Chicago Fire
Last season: 21-12
Outlook: The Fire is the popular choice to repeat as MLS champion in its second season. All 11 starters return, and Josh Wolff will be with the Fire the entire season instead of shuttling back and forth with the Project-40 team. Wolff will give the Fire a little more depth at forward. The one concern will be wear and tear on key foreign veterans Peter Nowak, Roman Kosecki, Jerzy Podbrozny and Lubos Kubik, who broke his leg in the U.S. Open Cup final. Fire coach Bob Bradley hopes to squeeze another year out of the league’s best collection of foreigners. Zach Thornton enters the season as the undisputed No. 1 keeper, and Project-40 allocation Dema Kovalenko will try to duplicate Wolff’s success.
Predicted finish: First
Los Angeles Galaxy
Last season: 24-8
Outlook: Though it couldn’t beat the Fire, the Galaxy rolled over the rest of the league last season, scoring a league-record 85 goals in 32 games. But coach Octavio Zambrano has a potential problem with holdout Mauricio Cienfuegos. The diminutive El Salvadoran midfielder has vowed to sit out the season if he doesn’t receive a pay raise. Cobi Jones (19 goals), Welton (17 goals) and Carlos Hermosillo (six goals in 18 games) are the Galaxy leaders, and Clint Mathis is a promising player in the midfield.
Predicted finish: Second
San Jose Clash
Last season: 13-19
Outlook: Coach Brian Quinn survived the off-season but will not be allowed to miss the playoffs for a third straight season. The Clash improves up front with the addition of Raul Diaz Arce to team with Ronald Cerritos, but Diaz Arce is a contract holdout. Eric Wynalda, who injured his knee in Mexico, is out until September. The Clash was rumored to be in the hunt for goalkeeper Jorge Campos and has two foreign spots open with the departure of Richard Gough and Victor Mella. Eddie Lewis is a rising star.
Predicted finish: Third
Colorado Rapids
Last season: 16-16
Outlook: Colorado should win a tough battle for the final playoff spot, led by Panamanian newcomer Jorge Dely Valdes. The Rapids have a solid nucleus. Playing an offensive, attacking style, Colorado finished fourth in scoring last season with 62 goals, but was last in defense. Led by Marcelo Balboa and Peter Vermes, the defense will have to tighten up if Colorado is going to make the playoffs.
Predicted finish: Fourth
Dallas Burn
Last season: 15-17
Outlook: The Burn will be better if it can just keep its players healthy. Already, standout goalkeeper Mark Dodd is sidelined with a mysterious knee injury. A healthy Burn can challenge in the conference behind Jason Kreis (nine goals), Dante Washington (seven goals), Chad Deering and Leonel Alvarez. The Burn’s Dave Dir and Kansas City’s Ron Newman are the only MLS coaches to have been with the same team since the league started four years ago.
Predicted finish: Fifth
Kansas City Wizards
Last season: 12-20
Outlook: The Wizards went from first place in the West two years ago to last place last season, then added Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas. Whether the move was made more to lure fans to cavernous Arrowhead Stadium or to improve the team can be debated. Mark Chung, who couldn’t get out of K.C. fast enough after feuding with coach Ron Newman last season, was shipped to New York in the deal. Newman may not last until October if things don’t go well for the Wizards early on.
Predicted finish: Sixth.
PLAYOFFS
– Fire over Colorado
– Los Angeles over San Jose
– Fire over Los Angeles
EASTERN CONFERENCE CAPSULES
Columbus Crew
Last season: 15-17
Outlook: The Crew might be the most consistent team in Major League Soccer, finishing 15-17 in all three seasons. Last season’s World Cup cost the Crew Thomas Dooley, Brian Maisonneuve and Brian McBride, who played for the U.S. Still, the Crew advanced to Game 3 of the Eastern finals before losing to D.C. United and took the Fire into overtime before falling in the final of the U.S. Open Cup. Stern John scored 26 goals in 27 games and led the league in scoring with 57 points. If the Crew can survive opening with seven straight road games while its new stadium is completed, it could unseat D.C. United in the East.
Predicted finish: First
D.C. United
Last season: 24-8
Outlook: An off-season purge saw coach Bruce Arena leave to take over the U.S. national team, John Harkes dealt to New England and Tony Sanneh depart for Germany. But D.C. remains loaded for new coach Thomas Rongen, led by MVP Marco Etcheverry. Jaime Moreno (16 goals) and Roy Lassiter (18 goals) form the best forward combination in the league, and Eddie Pope anchors the defense. Rongen’s task is to maintain United’s standard of excellence.
Predicted finish: Second
Miami Fusion
Last season: 15-17
Outlook: Brazilian coach Ivo Wortman guided Miami to a 7-6 record and a spot in the playoffs after taking over. Carlos Valderrama is Miami’s only marquee player, but Diego Serna (11 goals) is tough to knock off the ball. First-round draft pick Jay Heaps may be in the starting lineup on opening day as a man-marking defender. Dusty Hudock might be the opening night starter in goal while Jeff Cassar recovers from an injury.
Predicted finish: Third
New England Revolution
Last season: 11-21
Outlook: Walter Zenga took over the club with six games remaining last season and went 3-3. He’ll be a player-coach this season, manning the nets after letting last year’s starting goalkeeper, Ian Feuer, go to Colorado. Zenga also shipped MLS career scoring leader Raul Diaz Arce to San Jose. The offensive load will fall to Giovanni Savarese, who scored 14 goals for the MetroStars last year, and Joe-Max Moore.
Predicted finish: Fourth
Tampa Bay Mutiny
Last season: 12-20
Outlook: It’s a surprise that the Mutiny still calls Tampa home; by the end of last season it seemed certain to become the first MLS team to relocate. There also was chaos on the field, a 3-12 start, before Tim Hankinson took over and produced a 9-8 record the rest of the way. Scott Garlick, acquired from D.C. United, will be the starting keeper, and Bolivian Jefferson Gottardi and Costa Rican Alejandro Sequeira are a new forward tandem. Jorge Salcedo, formerly of the Fire, will start in midfield.
Predicted finish: Fifth
MetroStars
Last season: 15-17
Outlook: Bora Milutinovic becomes the fifth coach in four years for the always-turbulent MetroStars. He took over for last year’s final regular-season game, won it, then was swept out of the first round of the playoffs. The MetroStars traded marquee players Tony Meola and Alexi Lalas to Kansas City for solid keeper Mike Ammann and Mark Chung, who struggled through a terrible season last year and feuded with K.C. coach Ron Newman. Eduardo Hurtado is the main offensive threat with the trade of Savarese.
Predicted finish: Sixth
PLAYOFFS
– Columbus over New England
– D.C. United over Miami
– D.C. United over Columbus
MLS CUP ’99
– D.C. United over Fire
