ETO’s 2020 MLS Season Preview
The 2020 MLS season begins this weekend and the excitement has skyrocketed thanks to LAFC’s thrilling win over Club Leon in the CONCACAF Champions League. Never has the MLS featured as many prominent Mexican stars as they do today and we at El Tri Online want to give everyone a quick glance at what the 2020 season might hold. Will Chicharito make his mark in the MLS after coming back from europe? Will Carlos Vela help LAFC finally get to an MLS final? And will Alan Pulido be be enough to lead Sporting KC into the playoffs? Our panel of contributors give their thoughts and predictions ahead.
LA Galaxy
With the 25th MLS Season upon us, lets see how one of the founding clubs, the club that has had the most Mexicans play for them, is gearing up for this season. Of course, the biggest news this off-season for the Galaxy, and for MLS in general, was the acquisition of Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez from Spanish side Sevilla. After the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at the end of last season, the LA Galaxy found themselves in need of a striker, as well as a superstar to fill the hole left by the Swedish international. In comes Chicharito. The Mexican striker arrived to much fanfare, with many around the league considering this perhaps the most important MLS signing in the leagues history, or at the very least in the same level of David Beckham. After the usual Los Angeles media tour, with public appearances on late night TV shows and various sporting events, now Chicharito has to prove his worth on the field. While it may be unrealistic to expect Chicharito to have the record breaking seasons that Zlatan had (scoring 30 goals in the 2019 season all while being 2nd in assists for the Galaxy), fans and foes alike can expect for Chicharito to be an immediate impact for the LA Galaxy upfront. It will remain to be seen how many goals and assists Hernandez will be able to tally.
Javier Hernandez wont be alone either. Jonathan Dos Santos will be returning to the team, arguably the teams most important player. The younger Dos Santos brother will have command of the midfield and in prime position to feed Hernandez. While the Galaxy will be without another Mexican international, after the departure of Uriel Antuna (surprisingly, the Galaxy’s second leading goal scorer last year) to Chivas, the Galaxy will be expected to rely more on another young Mexican star, Efrain Alvarez. The Galaxy’s young break-out star will be expected to show his progress in what will now be his 2nd full season with the “G’s”. Mexico and Galaxy fans will be looking to hopefully see this Mexican connection reap benefits to all. Another story to note is the LA Galaxy signing of a young Mexican-American player from their academy by the name of Jonathan Perez. The young Perez has already expressed interest in playing for the Mexico National team as a dream of his, fans will be keeping tabs on the youngster to see how his career progresses.
Aside from the Mexican connections over at the LA Galaxy side, the team has also made a number of other signings that they hope will positively contribute to their 2020 season. The signings of MLS veterans Sasha Kljestan and Aleksandar Katai should bring more stability to the midfield. Christian Pavon will be able to now fully play his first season with the LA Galaxy. Arguably, he may end up being the G’s greatest asset this season, after showing tremendous form in last seasons playoffs and during pre-season games in February. In the defense, the LA Galaxy also brought over another Argentinian international in Emiliano Insua. The ex-Bundesliga player should bring some coverage to a defense that has been the Galaxy’s achilles heel as of the last few seasons. The Galaxy have the arguments to have themselves a successful 2020 season, and many fans will hope to see them do just that. – Vincent
LAFC
LAFC comes into its 3rd season with high expectations. LAFC comes into 2020 with one goal in mind, trophies. They’re currently making a run at the CONCACAF Champions League title and they have high aspirations of winning their first MLS Cup. Last season LAFC succumbed to an experienced Seattle Sounders squad. The matchup against Seattle was always going to be a challenge but it seemed like the emotional toll of beating rivals, LA Galaxy, for the first time, just days before hindered their play in the Western Conference Finals. While Supporter’s Shields are a great start, it’s just that, a start. After setting the record in almost every major category last year, silverware is the top priority for LAFC.
