Here is the Green Army’s final installment of its 2011 MLS preview. Today we look at the top teams in the East. Two interesting names in this group are DC United, who look like they are ready to turn things around after a dreadful 2010, and the Houston Dynamo, who were moved from the West to the East for 2011.  NY is the best team in the East, hands down, but they need to be weary of the work Kinnear and Olsen have done to rebuild Houston and DC United respectively.

1. NY Red Bulls

The NY Red Bulls are the easy choice for top team in the East. Red Bulls coach Hans Backe transformed the team last season and anything less than an MLS Cup appearance should be considered a failure. The Red Bulls are poised to get off on the right foot now that superstar striker Theirry Henry is healthy and fit. Young phenom Juan Agudelo is being penciled in to partner Henry in attack. The team also acquired veteran striker Luke Rodgers in the offseason from Notts County and picked up the nation’s leading college goal scorer, Corey Hertzog, in the Superdraft. Rodgers will likely split time with Agudelo in that starting role. The defensive partnership of Tim Ream and Mexican international Rafael Marquez could potentially transform NY into the best defensive team in the league. This is also an ideal situation for rookie and U20 central defender Sacir Hot, who gets to learn from two of the best in the league. In the midfield, second year player Tony Tchani should see an increased role with the team. The talented youngster has the tools to be a dominating player in MLS. Jamaican winger Dane Richards and Mehdi Ballouchy will be called upon to create chances for the strikers. Two new players who should have an immediate impact on the team are Teemu Tainio and Jan Gunnar Solli. Both have impressive European credentials and can play multiple positions along the midfield and backline. The team also has great midfield depth in veteran Carl Robinson, Dane Brian Nielsen, homegrown and Maryland standout Matt Kassel, and youngsters John Rooney, Austin da Luz, and Marcos Paullo. The key figure in NY’s team is Estonian midfielder Joel Lindpere. Lindpere has the drive and energy to carry the team to victories. Despite all of NY’s talent they’ve missed that cutting edge, knife between their teeth mentality to finish off teams. I think Backe’s European signings and the increased influence of Lindpere’s play will be the grit the team needs to carry the team to the ch20ampionship.

2. Houston Dynamo

The Dynamo struggled last season after losing Ricardo Clark and Stuart Holden to European clubs, and losing Geoff Cameron to a season ending injury. Cameron is healthy again and the team should return to winning ways. In the back, Houston returns veterans Bobby Boswell and Eddie Robinson, as well as solid additions in rookie and U20 defender Kofi Sarkodie, Jamaican international Jermaine Taylor, and experienced outside back Hunter Freeman. In the midfield, Lovel Palmer will shield the defense and Geoff Cameron will provide creativity. Veteran winger Brad Davis will continue to be a key figure, and speedy veteran Corey Ashe should continue to play a bigger role this season. The midfield is deep with young talent in the form of Danny Cruz, Francisco Navas Cobo, and homegrown talents in Josue Soto and Alex Dixon. Look for breakout years for youngsters Danny Cruz and Francisco Navas Cobo on the wings. The team also has former Colorado Rapids winger Colin Clark on the books. Clark has been on the mend since suffering back to back knee injuries, but if the talented left winger can return to his 2008 – 2009 form he’ll be a huge asset for the Dynamo. The biggest concern for Houston was securing a goal scorer in the offseason. The team returns Brian Ching, one of the top strikers in the league, and big striker Cam Weaver the team’s 2009 newcomer of the year. The team picked up veteran strikers Dominic Oduro and Jason Garey in offseason but the big revelation for the club is rookie and Indiana product Will Bruin. The young striker has found his goal scoring form late in preseason and should get the nod from day one considering Ching’s recent injury. One big question mark for Houston is the goalkeeper position. Pat Onstad retired, then became DC United’s goalie coach, and is now DC’s starting goalkeeper . . . weird. SDSU product Tally Hall has earned the starting spot, but he has big shoes to fill. Hall is a talented goalkeeper with great size and athleticism but we’ll see if he’s ready for the pressures of MLS.

