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Expect a 2-team battle in MLS's Western Conference

March 17, 2009 11:51 AM | Posted by   Jason de Vos  

With the Major League Soccer season set to kick off this week, all eyes are rightly focused on Toronto FC. Canada’s only MLS team - for now at least - is considerably stronger this year, and the club's fans from across the country are licking their lips in anticipation of better things to come from the men in red.

The additions of players like Dwayne DeRosario, Pablo Vitti and Adrian Serioux, as well as rookies like Sam Cronin, Stephan Frei and O’Brian White, give Toronto a real belief that this season will mark the first occasion that playoff football will come to the Lakeshore in this country’s largest city.

While I expect this season to be an improvement on last year for Toronto FC, there are a number of other teams who will also be looking to go one better in 2009. Here’s a look at the teams in the Western Conference:

Chivas USA – How far can Sacha Kljestan carry this team? If Chivas are going to have a strong season, they will rely on Klejstan and Jonathan Bornstein to deliver the goods from wide positions. Chivas are the Clippers to the L.A. Galaxy’s Lakers, but I don’t see them being successful enough to shake off the tag of being L.A.’s second team.

Colorado Rapids – I just can’t see anything other than a long struggle for the Rapids. They aren’t especially potent going forward, although Conor Casey is capable of bullying defenders on occasion. And they aren’t exactly impenetrable at the back either, conceding 45 goals in 30 regular-season games last year.

FC Dallas – The departure of Duilio Davino might actually make Dallas better defensively. It’s easy to pay a lot of money for a foreigner, but quite another thing to get value for money. Dallas can at least use that large chunk of cap room to bring in someone useful at the back. Kenny Cooper will always get goals in this league, and is it possible that we were all wrong about Jeff Cunningham? He couldn’t hit the side of a barn from the inside while he was in Toronto, but in Dallas he appears to have rediscovered his form. I’m sure he’ll get a wonderful reception when he returns to BMO Field this season.

Houston Dynamo – Some eyebrows were raised when Houston shipped DeRo to Toronto in the most one-sided trade since Cam Neely went from the Vancouver Canucks to the Boston Bruins for Barry Pedersen and a bag of pucks. The big question for the Dynamo is whether or not Stuart Holden can fill the shoes left by DeRo. He has shown glimpses of brilliance, but Holden has to be consistent if Dynamo fans are going to forget about the Shake ‘N Bake.

Los Angeles Galaxy – The Galaxy will be better this year, because they couldn’t possibly be worse. Even with He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named missing the first half of the season, expect an improvement from the Galaxy. It will be interesting to see how Omar Gonzalez adapts to the professional game, as he was one player many suspected would tempt Mo Johnston’s hand in the Superdraft. I’ll reserve my judgement on Gonzalez until I get to see something other than a highlight clip. The Galaxy gave up more than two goals a game last year, so unless he’s the next Franco Baresi, he’ll need some help.

Real Salt Lake – I expect RSL to challenge the Houston Dynamo for pole position out west. I like their two central defenders, Nat Borchers and Jamison Olave, and as we all know, any successful team is built on a solid foundation at the back. Kyle Beckerman is decent in the middle of the park, and Canadian Will Johnson will be looking to turn heads again this season after picking up the 2008 MLS Goal of the Year. Expect another strong season from Javier Morales, the Argentinean who may carry this team all the way to the Western Conference title.

San Jose Earthquakes – If only BMO Field had grass. Then we would all be talking about how great it is to watch Darren Huckerby terrorize teams. As it is now, we’re left to curse every goal he scores and every goal he creates. If he produces the goods once again, San Jose should improve on last season’s points total. Joe Cannon is a good goalkeeper, while the central defensive pairing of Jason Hernandez and Nick Garcia is strong if unspectacular.

Seattle Sounders – Sometimes when a team signs a player, you’re first reaction is, “What a mistake!” That’s exactly what I thought when Seattle announced they’d signed Freddie Ljungberg. West Ham was desperate to get rid of him, and not just because of his enormous wages. I think he’s going to have a great year in Seattle – he’ll do some modelling, sign some endorsement contracts and he’ll have his face on every billboard. How much football he’ll actually play is anyone’s guess. In all seriousness, Seattle could surprise a few people. Kasey Keller is a great keeper and a really nice guy to boot. If he is on form, don’t be surprised if Seattle makes a push for the playoffs.

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