Miami to make long-awaited debut
Major League Soccer will kick off its milestone 25th season on Saturday with eight games, including Nashville SC’s inaugural game against league powerhouse Atlanta United (8 p.m. ET on Fox) at Nissan Stadium.
Sunday’s slate includes a nationally televised tripleheader. The defending MLS Cup champion Seattle Sounders host Chicago Fire FC (3 p.m. ET on ESPN). David Beckham’s expansion team, Inter Miami, gets a baptism by fire against last season’s Supporters’ Shield winners, LAFC, in Los Angeles (5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN). The Portland Timbers host Minnesota United in the capper (7:30 p.m. on FS1). Here are five key storylines to follow during the league’s landmark 25th campaign:
1. Top MLS Cup 2020 contenders
The Seattle Sounders are coming off their second MLS Cup victory in four years. Los Angeles Football Club, meanwhile, was an absolute juggernaut in 2019, setting league records for most points and biggest goal differential. Both figure to be the top contenders in the Western Conference again, as well as the Los Angeles Galaxy, who brought in Mexican national team star Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez. He essentially replaces Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the starting lineup. In the Eastern Conference, Atlanta United lost some key cogs this offseason — such as midfielder Darlington Nagbe to the Columbus Crew and Julian Gressel to DC United — but still figure to be heavy favorites again in the Eastern Conference. New York City FC (first-place finishers in the East last season) and Toronto FC (last season’s MLS Cup runners-up) also should remain top contenders in the conference.
2. MLS expansion: Beckham’s Inter Miami finally hits the field
It’s been 13 years since David Beckham joined the LA Galaxy and signed a contract that included an option to own an expansion team for a discounted fee, and six years since the formal announcement of Beckham’s expansion team being based in Miami. This is Miami’s second foray in MLS expansion. The Miami Fusion joined
MLS (along with the Chicago Fire) in 1998, then folded (along with the Tampa Bay Mutiny) following the 2001 season. With Beckham as the face of the franchise, expectations are that this new Miami team will be an MLS heavy hitter in the same stratosphere of recent league newcomers Atlanta United and LAFC. While some of soccer’s biggest worldwide stars have been rumored to join Inter Miami, the team’s first designated player was a 19-year-old rising star out of Argentina, Matías Pellegrini.
Nashville SC will be Miami’s expansion brethren. What both Nashville and Miami want to avoid is the dismal 2019 expansion experience of FC Cincinnati, which finished with 31 goals in 34 games while giving up a league-record 75 for a goal differential of minus-44. Yikes!
3. MLS newcomers to watch
The Galaxy’s signing of Chicharito is one of the most significant player acquisitions in league history.
Two other goal-scoring threats from Mexico made moves to MLS this offseason. Alan Pulido joined Sporting Kansas City — which missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010 last season — on a record transfer fee for the team. Rodolfo Pizarro signed with expansion side Inter Miami and will be reunited with coach Diego Alonso, who Pizarro played under in Liga MX at Pachuca and Monterrey.
The Columbus Crew acquired midfielder Lucas Zelarayan for the largest transfer in team history.
Jurgen Locadia joins FC Cincinnati on loan. Locadia is not only a prolific goal-scorer, but also a budding music producer.
Attacking midfielder Hany Mukhtar has the honor of being the first designated player in Nashville SC history.
4. Golden Boot: El Tri-o to challenge Carlos Vela
Last season, LAFC’s Carlos Vela set a goal-scoring standard that will be very difficult to match, scoring 34 goals in the 34-game MLS regular season. Vela will enter 2020 as a favorite to repeat as the Golden Boot winner. However, with Chicharito, Pulido and Pizarro also now in MLS, the quartet of current and former Mexican national team stars’ goal-scoring race will be an interesting subplot to follow in 2020.
Atlanta’s Josef Martinez (the 2018 Golden Boot winner) also should factor in the Golden Boot race. Other contenders figure to be the Columbus Crew’s Gyasi Zardes, New England Revolution’s Gustavo Bou, NYCFC’s Héber, Philadelphia Union’s Kacper Przybylko and Seattle Sounders’ Raul Ruidiaz.
5. Chicago Fire FC’s extreme makeover
The Chicago Fire were a league powerhouse for its first dozen seasons. In the decade since, there have been just two playoff appearances. New coach Raphael Wicky, sporting director Georg Heitz and technical director Sebastian Pelzer have been entrusted with a roster overhaul of the team, now known as Chicago Fire FC. Former GM (and now club president) Nelson Rodriguez left all three designated player slots open this offseason. With Monday’s announcement of the signing of Argentinian midfielder Gaston Gimenez, each of those coveted spots has been filled.