cup as well). 
as if Juan Agudelo will be getting plenty of starts and have the opportunity to learn from the legendary Thierry Henry. Agudelo was probably the best player on the field for the Red Bulls in their loss to San Jose in the playoffs last year and he practically created Angel’s goal on his own (with some help from Bobby Convey’s defense). Ever since his off the bar finish against South Africa, USMNT fans have been salivating over the potential he has and this will be their first real chance to see him play substantial minutes for a full season. One of the most important players on this team will be Joel Lindpere, who finished last season with three goals and led the Red Bulls in assists with six while only missing one game the entire season. He was the also the one that assisted Henry’s first ever goal with New York after making a great move to get past his defender and finding Henry in the box during the New York Challenge last summer. Unless New York have some major catastrophe this season, there is no reason they should not clinch the first seed in the Eastern Conference. This team’s starting eleven looks to be one of the strongest this year, but their depth is questionable and if injuries/suspensions occur with any regularity, New York may find that the drop off in talent between their starters and their bench could be quite a problem in their quest for the Supporter’s Shield. 
David Ferreira may be listed as a forward by some, or a midfielder by others, but he really doesn’t have a position. Ferreira, last year’s league MVP, has the license to roam. He drifts in and out, here and there, gathering the ball deep and distributing it, or creating goals up top. So many teams can’t guard him because he is moving so often off of the ball. Ferreira creates most of their goals, usually from different positions, and he is always the key to the Dallas’ team attack. Milton Rodriguez is a classic target forward who seems to be a somewhat limited player. Rodriguez hasn’t really impressed me, but the team was still successful last year without him making major contributions, so they should be alright without relying on him this year. 
Loyd may be as good as Heath Pearce, and Eric Alexander is a promising young midfield player, but Daniel Hernandez turns 35 this season, and they lost Jeff Cunningham’s off the bench spark as well as Atiba Harris’ versatility. Many young players need to contribute this year. If Kevin Hartman has the same sort of season he did last year, I can see them matching their success, but it just seems like they have lost too much depth and didn’t really try to replace it with anything. They still have their core of players, but losing Dax McCarty will cost them ultimately. I see this team being a lower playoff seed that can upset teams, but due to a lack of depth will not be able to find the consistency they had last year. 
Fredy Montero were last year, LA completely shut them down in the playoffs by stifling Steve Zakuani and Sanna Nyassi and thus limiting the service to their forwards. Nyassi is gone now, which paves the way for Alvaro Fernandez, who is a better player, but arrived midseason and took a while to adjust to the league to start. Fernandez isn’t as explosive or speedy as Nyassi was, but he is a much smarter player who should be more useful to the Sounders. Centrally, Nathan Sturgis is gone, but Brad Evans returns from injury. Evans is more of an attacking player than Sturgis, which will force Alonso to play more defensively, but they shouldn’t lose anything from this pairing. As far as the back line goes, Seattle gets a huge boost by getting 2009 MLS Defender of the Year finalist Jhon Kennedy Hurtado back from his ACL injury. Hurtado should replace Patrick Ianni, another competent defender, in the starting lineup. Seattle’s outside backs, Leo Gonzalez and James Riley can be suspect defensively, but they are one of the best pair at attacking in the league, something Seattle looks for. Forty-one-year-old Kasey Keller returns as the starting keeper for his final season as a pro. Keller made a few mistakes last year, but was overall solid and definitely not a weak point for this team. Nearly all of Seattle’s difference makers off the bench are forwards with Nate Jaqua and Roger Levesque being the two most used. Michael Fucito is also a capable replacement, but none of these players should be relied on. New signing Eric Friberg is somewhat of an unknown, but he has a solid resume playing in Sweden, a league comparable to MLS. 
Nkufo, Nyassi, and Zakuani was one of the most entertaining groups to watch play together last year, and that they were able to support Montero very effectively. Nyassi’s speed will be missed definitely be missed by Seattle this year. That being said, I am excited to see more of Fernandez this year and how he will fit in, especially offensively. I expect Seattle to continue their two-year tradition of improving upon the previous season’s record and that they will once again be playing in the post season. The team also has a great (and very realistic) chance to win the Open Cup for the third year straight, a feat that has not been accomplished since the 1960s. 
Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Casey/Cummings combined for 27 goals last year, the most out of any partnership. They were also the only partnership to have both players hit for at least 10 goals. With 34 games this season, I could see them getting 35 goals together. Their midfield projects to be the same that won them the Cup last year with one change. I think that Jamie Smith will be relegated to the bench for Sanna Nyassi. Obviously, Colorado still thinks Smith can play, but with a loaded schedule this year, they would like to have three to four players who can play these positions. Brian Mullen, though getting up there in years, should be the other outside midfield starter. The things in the center of the field are much clearer cut. Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz form one of the best central midfield duos in the league, and their starting places are under no circumstances up for grabs. Their backline is also unchanged with Anthony Wallace, Marvell Wynne, Drew Moor, and Kosuke Kimura leading the way just as they did last year. In goal, the always good but not great Matt Pickens looks to again be the clear starter. 
Jeff Larentowicz in his “
Wondolowski. Bobby Convey was fifth in the league last year in assists with ten, and as we all know, Wondolowski won the Golden Boot with 18 goals, with quite a bit coming from this same right midfield position. Centrally, Andre Luiz was one of the best midfielders in 2009, but was injured most of last year and did not see much time. Sam Cronin was acquired midway through last year and performed admirably. Their backline should be much improved from last year assuming they can get a full year out of Ike Opara. Opara was the rookie sensation (and the teams second leading goal scorer) last year before suffering a season ending foot injury. If Opara was healthy all of last year, we might have been talking about him instead of Tim Ream as the next USA center back. Opara should team with Jason Hernandez, one of the most underrated players in MLS. Team captain Ramiro Corrales looks to be the default starter at left back, though Bobby Convey can provide cover (and apparently a goalscoring threat) if needed. Tim Ward should take the other outside back spot. Jon Busch looks to be the starter in goal again. 
Ike Opara, who will likely take over for Brandon McDonald in the back and will provide much more of a scoring threat, adding more dimension to the San Jose attack, which is something they desperately need. The Earthquake midfield is filled with talent, however, and should be able to provide lots of support to the players up top. Bobby Convey, last season’s Comeback Player of the Year, will be looking to repeat the tremendous season he had and should provide plenty of assists from the midfield. Wondolowski scored over half of the team’s goals last season and the rest of the team will need to start scoring if the Quakes hope to make another playoff run. Forwards Johnson, Glen, and Geovanni only scored one goal each last year and Steven Lenhart has been brought in to strengthen the Quakes up top, which I think he will do. Lenhart scored six goals last year, an amount which would have been second highest with San Jose. With the service Bobby Convey can provide, I think Lenhart will be able to at least get six goals again which will relieve some of the scoring pressure off of Wondolowski and give the Quake’s attack more threats. 
eal Bunbury as well as Kei Kamara, who scored ten goals last year. Their midfield should be anchored by Stephane Auvray, who is a decent holding midfielder, but offers nothing going forward, which may not be a bad thing considering they have both Davy Arnaud and Ryan Smith to provide service out of the midfield. Their defense is somewhat confusing to me. Both of their outside backs, Espinoza and Sassano are converted midfielders that aren’t that great defensively. Shavar Thomas is a decent center back, but nothing more; almost every team that has ever employed him has released him. Matt Besler is a decent player, but nothing special. Jimmy Nielson is a solid keeper who many thought should have been on the shortlist for Goalkeeper of the Year last year. All in all, Peter Vermes (
Omar Bravo and Kei Kamara. Teal Bunbury should be especially determined this season as he hopes to play himself onto this summer’s Gold Cup roster. How Omar Bravo transitions into the league will be very crucial to Kansas City’s season, and KC fans will be hoping he does better than the last Mexican forward DP, Nery Castillo, who made eight appearances for Chicago last year and did never scored for the Fire.
