SEASON PREVIEW
Marco D'Onofrio looks at five players to
watch out for throughout the 2020 MLS
campaign.JOAO PAULO – SEATTLE SOUNDERS
The Seattle Sounders signed the
Brazilian to be their third Designated
Player, but more importantly to
help them make a deep run in the
CONCACAF Champions League, which
the club has made an objective this
season. It'll be interesting to see how
the midfielder adapts to life in North
America and whether he'll be able
to match the success of other South
Americans who have made the move in
the past.JESUS FERREIRA – FC DALLAS
The 19-year-old made his United States
Men's National Team debut against
Costa Rica on February 1 and has a
bright future ahead of him. He enjoyed
a breakout season in 2019, featuring
in 33 games, scoring eight goals and
providing six assists. The youngster will
be seeing even more of the pitch this
season and has the potential to be a
real star for both club and country.JAY CHAPMAN – INTER MIAMI
Toronto FC are probably regretting
trading the home-grown talent to
Inter Miami with Michael Bradley out
for almost half the regular season.
Chapman was the perfect replacement
for the United States international
in Toronto, but playing time became
increasingly difficult to come by so he
was shipped to Miami. The 26-year-old
is poised to have a breakout season and
he will definitely be worth keeping an
eye on in 2020.HANY MUKHTAR – NASHVILLE SC
The German was signed as the
expansion club's first ever Designated
Player after having plied his trade
in Denmark, Austria, Portugal and
Germany. He is only 25, but has plenty
of experience and is the creative
midfielder that Nashville really need. He
almost signed for Seattle in 2018, but
ultimately chose to stay in Europe. He
will definitely be seeing plenty of the
pitch in Nashville and could be a real
gem for the league's newest club.ROBBIE ROBINSON – INTER MIAMI
For years, fans and journalists alike have
questioned the relevancy of the MLS
SuperDraft and whether there was still
top talent to be found. Robinson was
selected first overall by Inter Miami as
they look to bolster their attack, but
it remains to be seen just how much
the striker truly has to offer. He had an
impressive 18 goals and nine assists in
19 games with Clemson last year, but
only time will tell whether he'll be able
to match that success in the North
American top flight.KEEP YOUR
EYE ON...
Toronto FC
2019 SEASON: 13-11-10, 50 points (Fourth in
the East, MLS Cup Finalist)
KEY ADDITIONS: Pablo Piatti (Espanyol)
DEPARTURES: Jay Chapman (Inter Miami),
Drew Moor & Nicolas Benezet (Colorado)The Reds will be without Captain Michael
Bradley until about June, but the MLS Cup
finalists have every reason to believe they
will be back in MLS Cup again this season.
Designated Players Alejandro Pozuelo and
Jozy Altidore both return in what could
prove to be a memorable season for the
Canadian club.Colorado Rapids
2019 SEASON: 12-6-16, 42 points (Ninth in
the West, did not make playoffs)
KEY ADDITIONS: Younes Namli
(Krasnodar), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia),
Nicolas Benezet (Toronto)
DEPARTURES: Shkelzen Gashi (FC Aarau),
Tim Howard (Retired)The Colorado Rapids have a legitimate
reason to believe 2020 will be the first time
they reach the playoffs in three seasons.
They signed Designated Player Younes
Namli, who is a traditional No. 10, and can
become the attacking star they desperately
lack. The club hasn't spent a ton of money
this offseason, but have improved their
squad enough to provide their fans with
some hope.FC Dallas
2019 SEASON: 13-9-12, 48 points (Seventh
in the West, Eliminated first round)
KEY ADDITIONS: Thiago Santos
(Palmeiras), Fafa Picault (Philadelphia)
DEPARTURES: Dominque Badji (Nashville)Luchi Gonzalez returns for his second
season in charge of FC Dallas as he
continues to build his squad around his
'Luchi-ball' style of play. Gonzalez loves
to see his team control possession and
counter-press opponents when they can.
Dallas is a talented team, but will not have
an easy road in the Western Conference.
The club should reach the postseason but
expectations shouldn't be too much higher
than that.Houston Dynamo
2019 SEASON: 12-4-18, 40 points (Tenth in
the West, did not make playoffs)
KEY ADDITIONS: Darwin Quintero
(Minnesota), Victor Cabrera (Montreal)
DEPARTURES: Romell Quioto (Montreal),
Joe Willis (Nashville)The Houston Dynamo begin a new era
under first year head coach Tab Ramos. The
club has made it clear that their ambitions
this season are to lift at least one trophy,
but they will have a difficult time claiming
MLS Cup with their current squad. While
they do have a legitimate chance at winning
the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open for the second
time in three years, don't expect them to
make too deep of a playoff run.Toronto FC captain
Michael Bradley will
miss the first half of
the seasonClint Irwin
Colorado RapidsBryan Acosta
FC DallasRonaldo Peña
Houston DynamowesTERN CONFERENCE