3. Sporting KC

Kansas City improved tremendously last season and are looking to build on that success. Sporting boasts a dynamic attack consisting of athletic goal scorer Kei Kamara, Mexican international Omar Bravo, young national team striker Teal Bunbury, and 2011 revelation Birahim Diop. The backline suffered a big loss in Jimmy Conrad, but the club quickly found a suitable replacement in Brazilian Julio Cesar, a former Real Madrid defender. The team also returns key defenders in Matt Besler and Honduras international Roger Espinoza. Sporting midfielder veteran Davy Arnaud will provide the leadership in the midfield after the team lost Jack Jewsberry in the offseason. Midfielders Stephen Auvray and Craig Rocastle will likely sit behind Arnaud and protect the defenders. Newcomer Milos Stojecv, left footed Serbian midfielder, is making a case for a starting spot. Dynamic midfielder Ryan Smith, currently recovering from minor knee surgery, will be a big boost for the team once he’s 100%. The team has solid group of versatile players including Graham Zusi, Michael Harrington, Chance Meyers, and winter addition Luke Sassano. The quartet adds depth in the defense, midfield, and forward position. One player to keep an eye on is rookie forward CJ Sapong. Sapong, out of James Madison University, has impressed in the offseason and is likely to be an impact player of the bench in 2011.

4. DC United

DC United had a great offseason and should turn things around after a dismal 2010 season that saw the team finish in last place, overall. In a strange twist of fate, DC United was able to secure veteran Pat Onstad as their #1 goalkeeper. Waiting in the wings is the young Bill Hamid who likes like the likely #1 once he’s healthy and back in form. In the defense, Ben Olsen picked up U20 and Akron standout Perry Kitchen in the Superdraft, homegrown talent Ethan White, and Uruguayan veteran Rodrigo Brasesco. The team returns outside backs Jed Zayner and Daniel Woolard, and central defender and Canadian international Dejan Jakovic. Kitchen should partner Jakovic in the center of defense and Woolard and Zayner look like the starters at outside back to start the season. The key to DC’s success is in the midfield. United picked up former FC Dallas midfielder Dax McCarty who was instrumental in Dallas’s run to the MLS Cup last season. McCarty was recently named DC United’s captain. Returning defensive mid Clyde Simms and McCarty will sit centrally allowing playmakers Andy Najar, Branko Boskovic, and Santino Quaranta to create. Up top, United got a big upgrade at the forward position. The team secured the services of US national team striker Charlie Davies, former US international Josh Wolff, and athletic goal scorer Joseph Ngwenya. Rookie forward Blake Brettschneider has also impressed in the offseson. DC United’s biggest improvement is in their depth. The team solid players coming off the bench in midfielders Fred, Kurt Morsink, and Devon McTavish; defenders March Burch, Ethan White, and Rodrigo Brasesco; and forwards Wolff and Brettschneider. One player that should have a breakout season is the versatile Chris Pontious. Pontious had injury setbacks last season after a stellar 2009 rookie campaign. The talented player can start in the midfield or as a forward and should be a key figure for United this season.

What do you think about these teams? Will NY be the best team in the East? Which team are you most excited to see in 2011?

Here is the Green Army’s third installment of the MLS season preview. Today we took a look at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.  Things are looking pretty ugly for the bottom five teams, as most are either rebuilding or suffered major losses in the off-season.  I doubt the teams in this group will make the playoffs, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Philadelphia or New England had a better than expected season.

5. New England Revolution

The Revs, once an Eastern Conference powerhouse, have suffered a tremendous fall from grace in the past few seasons. Coach Nicol has taken some big steps in the off-season to stop the bleeding, but the Revs aren’t quite a playoff team just yet. Once again the key man for the Revs is midfielders Shalrie Jospeh. If Joseph is in form all things are possible for the Revs. In defense, the team returns starters Darrius Barnes, Kevin Alston, and Chris Tierney. The team also gets an upgrade with the addition of left footed defender Didier Domi and college standout AJ Soares. In the midfield, the team picked up French international Ousame Dabo to help with possession and big defensive mid Stephen McCarthy out of UNC. Marko Perovic, Sanni Nyassi, and Kenny Mansally should provide the offense from the midfield. Up top there are still questions unanswered. Zach Schlawksi had a solid rookie campaign last season and Serbian striker Ilija Stolica impressed after joining the team in the summer. Kheli Dube is the other option up top, but like the other forwards on the roster, he isn’t going to put in double digit goals. I think New England will struggle unless they secure a top quality striker as soon as possible.

