MLS Eastern Conference Preview

1. INTER MIAMI

💓🖤 Inter Miami will be back to make some real waves this season playing in almost every competition asides the US Open cup, they’ll have to be ready for the long haul. Losing Gómez and Rojas stings. But they went out and made moves—Segovia seems like a solid signing, and they improved the backline with Falcón and Luján.

Goalkeeping was an issue last year, and Callender might not hold onto his spot, Ustari could take over. Biggest concern? No real striker depth. With campana gone, and if Suárez gets hurt, they’d have to push Allende up top with Picault on the wing. Not ideal. But with Messi, Busquets, and Alba still balling, they should find themselves at the top spot again.

2. FC Cincinnati

🧡 FC Cincinnati face NYRB week one in Cincy a good test for this stacked FC Cincy side. Denkey up top = Goals. Evander pulling the strings brings a creative spark. A potential MVP-level season incoming. Orellano adding to the fray, Even more firepower. Defense was their weak spot, but with Miazga back and Engels coming in from Boro, they’ve tightened up at the back. If anyone’s taking down Miami, it’s them.

3. New York Red Bulls

🏆 Shocking many by winning the Eastern conference last year, led behind Forsberg and Tolkin, however they lost JMI to Germany and Andres Reyes to San Diego, the FO had to be busy , and they happen to make some solid moves, expectations have risen, there are questions about Choupo-Moting’s age. 👀 Attack looks really exciting, Forsberg, Choupo, Morgan (huge that he got re-signed). with a possible Timo Werner signing in the summer, it could really help the depth of options up top in case of injures. Defense also got better with Hack and Morales. 🪨 But with how strong the competition is this year, I’m predicting another topsy turny season for the Red Bulls which see’s them signing Timo mid-season and getting healthy at the end of the year pushing them to a strong finish.

4. Charlotte FC

👑 Could have put them higher, but there are two big question marks. Biel’s loan expires in August, and if Agyemang balls out early, a European move could be on the cards. 🇨🇮 Wilfried Zaha is a the massive addition that I think puts this team over the line. Can he stay heathy (playing on turf) and can he stay disciplined? We already saw him scrap with Nashville in preseason, love the passion, but he needs to not cause any issues. 💪 Defense? One of the best last year. Midfield? Solid. 👿 Attack? Deadly. They’ll be firing, even with Vargas coming off the bench. Expect them to win games early this season and start strong.

5. Atlanta United

🅰️ The A shocked everyone by taking down Miami in the playoffs last year, but Orlando ended the run. This year hopefully will be a different story. Biggest issue in 2024? No striker. Now they’ve got Latte Lath for $22M, he’s here to score. 🇵🇾👑 But the real game-changer? Miguel Almirón is back. After years at Newcastle, he’s bringing that experience back to Atlanta. With him pulling the strings and Lath up top, this team is gonna fly up the table.

6. Columbus Crew

🔙💰 Finished 2nd last year, but this offseason has been full of brutal losses. Cucho gone to Betis, Ramirez off to LA Galaxy, and no real replacement yet. Right now, Russell-Rowe is the starting No. 9, and that’s a problem. 🔜 They’ll probably bring in a striker, but the question is when? MLS kicks off in six days, and time’s running out. 💪 Still, Wilfried Nancy is one of the best coaches in the league, and the squad is solid. The defense is stable, and the team has a clear identity. That’s why they’re still near the top, but they need that DP striker ASAP.

7. Orlando City SC

🦁Óscar Pareja’s squad isn’t flashy, not that it matters - but they get the job done. Expecting a slight drop, not because they’re worse, but because the competition is fierce. 🇺🇾🇭🇷 Biggest loss? Facundo Torres. Massive hit. Marco Pašalić comes in, didn't impress against Miami, though to be fair, it’s only preseason. 💪 Defensively? Solid. No reinforcements, but no major losses either. 👀 Midfield? Strong, but Cartagena missing the first half of the season hurts. Atuesta is a great signing—tons of experience, good replacement for Cartagena. ⚽️ Front four is still dangerous. Ojeda, Ramiro Enrique, Angulo, Muriel, and Pašalić should cause problems for any defense.

8. Nashville SC

🤠 Last year was brutal. Finished 13th, nowhere near expectations. B.J. Callaghan took over in July but didn’t really have time to implement his style. Now? He’s had a full preseason, and Nashville’s looking sharp 4 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇩🇪 Surridge and Mukhtar? Cooking. If they carry that into the season, watch out. ✍️ And the signings? Smart moves. Tagseth great center midfielder, Gastón Brugman MVP in the final last year, and Qasem is a lowkey great pickup. This team is gonna bounce back for sure.

9. New England Revolution

Just scraping into the playoffs, New England Revolution has made some solid moves this offseason. 🧱 Porter brought in Fofana and Ceballos, two good center-backs who already look confident and have solid chemistry in preseason. 🇦🇷🇪🇨 Langoni’s signing last year was huge, and he’ll be even better this year, especially with the addition of Campana from Inter Miami, giving them a reliable striker. 🤕 Chancalay is still injured, but Ganogo’s arrival provides not only depth but also a potential starter. 🐐 Of course, the main man remains Carles Gil, still a game-changer. This team could surprise, but right now, I’m putting them just above the playoff line.

10. Chicago Fire FC

🔥Could sneak in past the revs if they get off to a strong start, the Fire has made some impressive signings, including Bamba and Zinckernagel. Along with the Jack Elliot signing Those players should bring in some much-needed creativity and strength, and the team has definitely made strides this season.

11. DC United

🦅All they have in DC United is Christian Benteke, the top scorer from last year, which is a big plus. 😤 However, they've only made minimal improvements, bringing in a new GK and CB. Despite that, I just don’t think they’ve done enough to compete with the other teams in the league. Their squad still feels like it's lacking the depth and quality needed to really challenge for the playoffs.

12. CF Montreal

❄️ Sorry to the Canadian clubs, but I just can't shake the feeling that Montreal might struggle this season. I like the signing of Vrioni, but last season Josef was the player keeping this team alive. 🤷‍♂️ The team has some exciting players, but when stacked up against the other squads, I just don’t see them finishing much higher.

13. Philadelphia Union

🐍 No reason to sack Jim Curtin. The club brought in Bradley Carnell (ex Red Bulls coach) as manager, who is a solid coach, but they haven’t given him much to work with in terms of budget. 💰 The team has made very few signings this off-season, relying mostly on their academy players. While Ian Glavinovich, Damiani, and Lukic look promising, it's just not enough to make a serious impact. MLS is a league where you need to spend to compete at the highest level, and Philadelphia hasn’t done enough in the transfer market.

14. Toronto FC

🍁 Such a shame what has gone down Toronto with the Italian, it seemed so promising at first but they clearly overspent Insigne taking up that DP spot is a pain and since he’s going to be benched its a huge blow, the board had yet to fix this issue and no clear answers in sight.

15. New York City FC

🐣 Looks set for a biggest downgrade this season. Losing Santi Rodriguez to Botafogo and not having a replacement for him is a massive blow. He was key to Alonso Martinez’s success, and without him, I’m not sure he'll score the same amount of goals. 🪄 They do have some talented players like Hannes Wolf and Agustin Ojeda, but both are still unproven in MLS, and it's uncertain whether they'll step up to the challenge, Also losing James Sands is another blow, so Perea will need to step up in midfield. This will be the biggest surprise in the MLS - a tough year for the city team who can’t wait another season for there home stadium to be built. Wooden Spoon season.

Nov. 30, 2024 Credit: New York Red Bulls