The West looks tough this season.  On paper, every team is solid and it wouldn’t surprise me if five teams from the West made the playoffs. Defending MLS Cup winners, Real Salt Lake, and runner-up, LA Galaxy, are the two favorites in the West.  Seattle, Chivas, Houston, and Colorado will be fighting for a spot.  FC Dallas and San Jose could be contenders or flops this season.

The West is tough to predict because the teams are all pretty close. I think Landon Donovan sets the Galaxy apart from the pack.  Seattle, if they avoid the sophomore slump, have the talent to be first or second in the West.  Houston could end up in the top or bottom 3 this season depending on how they adapt to key losses.  Here is my best shot at a final standings prediction.

West Final Standings:

1. Los Angeles Galaxy
2. Seattle Sounders
3. Real Salt Lake
4. Colorado Rapids
5. San Jose Earthquakes
6. Houston Dynamo
7. Chivas USA
8. FC Dallas

Team Previews:

Real Salt Lake returns its core players and a few additions to help them repeat.  RSL had a quiet season before storming through the playoffs to an MLS Cup. They’ll have a target on their back this season but I think they have the players to handle that pressure. Everyone knows RSL is good the question is whether they can put it all together sooner rather than later.  With fewer teams making the playoffs and more points required, RSL can’t have a repeat of last year’s subpar league play. Kyle Beckerman will lead the team from the middle and allow Javier Morales to create.  Robbie Findley and new strike partner, Alvaro Saborio, will provide a dangerous combination up top.  Olave returns to anchor the backline, alongside Borchers, Wingert, and Russell.  RSL added U17 midfielder Luis Gil to their roster.  He probably won’t contribute right away, but he’s an exciting young prospect.

The Galaxy won’t have Beckham at all this season or Donovan for a portion, if not most of the season.  If Donovan doesn’t depart MLS after the World Cup, I think the Galaxy are a sure bet to make another MLS Cup appearance.  With the exception of Clint Mathis, the Galaxy brought in mostly young players in the offseason.  Arena added a trio of young Brazilians (Alex, Juninho, and Leonardo).  Juninho looks ready to start in the playmaking role, while Leonardo and Alex will likely come off the bench to support the backline.  The Galaxy used their only draft pick this season to bring on UCLA product Michael Stephens.  Stephens has impressed this offseason and could get the nod centrally or out wide now that Beckham is out of commission.  Rookie of the year Omar Gonzalez will anchor the backline alongside Berhalter, Dunivant, and former Rookie of the year Sean Franklin.  Up top, Edson Buddle should be the player to watch.

Chivas USA lost several key players in the offseason.  Shavar Thomas, Jesse Marsch, Sasha Victorine, Claudio Suarez, Carey Talley, and Jim Curtin are no longer with the team. Additionally, Preki moved on to Toronto and new coach Martin Vasquez has stepped in. This is Vasquez’s first head coaching job, having served as an assistant coach for the Galaxy, Chivas USA, and Bayern Munich.  Vasquez has started to make his mark on the team, bringing in players like Salvadoran playmaker Osael Romero and Costa Rican defender Michael Umana.  The big question is the center midfield position.  Without Nagamura and Marsch, Vasquez will need to get creative.  Vasquez can choose any combination of Kljestan and Romero, his two offensive options, and Saragosa and Lahoud, his defensive midfielders.  Rookie Blair Gavin is also available to step in if called on.  Jonathon Bornstein will command the backline along with Umana, Jazic, and Trujillo.  Up top, Chivas have several options in the speedy Galindo, the Brazilian Maicon, and the workman like Justin Braun.  Keep an eye on youngsters Cuesta, Flores, and Mayen for breakout seasons. The overhaul will hurt the Chivas playoff hopes.  They’ve lost key players in the defense and the midfield as well as brought in a new coach.  I think they’ll miss the postseason this year.

San Jose had a great preseason, beating MLS and European competition. But let’s not forget that they also had a good preseason before the 2009 season and ended up finishing last in the West. Ryan Johnson has a new strike partner in Brazilian Eduardo.  Arturo Alvarez will need to step up his playmaking if San Jose wants to be considered a serious contender.  In the same boat as Alvarez is Bobby Convey.  While Alvarez showed moments of brilliance last season, Convey was completely ineffective all year long.  The Earthquakes had a great draft picking up a starting defender in Ike Opara, and two capable midfielders/defenders in Morrow and Beitashauer.  The team is good enough to make the playoffs this season but they need to execute.

