I’m most excited about…
Seeing more really good soccer in 2025. Over the last few years, it feels like the quality of the average coach in MLS has noticeably increased. Only a handful of MLS teams are still holding on to the “let’s play a 4-2-3-1 and defend in a mid-block” era with both hands. Pretty much every team has a distinct, observable style. JW
The rich getting richer. While not in line with my typical rooting interests, MLS has needed a super team or two to emerge to give fans someone to root against. Now, there are more ways than ever for teams that want to spend big to do so. Sure enough, we go into the year with tons of interest (and a fair amount of opposition to) heavy-hitters such as Inter Miami, LAFC and the defending champion LA Galaxy. JA
Atlanta United being good again. When they first came into the league, everything about this club felt like the future of MLS. Exciting football. Big-name signings who weren’t ageing European stars. Sell-out crowds at an incredible stadium. And yet at some point Atlanta lost their way. This year, though, they have spent $30m on top-end talent and have a proven MLS winner for a head coach. Atlanta United matter again. GR
It’s all about the next weird moment. MLS’s unpredictability is a big part of what makes it a compelling league to watch, on a season-long, week-to-week and even play-to-play basis. There is less variance now than there was before, sure, but the league still retains that special bit of wackiness that can only come about when the quality isn’t the best in the world and payrolls are capped. I want goals scored off unexpected body parts, major upsets in the playoffs, and the addition of some new cult heroes to the lore. AA
How many trophies, and which ones, will Messi and Inter Miami lift?
(They can get up to five: MLS Cup, Supporters’ Shield, Club World Cup, Leagues Cup, Concacaf Champions Cup)
Two? Two. This Inter Miami squad should be among the favorites for all of these, save the Club World Cup where getting out of the group would be quite the feat. But with fine margins separating the domestic and continental favorites (and with a bit of PTSD from watching Miami flail in knockout tournaments last season), I’m limiting myself to the Shield and MLS Cup here. JL
One. Given the huge teams at the Club World Cup, the slog of the MLS season for a team reliant on veteran players (with considerable injury histories) and the unknown of how Javier Mascherano will lead a senior team after having only coached Argentina youth squads in the past, I’m only envisioning one trophy lift. Put me down for Miami to top América in the Champions Cup final of Concacaf’s dreams. JA
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Just one. Maybe I’ve watched too much of Manchester City lose their battle against their own mortality this season, but Lionel Messi and co. are another year older. And they’ll face a gruelling schedule with the (pointless) Club World Cup smack bang in the middle. Can Messi stay injury free? Will Luis Suárez’s knees hold out? I have concerns over their ability to win multiple trophies, but they will win MLS Cup. GR
In a perfect world where nobody gets injured, conditions are flawless, and every new signing acclimatises in short order, I think Miami get three of these five trophies. In the real world, I’m going to be the designated hater here and say zero. I just have too many questions about the ability of an inexperienced coach like Javier Mascherano to make all the right adjustments at the right times to win the Shield, like Tata Martino did masterfully last season. Meanwhile, the health of the big four is far from a guarantee, and I still don’t trust this team defensively even with some new additions. AA
The trend that will define MLS in 2025…
Speed. Really, this trend defined last offseason for the eventual MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy, when they added two blazing wingers in Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil. With that in mind, it wasn’t a shock to see Atlanta United load up on speed this winter, adding Emmanuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almirón. MLS is getting faster, and Atlanta will benefit from getting ahead of the curve, much like the Galaxy did in 2024. JL
Ambition. While it would be great to see every MLS team in the US Open Cup, the new system that sees some teams play Leagues Cup and others in the historic cup competition will give more teams more to play for. It may make for stranger rosters in league matches as the fixtures start to stack up but ultimately will make things exciting for longer in more MLS cities. JA
Related: Could a new rule finally give MLS much-needed transfer gossip?
‘Cash-for-player’ trades. The new transfer mechanism that has already facilitated intra-league deals for Luciano Acosta, Evander, Dejan Joveljić and Jack McGlynn, but the impact could be even greater in the summer window when clubs and GMs have had more time to figure out what and who they want. MLS has needed something like this rule for a long time. GR
The end of expansion. The addition of San Diego FC brings the league to an even 30 teams, and for the first time in a generation there does not seem to be a push to add any more. That means 2025 can fairly be seen as the beginning of a new era – onw in which won’t be a Seattle Sounders or Atlanta United walking through the door to shake up the way things are done upon introduction. Any innovations from here on must come from within (or via takeover). AA
The most impactful offseason addition will be…
Gregg Berhalter. Look, I don’t think the Chicago Fire are going to be great in 2025. They’re at least one good window away from being a top-tier team. I also don’t love the idea of giving one person sporting and coaching control of an MLS team in 2025. But Berhalter has, wisely, cleaned house and added five starters, including Ivory Coast winger and former Lille standout Jonathan Bamba. He’ll bring a useful tactical approach to the table, too. A sleeping giant is stirring. JL
Brandon Vázquez. The 26-year-old California native became surplus to requirements at Monterrey, but mostly not for anything he did wrong. Now, he’s going to lead the line for an Austin team that has totally retooled the rest of its attack and should give him plenty of service that he can turn into goals – just like he did during his previous MLS stops. JA
Related: Eric Ramsay’s road from Shrewsbury to Minnesota via Manchester United
Chris Henderson, who was lured from Inter Miami to reunite with Garth Lagerwey (with whom he worked in Seattle) and head up Atlanta United’s roster rebuild. An MLS Cup champion as a player with the 2000 Kansas City Wizards, Henderson is widely considered the best executive in MLS. He wasted no time in making a splash, breaking the league transfer record to sign Latte Lath and bringing Almirón back to ATL after a spell at Newcastle United. Both additions will make Atlanta much stronger. GR
Evander. It’s not often that a great team can jettison the talisman powering their success and improve as a result, but that might be what FC Cincinnati have managed by dealing Acosta to FC Dallas, then acquiring Evander from Portland in a $12m cash trade. The Brazilian scored 15 goals with 15 assists for a Timbers team without the type of well-rounded supporting cast Cincy boasts, and in Kévin Denkey he’ll have an ideal target striker to play off of. AA
East playoff teams:
Unanimous: Atlanta United, Charlotte FC, Chicago Fire, FC Cincinnati, Columbus Crew, Inter Miami, Orlando City, New York Red Bulls.
