Football Season Guide

It's been a disappointing pre-season for last year's MLS semi-finalists. They've lost a lot of good players without really bringing any quality of note to the club. They've taken chances on some players that could turn out to be good, but in terms of proven personnel, they've lost a lot more than they've gained. For starters, they've no natural striker with Heber having left. He was not amazing, but he did his part. They're now going to have to field a midfielder or an inside forward as a striker, which makes them more predictable. They've also lost key defensive players like GK Johnson, aerial beast Callens at the heart of defence, and even reliable rotation option Tinnerholm. Club legend Moralez has moved on too, which is a big blow. He may have been ageing, but he was by far their most gifted creator, and could turn any game in their favour - they cannot replace him. In each area of the team, they've made significant losses. Integrating newcomers is still going to be a tall order for them, especially whilst questions over the ability of their manager remain. They've not lost the capacity to play a good possession game, nor to hurt teams in wide areas. Defending is going to be a lot harder without Callens though - they need to establish a solid partner for Thiago Martins, and quickly. They also need Freese to settle in quickly as a replacement for last season's relatively unsung hero Johnson. Key players for the season ahead are likely to be Thiago Martins, Rodriguez, Magno, Parks, and maybe even Pereira. They're going to need those players to carry them at times unless the newbies settle quickly. A slow start is to be anticipated but they should improve after a few weeks. They're going to need to bring in more proven quality if they're to aim for an MLS final spot this time around though.