Soccer2011 MLS Eastern Conference preview

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Stefan Frei will be a key figure again this season for Toronto FC. (Getty Images)

Here are my thoughts on how the Eastern Conference will shape up this year:

New York Red Bulls
 
The Red Bulls were a revelation last year. They should be just as good if not better in 2011. The sharp upturn began long before the World Cup stars set foot in the Big Apple. Now, with Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez in harness from the get go, there are no excuses.
 
The ageing Juan Pablo Angel has been shipped west leaving a question mark up front. Henry will help to fill the void while the addition of his new English teammates, Luke Rodgers and John Rooney, will provide a physical goal threat. Expect the Red Bulls to charge to the top in 2011. 
 
Prediction: 1st
 
Sporting Kansas City
 
A change of name and venue for a team heading in the right direction. The re-branding may attract a new generation of followers who will be expecting great things from the new star in town. Designated Player Omar Bravo may be a little past his peak but the Mexican is a quality acquisition.
 
Teal Bunbury enjoyed a promising rookie season. The Canadian-born striker can only learn from Bravo but it remains to be seen if Bunbury can fulfill his potential this year. Stadium construction means Sporting KC must be strong on the road before their new home-sweet-new-home is ready in early June.
 
Prediction: 2nd                  
 
Columbus Crew
 
Everyone knows no player is bigger than the team. Tell that to Crew fans who are wondering how Columbus will cope without Guillermo Barros Schelotto. The talismanic Argentine is gone along with the rest of the old guard including Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, and Brian Carroll plus young striker Steven Lenhart.
 
The return of the prodigal son is a fitting swansong for Jeff Cunningham but his diminishing impact will surely come off the bench. The experience of Serbian playmaker Dejan Rusmir will be important but given the turnover it's hard to see Columbus maintaining their success of recent seasons. 
 
Prediction: 3rd
 
Chicago Fire
 
The Fire hope they're on the way back, but they not yet have bottomed out. Brian McBride has finally called it a day while expensive misfits Freddie Ljungberg and Nery Castillo are back in Europe. Similar to Columbus, only time will tell if Chicago's extensive rebuild has solid foundations.

Coach Carlos de los Cobos must deliver to keep his job. He's recruited a Uruguayan strike partnership hoping Gaston Puerari and Diego Chaves will click quickly to provide potent offence. A pair of Croatians, defender Josip Mikulic and midfielder Marko Maric, should offer strength and creativity.
 
Prediction: 4th
 
Toronto FC
 
A new dawn or a whole new set of excuses? It's all change (again) for a franchise which has constantly failed to deliver in its infancy. To the relief of many the Mo Johnston era is history but that could mean TFC is back to square one and we're about to witness Expansion Version 2.0.
 
Aron Winter was a fine player but has never coached a senior team. Behind the scenes, Paul Mariner's intimate MLS knowledge will be pivotal as TFC try to play with a new style and philosophy. The players must trust and be able to execute the new system, or the experiment could go horribly wrong.
 
Prediction: 5th
 
DC United
 
One thing is certain - the only way is up for the whipping boys of 2010. They were so bad last year they made the expansion team in Philly look decent. So can the original MLS dynasty drag themselves up by the boot laces and perform a New York style worst-to-first turn around?
 
Charlie Davies represents the X-Factor. If he can recapture the form which made him a U.S. international before the car accident he can make a big difference. The arrival of Dax McCarty, the return of Fred and the capture of top teenage prospect Perry Kitchen give reason for guarded optimism.
 
Prediction: 6th
 
Philadelphia Union
 
The Union was a well supported but typically unsuccessful expansion team. Many of the first year memories were provided by Sebastien Le Toux but he may well struggle to maintain those standards this year. Without a repeat show from the Frenchman, the Union look offensively challenged.
 
At the other end coach Piotr Nowak has signed the vastly experienced Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragon and added Brian Carroll from Columbus to protect the back four. Danny Mwanga looked lively in his rookie season while Carlos Ruiz is looking to relive the glory days with his fourth franchise.
 
Prediction: 7th
 
Houston Dynamo
 
A change of conference won't necessarily bring change of fortune for Houston. After four years of success in the West, the Dynamo was well off the pace in 2010. Even in the weaker East, Dominic Kinnear's team will have its work cut out to find a route back to the post season.
 
The injury prone Brian Ching isn't getting any younger and even the evergreen Pat Onstad has jumped ship, initially to retire only to find it delayed by an injury pile-up at DC United. His former back up, Tally Hall, is largely untested in MLS but can expect to be one of the League's busiest 'keepers in 2011. 
 
Prediction: 8th
 
New England Revolution
 
The decline has been slow but unrelenting. The Revolution has gradually been quelled since the last of its MLS Cup appearances in 2007. Steve Nicol is desperate to save the sinking ship but his vessel leaked more goals than any other franchise last year. It's a major repair job in the Boston shipyards.
 
So he's gone French, at least in part. The vastly experienced Didier Domi and Ousmane Dabo have been recruited to bring solidity and a physical presence to the rickety Revs. Shalrie Joseph will, again, lead by example from the engine room but Nicol needs more. Namely, a regular goal scorer, or two. 
 
Prediction: 9th

Follow Nigel Reed on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/#!/Nigel_Reed

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