theScore's comprehensive predictions for the 2016 MLS season
With the 2016 MLS season set to kick off on Sunday, three of theScore's footy editors gaze into their crystal balls to predict what will happen in the league’s 21st year of existence. Major awards, title winners, players that will be busts: we have all the answers.
Supporters' Shield winners
Armen Bedakian: FC Dallas will claim the Supporters' Shield after dominating the Western Conference with the pace and skill of its young and hungry core. Players like Mauro Diaz and Fabian Castillo will thrive in 2016.
Anthony Lopopolo: The LA Galaxy maximized their resources this offseason, and they're now set in each position. Expect Nigel de Jong and Steven Gerrard to be an impressive midfield tandem, and Gyasi Zardes to build on his burgeoning career.
Daniel Rouse: In Castillo's best season yet, FC Dallas will overcome last year's playoff disappointment and romp to the best record. LA Galaxy could fall some way short, as their new names struggle to jell in the season's early days, while the East's top six will be too tight to boast a Shield winner.
MLS Cup matchup (and winner)
Bedakian: LA Galaxy vs. Toronto FC. Last season, the two MLS Cup finalists featured little by way of marquee players, but this year, the stars will collide for one grand finale. Steven Gerrard and co. will take on a surging Toronto FC side and come up triumphant as the iconic Liverpool man bows out of the game with an MLS Cup win to his name.
Lopopolo: LA Galaxy vs. Columbus Crew. The black and gold spectacularly fell apart in the opening moments of the 2015 MLS Cup final, but they will have their chance at redemption this year. Kei Kamara, the club's newly minted Designated Player, and captain Michael Parkhurst will lead a more experienced side back to the promised land.
Rouse: LA Galaxy vs. Columbus Crew. Ultimately, know-how will conquer, with Bruce Arena's aged ranks overcoming FC Dallas in a classic Western Conference final before easing past the Crew.
Most Valuable Player
Bedakian: M-V-P? More like A-N-T. The Atomic Ant of Toronto, Sebastian Giovinco, will once again claim the top prize, building on his MVP-winning 2015 form with another unprecedented season of success.
Lopopolo: Kamara famously finished second to Giovinco in the race for the league's biggest individual accolade in 2015, but the Sierra Leone native will get his revenge this time. Last year was his breakout season in MLS, and this season will crown a long, roundabout journey to the U.S.
Rouse: If the Montreal Impact can keep hold of him, Didier Drogba has the ability to break records and single-handedly fire his side to the playoffs - even as he approaches his 38th year.
Newcomer of the Year
Bedakian: The obvious choice is De Jong, but I've got a feeling that Antonio Nocerino is going to enjoy himself in the Orlando City midfield. If he can find the kind of form he displayed in 2011-12 with Milan, he and Kaka have the combined potential to steamroll opposition sides.
Lopopolo: I have to go with the Dutchman. De Jong has always appreciated the North American sports culture - he's a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, and he idolized Charles Barkley - and he will show the U.S. audience that he is more than just a tough-tackling pivot. The 31-year-old can control the tempo of the game, and he will plug all the gaps in the Galaxy midfield.
Rouse: The fact that De Jong is neither attack-minded or creative will see him unfairly overlooked - no defensive-minded player has picked up this award. Last year, Giovinco showed size doesn't matter, and the 5-foot-3 Luciano Acosta will follow in his tiny footsteps as best newcomer.
Golden Boot winner
Bedakian: David Villa. The margin for victory was so small last season, but, with a full year of Andrea Pirlo behind him, the Spanish attacker will build on his 18-goal debut season with a 25-goal haul in 2016 to claim the top-scorer's prize.
Lopopolo: Kamara always puts himself in the right position to score, even if it's just a tap-in. That sense of awareness will win him the scoring title.
Rouse: The influence of Drogba on the field and in the dressing room for the Montreal Impact was unprecedented, and, should he resist the temptation of a backroom staff role at Chelsea, he can build on his emphatic 11 goals in nine starts last term.
Biggest surprise
Bedakian: Frank Lampard's not-so-awful year. The English icon was the butt of many a joke last season, but those who are quick to write Lampard off might just have a change of mind after the former Chelsea man displays the kinds of qualities that made him a Premier League great.
Lopopolo: After rehabilitating from a fractured tibia, Will Johnson had trouble breaking into Portland's lineup. He moved to Toronto FC in the offseason, and he will get the opportunity to impose himself in its midfield. He is playing for his birth city, and he will assume a leadership role in a newly assembled squad. Watch this Canadian international shine.
Rouse: Jelle Van Damme is an unfashionable brute of a defender and has been overlooked despite having the attributes to dominate MLS attacks. Versatile, physical, and experienced - a valuable asset for the Galaxy.
Biggest disappointment
Bedakian: Shkelzen Gashi, brought in to change the fortunes of the Colorado Rapids, just won't be able to muster the kind of talent or experience needed to guide his team out of the basement of the Western Conference.
Lopopolo: Antonio Nocerino last played a competitive match in May 2015, and even though he has a former teammate in Kaka to help him through his first MLS season, the rigors of travel and the demands of weekly football will make it a difficult maiden campaign for the Italian.
Rouse: I fear for Jordan Morris. He certainly has the ability to become a hometown hero with the Seattle Sounders, but to be thrust straight into a spot vacated by Obafemi Martins is a lot of pressure on a 21-year-old's shoulders.
Playoff teams (East)
Bedakian: New York Red Bulls, Columbus Crew, Toronto FC, New England Revolution, Montreal Impact, New York City FC.
Lopopolo: Columbus Crew, New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, New York City FC, Orlando City SC, Montreal Impact
Rouse: New York Red Bulls, New York City FC, Columbus Crew, Montreal Impact, Toronto FC, Orlando City SC
Playoff teams (West)
Bedakian: FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, Seattle Sounders, Vancouver Whitecaps, Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City
Lopopolo: LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City, Vancouver Whitecaps
Rouse: LA Galaxy, FC Dallas, Portland Timbers, Vancouver Whitecaps, Seattle Sounders, Sporting Kansas City
Jordan Morris: Over/Under Obafemi Martins' 15 goals from last season
Bedakian: Under. Between Nelson Valdez starting up top and Morris potentially missing part of the year due to the Copa America, this highly-touted striker's rookie season won't have lots of guaranteed minutes, and while 10 goals is possible, 15 or more isn't likely.
Lopopolo: Under. Morris is going to have a tough enough time breaking into the starting lineup every week.
Rouse: Under. Martins' boots aren't easy to fill, especially for a rookie. The first-season exploits of Cyle Larin were a one-off.
Aged stars: Which veteran will have the best season?
Bedakian: David Villa. The NYCFC star will guide his team to a first playoff appearance while reminding the league just how dangerous a striker he truly can be.
Lopopolo: Andrea Pirlo. With proper rest and a little more familiarity with his environment, the Italian maestro will begin to pick apart MLS with his incisive passes.
Rouse: Drogba. His level of fitness and respect for the league was a credit to a great personality in the game. He certainly won't slack off in what could be his last year in professional football.