Well here we are closing in on mid-April and thus far every team has played 6 or 7 matches with the exception of DC United and NYCFC. This season teams are scheduled to play 34 matches so nominally teams have played 20% of their season. So are you a glass half full or half glass empty type of fan? For the glass half full fans there is a long ways to go and time to correct things that aren’t going well. For the glass half empty fans you’ve seen enough to have a pretty good idea of the strength and weaknesses of your team. Neither perspective is any better or worse than the other. Its just how each fan sees things. In fact, at this point of the season I would suggest that both perspectives can be correct.
The key to me is to dissect what your team has shown so far and to try and ascertain if its repeatable or explainable. If your team has come out firing on all cylinders can you expect that to continue? Does their schedule get tougher the rest of the way? If your team has started out flat can you rationalize it away? Early season injury bug? New players getting acclimated to a new team, coach, and tactics? One thing sports fans are really, really good at is to be able to explain away a teams faults or lay out why their early season amazing play will continue. And like most things in life the reality probably lies somewhere in the middle! Now here’s a hint. Take a look at the lead in picture. If you want to be a successful soccer team you need keepers that can do this!
Thus far there have been some insane goals already but its hard to imagine that this stunner from Brandon Servania won’t be in the running for the Goal of the Year. Initially my thought was that no way the keeper should get beat on that shot. Then I saw the view from behind the ball. Holy hell that was unstoppable.
So lets take a look at the 28 teams and how they faired thus far compared to the pre-season projections.
Eastern Conference
Atlanta FC :
The most expensive roster in the league and the roster depth that does with that. In the preview the question raised was where were their goals going to come from. Thus far their 9 goals have come from 8 different players. That’s a good recipe for success. When you have multiple weapons its much harder for the opposition to focus their defense to shut down one or two attackers. In the preview they were projected to finish 4th in the conference. Bingo so far! They are currently 4th.
CF Montreal:
Back before the season the key to Montreal seemed to be how newcomer Kei Kamara fit into the roster and did he still have solid attacking skills at age 37. Thus far he has scored a goal and earned an assist. But his real value has been to attract the attention of opposing defenses to open up the game for other players. In this case it has been especially helpful for midfielder Djordje Mihailovic who leads the team in goals (3) and assists (2), His play is having lots of attention by USMNT fans calling for him to get another look this summer, especially with the most recent injury to Gio Reyna. The projection was for Montreal to move up the table this season and finish in 5th. They currently sit in 9th but only 2 points out of 5th. They need to tighten up their defense. They have allowed a league worst 15 goals thus far (tied with several others). That won’t get them where they should be,
Charlotte FC:
Wow there is so much to say about this first year club. Set an MLS attendance record in their home opener with almost 75.000 fans in their home opener. They have been lights out at home too going 3-0-1. Their problem has been away from the friendly confines of Bank of America stadium where they have yet to earn a single point (0-0-3). But for a team projected to finish last in the conference fans are pretty happy to see them sitting in 5th. Can that continue? Certainly they are likely to regress some but they believe in themselves so who knows.
Chicago Fire:
Well its been a very interesting start for the Fire. They aren’t scoring much at all and but newcomer Xheridan Shaqiri has been a key in the midfield. While he’s only scored once this far he does lead the team with 2 assists. They may have enough in the attack to do better than their projected 10th place finish. They currently sit in 6th. But what an odd team. They have only scored 5 goals in their 6 matches but they have only allowed 2. In the preseason the player suggested to keep and eye on was goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. Well he hasn’t disappointed thus far. The 17 year old kid (turns 18 next month) is tied for the league lead with 4 clean sheets. You might see him this summer with the USMNT.
Columbus Crew:
The preseason projection was that they would finish 7th just barely in the playoffs. So far they have played to script as they indeed sit in 7th. They are second in the conference in goals scored with 10 and have just allowed 7 in their 6 matches. They seem to be sitting right on expectations.
D.C. United:
As predicted they have definitely taken a hit with the loss of wingers Paul Arriola and Kevin Paredes. Arriola has been very good for Dallas and Paredes has already made the bench for the Wolfsburg first team. Those are just tough to replace and will take some time. For DC fans they will probably have to be content watching them develop a new scheme and look forward to better things next year. Projected to finish in 11th they currently sit in 10th. For the glass half full guys they have only allowed 5 goals thus far. For the glass half empty guys they have only scored 5 goals. If they can find a way to get the ball in the back of the next more often without sacrificing their defense they could make a bit of a move up the table.
FC Cincinnati:
Ok they aren’t sitting in next to last as projected. In fact they are all the way up in 11th. So I guess some fans might feel good about that as they were projected to finish only ahead of the expansion team in Charlotte. Their problem last season centered around a weak defense especially in goalkeeping. Well they brought in Alec Kahn to bolster the back end. Unfortunately, at least so far, it hasn’t improved anything. Kahn has an abysmal save rate of only 51.7%. Half full or half empty doesn’t matter. That isn’t going to cut it.
Inter Miami CF:
Lets just cut to the chaste with this side. They were projected to stink and finish 12th in the conference. Well they do stink and they sit tied for last. In their 6 matches they have only scored times while allowing a league worst 15. When you average allowing 1.5goals/game MORE than you score….well you get the picture. For the die hard glass half full guys I guess you can say they have no place to go but up.
New England Revolution:
The reigning conference champs were projected to take a bit of a hit this season losing Matt Turner in the June transfer window to Arsenal, and Tajon Buchanon to FC Brugge in Belgium. Unfortunately its been worse than expected not the least due to the fact that Turner has been injured and has not played a single minute. He is back in training and should return soon. And boy do they need him. Their goalkeeping has not been good. Earl Edwards has started 4 games and has a save rate of 52.9% and a horrible passing rate of 56.3%. Brad Knighton has only been a bit better in his 2 starts with a save rate of 60% but a much better passing rate of 83.3%. While they may not get up to their projected finish (3rd) they are much better than where they sit now (13th).