FC Dallas had a strong finish to last season but we’ll see if they can pick up where they left off.  They ended last season in fantastic form but it was too little too late for the Texas team.  Dallas returns a strong defensive core consisting of Ugo Ihemelu, Heath Pearce, George John, and Benitez.  Jeff Cunningham will attempt to duplicate his golden boot winning performance in 2009, but he can’t do it without the playmaking of Dax McCarty and David Ferreira.  Brek Shea should have a breakout season manning the left flank.  The young and versatile midfielder has all tools to be one of the best players in the league. Dallas hasn’t added too many new faces in the offseason.  Rookie defender Zach Loyd and midfielder Eric Alexander should make an impact this season.  Alexander will push Hernandez in that defensive mid spot, and Loyd is ready to step in if needed on the backline.  Veteran goalkeeper Kevin Hartman was also picked up in the offseason.  Youngsters Byran Leyva and Ruben Luna, both 18, are turning heads in Dallas with their play this preseason.

Although Houston returns some key players in Davis, Ching, Boswell, Mullan, and Cameron; the Dynamo will struggle without Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark.  The Dynamo still has a strong squad but the quality in the West will make it difficult to qualify for the playoffs without a real game changer on board.  Coach Kinnear is one of the best in the league and will keep this team competitive.  Knox Cameron could replace Stuart Holden in the playmaking role.  New signing, Jamaican midfielder Lovel Palmer could fill in at defensive midfielder. The addition of Adrian Serioux adds a skillful and veteran defender to Houston’s backline.  The team also signed academy product, midfielder Francisco Navas Cobo.  The key player for the Dynamo is Luis Angel Landin.  Houston’s DP signing has been completely ineffective and is starting to look like an embarrassment to the franchise.  That doesn’t mean Landin isn’t a quality player.  He has the skill and ability to become a real impact player in the league now that he is injury free.

The Colorado Rapids are looking to prove they are a playoff team.  Last season, the club was on a roll until a host of injuries derailed their playoff hopes.  Talk is cheap in the Mile High City and the Rapids have leaned on the injury excuse since October.  It’s time for them to show league and the fans that this team is a real contender. I see them taking the fourth or fifth playoff spot this season. The team isn’t 100% yet but players are slowly returning to form.  Right now the Rapids are in the middle of the pack and have the quality to make the playoffs. The team returns a strong core of players in strikers Connor Casey and Omar Cummings; midfielders Mastroeni, Clark, and Labrocca; and defenders Drew Moor and Julien Baudet.  Jaime Smith didn’t have much of a chance to impress last season because of injury. This season he hopes to show everyone why Coach Smith believes he is one of the best wingers in the league.  Ballouchy also needs to step up his playmaking and prove his worth now that Jeff Larentowicz is on board. In addition to Larentowicz, Coach Smith also brought on Wells Thompson to add depth to the midfield. Defenders Oscar Murillo and Danny Earls were brought onto add depth to the backline.  Rookies Andre Akpan and Ross LaBauex should play major roles this season as the two have impressed in preseason.  Rob Valentino is another player that could have a breakout year.

Seattle is facing the dreaded sophomore slump this season.  Last season the Sounders defied expectations and made the playoffs.  Things might be different this time around.  I think the playoffs are in their future, but it won’t be an easy road.  The Sounders had an uneventful offseason. Their only big loss was Sebastian LeToux in the expansion draft.  Influential offensive players Freddy Ljungberg and Fredy Montero return for a second season.  The club also returns a solid midfield trio in Brad Evans, Steve Zakuani, and Osvaldo Alonso.  James Riley, Hurtado, Marshall, and Gonzalez make up one of the best defenses in the league. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller is also back to captain the team. The Sounders brought in rookie David Estrada who is challenging for time up top or in the midfield.  The Sounders also picked up Swiss international, Blaise Nkufo. Nkufo is a big strong striker that will arrive in the summer.  He is likely to challenge Nate Jaqua for a starting spot.  Another exciting addition to the squad is 18 year old forward Miguel Montano.  The young Colombian isn’t ready to make an impact this season but everyone expects him to be key player in the years to come.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 8:17 am and is filed under Colorado Rapids, General, MLS Season Preview. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.