2013 MLS Season Gets Underway: 5 Contenders for the MLS Cup
Nicholas Spiller
It feels like just yesterday that the MLS Cup Final gave David Beckham his grand farewell as a champion with the Los Angeles Galaxy, but soccer is back in action in America as most teams kicked off their 2013 seasons last weekend.
With the MLS Playoffs still a long summer and fall away, there will be much time for games and movement within the standings as teams compete for those crucial playoff spots and seeds. Here are five of the likely contenders who will be most likely to hoist the MLS Cup at the end of this season:
1. New York Red Bulls - Star power does not necessarily win anyone a trophy, but the Red Bulls certainly have more than their fair share of superstars with Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill, two veterans of the English Premier League who still have quite a lot left in the tank.
The ability of Henry to score brilliant goals out of nothing gives the Red Bulls a chance in every single game that they play. Similarly, Tim Cahill brings a hard working effort to the midfield. Having played sparingly last season with the transfer, Cahill and Henry will now have a full season together to make magic and could definitely be in the MLS Cup Final at the end of the season.
2. Los Angeles Galaxy - With Beckham gone and Landon Donovan MIA while pondering retirement, is all hope now lost for the current champions of the MLS? Not quite. Midfielder Mike Magee put the team on his back and earned a hat trick in the opening game against the Chicago Fire. Magee has found a knack of scoring important goals as he led the Galaxy with 6 goals in the MLS Playoff run of last year.
Continuing his form into the current season, Magee will be a vital part of the team until Donovan decides to return, which is expected to be at the end of this month. The Galaxy also has a star striker in Irishman Robbie Keane, and a brilliant young defender in Omar Gonzalez, who may one day become first choice center back for the United States National Team. A third strait MLS Cup would be enormous, but the Galaxy has the talent to get there yet again.
3. D.C. United - There is a lot of young talent simmering at the American capital. It all starts at the back with goalkeeper Bill Hamid. Just 22 years old, he has all the talents that make him a potential successor to Tim Howard. He has already entrenched himself as the starter at D.C. United and even earned a national team call-up last year. Although very young, he has huge talent and could lead D.C. United by keeping them in any game.
Another exciting young player for the team is Nick DeLeon, who was the runner up to MLS Rookie of the Year last season. He scored a dramatic late-game winner to defeat the Red Bulls in the playoffs last year, and he has shown great ability to take on defenders and make plays, a vital recipe for success in soccer.
Chris Pontius helps the attack and has been scoring more and more goals each year of his relatively young career. Such youth requires veteran leadership to succeed and they have that in Dwayne De Rosario, a two time MLS Cup Champion. At the twilight of his career, the Canadian playmaker creates chances and can help direct the youthful squad.
4. San Jose Earthquakes - With the reigning MLS MVP and leading goal-scorer Chris Wondolowski, the Earthquakes are basically hoping to out-score everyone else in the MLS. They also have several other scoring options in Alan Gordon and Steven Lenhart, both of whom could reach double-digit goal figures this year.
The Earthquakes led the entire league in points last year, but then fell in the playoffs to the Galaxy. The Earthquakes need to step it up in big games, because contrary to most soccer leagues, the points standings at the end of the season does not decide the title in the MLS.The playoffs do, and the Earthquakes will need to be a stronger team if they will survive whenever Wondolowksi and co. go through a dry spell.
5. Houston Dynamo - Few teams have felt the pain of losing in successive MLS Cup Finals to the same team two years in a row. What can the Dynamo do to get back to their winning ways? They should probably just do more of the same. Having won the MLS Cup in both 2006 and 2007, they still have several veterans with championship winning experience like Brad Davis and Brian Ching, who will serve as a player coach this season.
Exciting players like Ricardo Clark and Will Bruin make this team a contender though.Clark was brought on towards the end of last season after playing abroad for several years. A dedicated playmaker, he will excite the fans. Young striker Will Bruin is just 23 but is a star in the making. He scored 15 goals last season and will surely hope to build upon that success this season. With great balance, the Houston Dynamo could very well reach yet another MLS Cup Final, and perhaps actually win it this year.
So who looks most favorable to lift the MLS Cup in 2013? I predict that the New York Red Bulls will be the talk of American soccer after Thierry Henry gets hot for the playoffs. He is simply too talented, and with Tim Cahill in full swing, Henry should have the support necessary to earn a championship in America. It will be a great summer of soccer in 2013 and will surely provide quite the entertainment!
© Nicholas Spiller & Soccerphile.com
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