Ladies and Gents,

The time has come! MLS is finally back. I’ll be on my couch all weekend watching soccer. Hope you are too. A full 1,840 words for you ❤️ 

• 🇺🇸 Yanks Abroad

• ⬅️ Western Conference Predictions

• ➡️ Eastern Conference Predictions

• 🏆️ MLS Awards

• ⚽️ Goal of the Week

• 😂 Meme of the Week

Yanks Abroad

We’re starting this week with a recap of what’s happening with your USMNT stars abroad.

Weston McKennie continued his Serie A terror with two assists against Inter Milan. He leads all Serie A midfielders in goals scored in all competitions and has 5 goals and 2 assists in his last 11 games. He grabbed another assist yesterday in the Champions League while playing center forward. He’s one of the most versatile players in all of Europe.

Patrick Agyemang scored another towering header for Derby County. He’s in great form with 4 goals in his last 6 games, and all 4 of those goals were game-deciding goals. The big man is making his case for not only a World Cup spot but also a transfer to a Premier League team.

Pellegrino Matarazzo had his 11-game unbeaten streak ended by Real Madrid over the weekend. What hire he’s been for Real Sociedad. Before he took over, they averaged 1 point per game. They now average 2.3 points per game, more than double what they had with the previous manager. And to top it off, they beat Barcelona to end their 11-game win streak. What a start for the first-ever American manager in La Liga.

Noahkai Banks got some love from Landon Donovan and ESPN this week. Donovan made a bold prediction that he’d be starting at the World Cup next to Chris Richards. Banks, who is only 19 years old, has been exceptional for Augsburg in the Bundesliga this season. He’s started 16 straight games with an average rating of 6.9 per Fotmob.

Folarin Balogun scored a brace against the defending Champions League winners, but it wasn’t enough as PSG came back to win 3-2. He passed Christian Pulisic for the most goals by an American in a single Champions League season with 5.

Haji Wright scored a hat-trick in the biggest game of his Coventry career, taking Coventry City back to the top of the English Championship. His 13 goals are the most in the Championship this season.

Between Wright, Balogun, Pepi, and Agyemang, it’s going to be incredibly difficult for Pochettino to leave one out, that’s if he goes with three strikers.

Western Conference Predictions

Alright folks, here are our predictions for how the West will shake out. I’m sure none of you will be upset about any of this 😉. In all seriousness, feel free to reply to this email and rip us a new one if you want; we’re happy to hear the criticism.

1. LAFC - They’re loaded. A full season with Son and Bouanga together is scary. New skipper Marc Dos Santos would have to be really bad to mess this up.

2. Seattle Sounders - Brian Schmetzer has always kept this team in a position to win, but injuries have held them back in recent years. Can Pedro de La Vega become one of the league’s best attackers? If so, they can win anything.

3. Vancouver Whitecaps - They’re returning almost all their key starters and will have a full season with Thomas Müller. There’s no reason this team won’t be one of the best in the West.

4. San Diego - Sophomore Slump? It’s going to be hard to repeat last year’s magic. They still haven’t replaced Chucky Lozano or Luca de la Torre.

5. LA Galaxy - It’s impossible to be as horrific as last year, even with Puig still out, but I think they’ll be better than some expect. The much-improved back line will keep the floor high.

6. FC Dallas - If they had a DP level #10 they’d be a threat to win the West. They can still add one.

7. Houston Dynamo - I’m inspired by their offseason moves. The fun new pieces in the attack will have to gel, but this team has a lot of talent. They could contend for a top spot in the West, or it could end up like Atlanta last year, where their DPs didn’t show up. We shall see.

8. Austin FC - Facundo Torres must be better than Osman Bukari, and he probably will be. They got no output from their DPs last year, so it will all be up to Torres and Uzuni to make this work.

9. San Jose Earthquakes - They have 31 of their 60 MLS goals to replace by losing their 3 main attackers. Timo Werner will help with that, but I’m skeptical of the talent around him.

10. Real Salt Lake - They’re one of two teams (along with Orlando) to make the playoffs each of the last 5 years, so we probably have them too low. Diego Luna will undoubtedly take another step up as well. But they need to find another DP. And Zavier Gozo needs to be a Young Player of the Year candidate.

11. Minnesota United - The James Rodriguez signing is fun, but I’m not sure how well it works out, and losing Eric Ramsay was big. Plus, the way they scored last year wasn’t exactly sustainable.

12. Portland Timbers - Year 3 under Phil Neville. It wouldn’t surprise me if they made the playoffs again, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if they bottomed out and things go awry.

13. Colorado Rapids - There are a lot of holes on the roster that still haven’t been patched, and they haven’t seemed serious about patching them.