After losing Lee Nguyen to Inter Miami in the expansion draft, Los Angeles decided to part ways with goalkeeper, Tyler Miller. In addition, a somewhat shocking trade LAFC parted ways with defender, Walker Zimmerman. While it would be insane to expect LAFC to repeat the historic run of last year, It is expected to have a similar run, but with the end result of lifting the 2020 MLS Cup. This is clearly one of the best teams in the league, and with the recent influx of young talent, they are on the verge of getting even better. However, it is important to take CONCACAF Champions League into account. If there is any team that can balance Champion’s League and compete at a high level in MLS, it’s LAFC. They have the star power and depth to win both titles. – Ivan
Sporting KC
If there was one word that would describe Alan Pulido the word would be enigma. It seems like Pulido has been in the eye of the storm ever since he began his playing career with Tigres in 2010. After the 2014 World Cup, Pulido tried to emigrate to Levadiakos in Greece, but los Felinos filed a transfer dispute claiming Pulido has signed an extension. Ultimately, Pulido would end up playing in Greece and spend a couple of years there. Chivas de Guadalajara then made Pulido the biggest transfer ever in Liga MX in 2016. But then came a kidnapping. If you haven’t read about the kidnapping check here for the full story, but to summarize Pulido freed himself from kidnappers and had to call the local police to rescue him. This incident shook Pulido and his family and ultimately it was one of the main reasons he chose to migrate to Kansas City according to his interview with Tom Marshall of ESPN.
Sporting KC is looking to move away from the bottom of the table of the Western Conference where they ended 11th last season and 21st in the MLS overall. Alan Pulido alone might not be able to catapult the Wizards to the top of the Western Conference but he will help them compete for one of the last playoff spots. It will be interesting to see how Pulido adapts his game to what he described to be faster pitches in recent interviews. Pulido was alluding to the fact that MLS teams routinely water the pitch before and at halftime leading to the ball moving faster around the field. I predict Pulido will produce around 15 goals and 5 assists for his inaugural season. It will take him some time to get used to the MLS style but ultimately his talent will shine against the weaker MLS defenses.
Kansas City will begin their 2020 journey against the Vancouver Whitecaps on Saturday February 29th. – Ramon
Inter Miami FC
No MLS team debut has been more internationally anticipated than that of icon David Beckham’s Inter Miami. Beckham brought in Sporting Director Paul McDonough to try and replicate his success at Atlanta United where he helped build the team that won the MLS Championship in its second season. McDonough has built this team similarly to the team in Atlanta bringing in young, promising South American talent and league veterans to build the core of the team.
Unlike in Atlanta, in Miami he will have Mextranjero Rodolfo Pizarro pulling the strings of what looks to be a potent Miami offense. Pizarro will be leading the team for a man he knows very well in in ex-Rayados coach Diego Alonso. Alonso will surely play in his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation allowing Pizarro freedom to build. While Pizarro is the face of the team, the team’s success may lie in how well Wil Trapp and Victor Ulloa will adjust to their roles in the midfield double pivot, breaking down attacks and starting their own. It will also be interesting to see how Inter Miami’s first Designated Player Matias Pellegrini adapts to the MLS, with very high hopes set on the 19 year old Argentinian. The pressure will be on this team to follow in the footsteps of LAFC and Atlanta United as successful expansion teams and alot of that success will depend on their key player Pizarro.
Inter Miami had the unfortunate draw to visit possibly the best team in the league as they will travel to Los Angeles and face reigning MVP Carlos Vela and LAFC. – Luiz P
San Jose Earthquakes
The 2020 season looks to be a breakout year for Matías Almeyda and the San Jose Earthquakes. After rumors of leaving in the offseason, Almeyda returns to the sidelines for San Jose but will he answer the major questions his team has coming into the season? The Quakes were the talk of the MLS at one point last season, peaking at second in the MLS Western Conference. Almeyda’s team was clicking, decisively punishing teams on electric counter-attacks. However, the Quakes hit a wall and lost 9 of their last 11 matches to end the 2019 season. A heartbreaking season finale loss to the Portland Timbers saw San Jose on the outside looking in for the playoffs.
Other than signing Mexican defender Oswaldo Alanis from Chivas to bolster the defense, the squad has stayed packed and looks to build upon the chemistry of last season. Alanis has the potential to be a major upgrade in defense for San Jose, and his experience playing for Almeyda previously at Chivas means he should be a key contributor to this season.
Other players to look out for are Carlos Fierro and Andres Rios. Both of which signed in 2019, may feel like new signings as they fight for a starting spot on the team. The Quakes have the potential to be one of the best sides in the MLS but the major question is if they can be consistent with their form. If they can, then watch out. – Jesus T
