The overseas league returns: who to watch for in the new MLS season
The new 27th season in MLS starts on February 26, 2022. Philadelphia will kick off with Minnesota. The end of the regular season is scheduled for October 9. Immediately after that, the playoffs begin, with the finals scheduled to take place on November 5. The matches take less time this year and end earlier, as the players prepare for World Cup games later in the season.
Despite the accelerated pace, there is already an inkling of who and how the upcoming season might go. There are a number of favourites who are consistently showing their zeal to win. But the question is who will prove to be the best.
New York City
The reigning champions only managed to win the cup last year. Despite the occasional presence of global star players such as Spaniard David Villa and England’s Frank Lampard, the club was able to achieve victory without celebrities.
The opponents in the final game were the Portland club, who only managed to win in a penalty shoot-out. Throughout the contest, tension was palpable, both on the pitch and in the stands.
Los Angeles Galaxy
The club, unlike their arch rivals, has amassed a decent collection of trophies and titles. The team reached the final of the championship 9 times, 5 of which were victories.
Apart from sporting achievements, the club is one of the most fashionable and talked about clubs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard have all played for the club. The team’s current star is Chicharito, who is already making a huge impact.
Los Angeles
Despite the similarity of the name, the club is still significantly inferior to the Galaxy. Nevertheless, there is also a lot of interest from the fan community. The club has never won the league title. What’s more, it has never even managed to reach the final. Despite that, the team does make the playoffs.
The 2019 season was a great one for LA as they beat their rival Galaxy by winning the ¼ final. The club were then beaten by Carlos Vela, who managed to ‘beat’ Ibrahimovic himself.
Inter Miami
The club gets more attention from European football fans. The fact that he belongs to none other than David Beckham himself. However, even such a star co-owner is not too helpful to the team in terms of the success of the game so far.
When the club first played in the MLS, they failed to make the play-offs. The second campaign was not particularly successful either, as the team left the league in the qualification round. Nevertheless, the club is still young, and then there are plenty of opportunities ahead to demonstrate a decent quality of play.
Chicago Fire
The club was a household name back in the late ’90s, when it managed not just to reach the finals, but to win the championship. In recent years, the team has lost its former glory. The club managed to make the play-offs for the last time back in 2017. However, there is still interest in the team.
Once upon a time, Bastian Schweinsteiger himself was the club’s defender. Jerdan Shaqiri is now in his ranks. It is possible that the young star will be able to pull the club through to at least the final, and then maybe the championship will come around again.
Toronto
The Canadian outfit have been excellent in the MLS. They reached the final twice and won the championship in 2017. But something went wrong for the club last season as they finished second from bottom in the Eastern Conference championship. Perhaps this year the team will pull themselves together.