Lowery and Ruthven: Philadelphia Union.
Arnold and Abnos: NYC FC.
West playoff teams:
Unanimous: Colorado Rapids, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, LAFC, Minnesota United, Seattle Sounders.
Lowery: Austin FC, Real Salt Lake, San Diego FC.
Arnold: Austin FC, Saint Louis City, San Jose Earthquakes.
Ruthven: Austin FC, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake.
Abnos: FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes.
Who will win…
Golden Boot
Lionel Messi. The dude scored 20 goals in fewer than 1,500 minutes last year. Without the Copa América interrupting his club season, Messi will hit 30 goals in 2025. JL
Denis Bouanga. The spoils will be shared in Miami, but Bouanga will be the main man in LA – provided they can keep him in southern California all year. He can again hit 20 goals even if (especially if?) he gets another big-name summer acquisition to help him out this year. JA
Bouanga. LAFC may be under-utilising Olivier Giroud due to manager Steve Cherundolo’s approach, but their attacking game is funnelled through Bouanga in open space. He’s scored 45 goals over the last two seasons. He’ll be prolific once more in 2025. GR
Messi. Even far from his peak, the World Cup winner’s technique and reading of the game alone mean he’ll be in position to match and probably top his goal count from last season. AA
Related: For Inter Miami and Lionel Messi, a club-defining season awaits
MVP
Messi. The dude won the MVP award in fewer than 1,500 minutes last year. He barely has to step on the field to lock this one up with the voters. In a non-Messi world, though, Pec, Bouanga, and Evander are all top-tier MVP candidates. JL
Messi. With no Copa América and World Cup qualification mostly locked up, we should have even more moments of Messi magic this year than last – and last year he did enough to win over the voters. JA
Messi. The guy is the greatest of all-time. I’m doubtful he’ll play enough minutes to finish as top scorer, but nobody can deliver a moment of magic like the Inter Miami No 10. GR
Pec. He’ll take on a much bigger role for the defending champs with Riqui Puig out for most of the year recovering from a torn ACL, and he showed last season that even playing alongside Puig he can rack up the game-winning contributions. That said … I’ll admit I’m saying this mostly to break up the Messi monotony. If he can win MVP playing the lowest percentage of his team’s games of any MVP in the history of North American men’s pro sports and with his team doing just as well without him, it’s likely all he needs to do in the eyes of voters is exist. AA
Related: Lionel Messi has missed half the MLS season. Should he be MVP?
Supporters’ Shield
Inter Miami. I don’t expect them to get quite so hot in front of goal this year, so setting another points record is off the table. But after Miami shored up the backline this winter? I’m having a really hard time betting against a team that I think is the deepest and most talented MLS has ever seen. JL
LAFC. As other contenders deal with the Club World Cup or other competitions, I expect LAFC to put plenty of focus on the league. With a deep roster comfortable with Cherundolo, they can lift the trophy again. JA
LAFC. There’s a big question mark over Cherundolo’s ability to navigate past the best teams in the biggest matches, but LAFC’s depth will make them a regular season powerhouse, just as it did in 2024. GR
FC Cincinnati. This team returns most of the team from a solid 2024 but with upgrades at playmaker (Evander), striker (Denkey), and left back (Lukas Engel). All that, and Matt Miazga returns from injury to anchor the backline. Their defensive depth makes me a little wary, but overall I think they have all the tools to maintain good form over the course of a long season. AA
MLS Cup
Sigh. I’m no fun. It’s Inter Miami again, for the reasons I just listed above. Still, because the margins are razor-thin in MLS just like always, FC Cincinnati, LAFC, the Seattle Sounders, and the LA Galaxy are all great picks here, too. JL
Give me the Seattle Sounders, a team that has retooled in typical fashion, often gathers steam in the second half of the year and should be forged in the fire of knockout competition by the time the playoffs roll around after taking part in the CCC and Club World Cup. JA
Inter Miami. Boooooring, I know. But Brad Guzan won’t stand on his head in another Round One match. Mascherano might be more proactive in rotating his ageing stars throughout the regular season. Ultimately, Messi and his mates will get their moment of glory and the symbolic image MLS can use to say the whole thing was worth it. GR
Atlanta United. It’s going to take time for a new head coach’s ideas to take root, but that head coach, Ronny Deila, has experience turning a just-decent regular season into an MLS Cup (NYC FC, 2021). With Latte Lath on board and Almirón back in familiar confines, there are plenty of reasons to think that the cup will return to Atlanta after some years in the wilderness. AA