6. Philadelphia Union

The Union had a big makeover in the offseason but we’ll have to see if the changes make a difference. Last year’s squad had talent but it wasn’t consistent enough throughout 90 minutes to pull off wins. Changing up the almost the entire roster won’t help in that respect but I have faith that Nowak knows what he’s doing. The addition of veteran Colombian international goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon was an immediate upgrade in the net. Securing young U20 goalkeeper Zac MacMath as Mondragon’s understudy ensures that Philly will have a solid goalkeeper for years to come. Defensively, the Union are thin. Danny Califf returns to captain the team and hold down the center back position with experienced newcomer and Colombian international Carlos Valdes. Outwide, Sheanon Williams and Jordan Harvey will take their usual positions. The midfield received an upgrade with the acquisition of destroyer Brian Carroll who should partner Kyle Nakazawa or Stefani Miglioranzi in the middle of the pitch. U20 standout Amobi Okugo is slowly working his way into the defensive mid role, and it shouldn’t be long before he gets regular minutes for the Union. The Union’s impact player is going to be Sebastian LeToux who had an MVP caliber season in 2010. Young Colombian Roger Torres, veteran Justin Mapp, and rookie Michael Farfan will also be called upon to provide creativity out of the midfield. Up top, the Union picked up former MLS MVP and Golden Boot winner Carlos Ruiz. The team has a host of young forwards in Jack McInerny, Chris Agorsor, and Danny Mwanga looking to make a big impact this season. A major part of the Union’s success this season will be determined by the play of Danny Mwanga. Offensively, LeToux and Ruiz will do what they do best but it won’t be enough if Mwanga doesn’t take his game to the next level.

7. Columbus Crew

The Crew had a major overhaul in the offseason, but didn’t do much to rebuild. The team lost important players in Guillermo Barros Schellotto, Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Brian Carroll, Adam Moffat, and Eric Brunner.  All is not lost though, the team held on to a several key players and has a few youngsters that might give the Crew a boost late in the season. In the back, Columbus held on to Chad Marshall, one of the best defenders in the league. In the midfield, the Crew returns Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven, two talented midfielders with national team experience. Up top, the club retained South American strikers Emilio Renteria and Andres Mendoza, both proved they can score goals in MLS. Add to that talented players like Shaun Francis, Andy Iro, Emmanuel Ekpo, and Leandre Griffit, as well as veterans Jeff Cunningham and Danny O’Rourke and things don’t look quite as bleak in Columbus. The team also has a solid group of young players in Dilly Duka, Bernardo Anor, Cole Grossman, and Justin Meram that should become important players at the end of the 2011 season. This is Columbus’s seasons to struggle before they start turning things around.  I’m excited to see the team Columbus puts together for the 2012 season.

8. Chicago Fire

The Chicago Fire is another team that is rebuilding after a disappointing 2010. The team lost key figures in defenders Wilmen Conde and CJ Brown, midfielder John Thorrington, and forward Brian Mcbride. The replacements, at this point, are unknown commodities. Uruguayan strikers Gaston Puerari and Diego Chaves don’t have an impressive, or even acceptable, goal scoring record with their last few clubs. The often injured Cory Gibbs and rookie Jalil Anibaba were brought in to secure the backline. In the midfield, Chicago brought in D-2 standout Daniel Paladini and Serb Marko Maric, who has only played nine professional games since 2007. Needless to say Chicago isn’t wowing anybody with their winter acquisitions. On the bright side, Chicago is bringing back a group of talented and key players. Defensively Kwame Watson-Sirboe comes back after an excellent rookie season, as well as veterans Gonzalo Segares, Dasan Robinson, and Logan Pause. On the attacking side of the ball, the team returns playmakers Marco Pappa, Baggio Husidic, and Patrick Nyarko. If players like Corben Bone, Mike Banner, and Calen Carr have breakout seasons, this year might not be quite so bad for Chicago.

9. Toronto FC

Rounding out the bottom of the East, and maybe the league, is Toronto FC. This might be an unfair assessment because the reality is that no one can really predict how the team will fair this season. Head Coach Aaron Winter is training the team to play a new system, 4-3-3, and brought in host of unknown European based players. Winter had a solid group to start with in goalkeeper Stefan Frei; defenders Nana Attakora, Dan Gargan, and Adrian Cann; midfielders Julian DeGuzman, and Dwayne DeRosario; and forward Maicon Santos. After that, the quality isn’t quite as clear. Nathan Sturgis and Alan Gordon were picked up in the offseason and both have shown that they are solid MLS role players. Rookies Joao Plata and Demitrius Omphory are talented players but aren’t ready to contribute this season. The team also signed a trio of European based players: midfielder Elbekay Bouchiba and forwards Nick Soolsma and Javier Martina. Soolsma and Martina spent most of their careers in the lower divisions of the Dutch soccer, and Bouchiba was previously with a club in Qatar. At the moment, the only factor in Toronto’s favor is Dwayne DeRosario, one of the best attacking players in the league. There have been questions about his commitment to the club in the last few months and you have to wonder if he is going to jump ship in the summer. If Toronto makes it to the playoffs it’s because the team figures out the 4-3-3 and DeRosario is in devastating form. It will probably help that the bottom five teams in the East aren’t in much better shape.

Let me know what you think about these teams. Do you think any of these teams will surprise us in 2011?