14. St. Louis City SC - Where are the goals going to come from? They shipped Joao Klauss to the Galaxy and haven’t replaced him. Beyond that, there’s so much more to do. They’re at least a year away from being a real playoff threat.

15. Sporting Kansas City - Sigh. It doesn’t look promising. They’re undergoing a complete rebuild, though, so we have to be patient.

Eastern Conference Predictions

Just like last year, the Eastern Conference has much more depth than the West, making it difficult to predict.

1. Inter Miami - It’s hard to make an argument that they’re not the most talented team in MLS history.

2. FC Cincinnati - As long as Evander or Denkey don’t get sold during the season (which would require an offer they can’t turn down), they’ll be excellent.

3. Chicago Fire - The Fire will be better than most expect. Their 68 goals were the second most in MLS last year. The problems were in the back, which is uncharacteristic of a Berhalter team. He’ll get that figured out, and they’ll add a big DP soon enough.

4. Nashville SC - They added much-needed depth to the attack with Christian Espinoza after relying on Surridge and Muhktar for 40 of their 58 league goals last year. They have aspirations to take home hardware this year and are equipped to do so.

5. NYCFC - I’m excited for year 2 under Pascal Jansen and am optimistic they’ll find a DP striker sooner than later. If they find one that makes an immediate impact, this team can win trophies.

6. Columbus Crew - There are so many unknowns with the Crew. New coach, no more Nagbe, unproven DPs outside of Rossi. This seems to be their median outcome.

7. Charlotte FC - All together it’s one of the best starting eleven’s in MLS. Luca de la Torre will add much-needed ball progression after they finished in the bottom 10 in touches in the final third and in the box in both of Dean Smith’s seasons.

8. Philadelphia Union - It’s hard to imagine they repeat last year’s Cinderella run, but they’ll be good again. The East is just so damn competitive.

9. Orlando City SC - They posted the 7th-best expected goal differential last season and added a lot of talented youth. But they lost Alex Freeman, who jump-started a lot of their attacks. Oscar Pareja will have to win a playoff series or two to keep his job.

10. New York Red Bulls - I’m optimistic about Michael Bradley as a head coach. They need to nail their final DP spot in order to be a serious playoff contender.

11. Atlanta United - Tata is back, so he could right the ship fast, but what if the DPs continue not to gel?

12. New England Revolution - Lots of unknowns with new coach Marko Mitrovic, and they don’t have a match-winner outside of Carles Gil.

13. Toronto FC - They cleaned house and started over, which is exactly what they should have done. They still have two DP spots to fill. It can only go up from here.

14. DC United - It’ll be interesting how they use Tai Baribo and Louis Munteanu together. I don’t think they’re bound for back-to-back Wooden Spoons, but it’s not out of the question.

15. CF Montreal - They’ve ended in the bottom half of the East in 8 of the past 9 years. The lone year being with Wilfried Nancy. I don’t see that changing.

MLS Awards

🏆️ MLS Cup Champions - FC Cincinnati

They have the talent and are overdue. I hope they finally put it all together.

🛡️ Supporters Shield - Inter Miami

If they don’t win one of the big trophies, it will be considered a failure.

🏆️ Leagues Cup - LAFC

It’s hard not to see them picking up some sort of hardware this year.

🏆️ US Open Cup - NYCFC

They’ve got the goods and will add a star DP at some point.

👑 MLS MVP - Son Heung-Min, LAFC

He’s going to tear up the league all year.

⚽️ Golden Boot - Kevin Denkey, FC Cincinnati

He could get sold, but I think he stays and flourishes in his second season.

🆕 Newcomer of the Year - German Berterame, Inter Miami

Everything is lined up for him to have 20+ goals. If he does, he’ll win this easily.

💪 Defender of the Year - Justin Haak, LA Galaxy

He might end up playing D mid, but he’s one of the few center backs who contribute to the attack with excellent passing.

👶 Young Player of the Year - Luca Bombino, San Diego FC

It could just as likely go to his teammate Manu Duah. Europe has had eyes on them both.

🧤 Goalkeeper of the Year - Matt Freese, NYCFC

It’s a World Cup year. We had to pick him.

📋️ Coach of the Year - Pascal Jansen, NYCFC

We’re bullish on the Pigeons if you can’t tell.

Goal of the Week

Toklomati with the 🚲️ 

Meme of the Week

🤣 

Quick Hits

• Nashville SC extends B.J. Callaghan’s contract (Link)

• Orlando City has acquired Griffin Dorsey for $1m from Houston (Link)

• Where each country will be based for the World Cup (Link)

• Every new MLS kit (Link)

Enjoy your footy this weekend. See you next week.

Max & Mason