New York City FC:
Here’s a team that you will be misled by if you just look at their standings. Projected to finish 2nd in the East a casual fan would laugh at them down in 12th. Be careful as they may get the last laugh. First off they are only 4 points off the playoff cutline but have a game (or two) in hand over every other team except for DC. And their defense has been really good thus far. Their problem hasn’t been in creating chances its been finishing them. Its early and I expect Tata Castellanos to start finding goals. This team will be there come playoff time.
New York Red Bull:
So far so good. Are they overperforming or have they figured something out. For several years now they have been a high pressing attacking soccer team that just didn’t seem to score the number of goals they should considering their style of play. Thus far they are tied for second in the conference with 10 goals and second in goal differential as well. For a team projected to miss the playoffs down in 9th Red Bull fans are plenty excited. Now here’s the really crazy thing. They winless at home (0-1-2) and undefeated on the road (3-0-0). Now neither of those is the way they will end up but if they continue to play that well on the road then they will make the playoffs.
Orlando City SC:
Another team that has started out quite well sitting 2nd in the conference albeit they have played the most number of games (7). And they are doing it with a very balanced approach. They don’t score much (8) but they allow less than they score (7) which is always a solid recipe for success. And they have also been balanced in how they score with 6 players tallying those 8 goals). They may miss having Daryl Dike in the middle but its not showing up that way on the scoreboard. While I expect them to slide down a bit in the table they still have the look of a playoff team and on par or maybe even better than their projected 6th place finish.
Philadelphia Union:
Projected to finish atop the East and that’s exactly where they sit. Simply put they have been unbeatable. In their first 6 matches their only blemish was a season opening 1-1 draw with Minnesota. Since then they have reeled off 5 straight wins outscoring their opponents 9-1. In fact they haven’t allowed a goal in their last 4 matches. Yikes they are good. Very good. With goalkeeper Andre Blake standing on his head as usual (89.5% save rate) their prognosis for the season looks great.
Toronto FC:
Projected to finish 8th and that’s just where they are at the moment. And also as predicted they are fun to watch. They attack with a lot of different looks and have turned those attacks into 9 goals in 6 matches. But, again as predicted, their defense isn’t so fun to watch having allowed 11 goals thus far. Coach Bob Bradley needs to shore up their defense if they want a chance at making the playoffs.
Western Conference
Austin FC:
One of the key preseason questions was whether newcomer Ruben Gabrielsen would make an immediate impact in Austin to bolster their porous defense and provide some ability to start attacks from deep in their own end. Projected to finish down in 12th they are playing much better than that. Gabrielsen is 2nd on the team in interceptions and 3rd in completed passes. And that has helped the team completely turn around their goal differential. Worst in the league last season to first so far this year. Probably won’t continue at that pace but they have come out much stronger than anticipated and sit in 4th. Doubtful they finish that high but they might be in the hunt for a playoff spot. But also need to temper expectations just a bit. Their record is potentially inflated as they have started with 4 home matches in their first 6. Undefeated at home but a draw and a loss on the road.
Colorado Rapids:
After finishing 1st in the conference last season expectations were that they were due for a bit of regression especially with the losses of Kellyn Acosta (LAFC) and Cole Bassett (Dutch club Feyenoord). And indeed they have taken a step back falling to 9th but only 2 points shy of the playoffs. Once again they look to be a really tough out at home (2-1-0). If they can find a way to pick up some points on the road (0-1-2 for a mere 1 point in three matches) they will make the playoffs.
FC Dallas:
A bit like Austin in that they have had a favorable schedule thus far (4 home and 2 away). The good news for Dallas fans is that they don’t appear to be missing Ricardo Pepi or Justin Che much at all. Paul Arriola has been very strong on the right wing and Jesus Ferreira has taken over the #9 spot and is tied for the league lead with 5 goals. If they can maintain their very positive goal differential (+6 to date) they may well finish in playoff contention. Much better than their projected 10th place finish.
Houston Dynamo FC:
Another surprise so far sitting in 6th from a preseason projection of dead last. The difference thus far has clearly been the turnaround in their goal differential. From worst in the conference to 4th best. Hard to see that continuing but bringing in Steve Clark from Portland to mind the nets is certainly paying dividends. But temper this team a bit as they also have had a favorably schedule so far.
Los Angeles Galaxy:
One of the bigger surprises this season. They have actually played some good defense to go with their potent attack. They are only allowing 1.0 goals/game. If they can continue that they could finish better than their projected 8th. They are led up top by Chicharito who is tied for the league lead in goals with 5. Fans of the Mexican National Team continue to wonder why he wasn’t called in for their WC qualifying campaign when they were struggling to score goals. And that’s a dang good question. Will they finish 2nd like they sit right now? Highly doubtful as there are some very strong teams who haven’t put it together yet.
Los Angeles FC:
This team was projected to make a pretty good move up the table this year after finishing 9th and out of the playoffs. They made some solid moves and the question was would those moves be good enough especially defensively. The big move was to bring in goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau. Allowing just 6 goals in their first 6 matches is what they need to stay up near the top of the conference (currently #1). Everybody knows that LAFC has a potent attack but they have surprised even their ardent fans this early season in that they have 9 different goal scorers. Tough to defend that kind of an attack.
Minnesota United:
Sitting in 10th is a bit below their projection of 7th. They have been a very odd team thus far. The glass half empty guys say they don’t score having found the net only 5 times in their first 6 matches. The half full guys say yeah but they don’t allow goals having only given up 5 so far. The problem for Loons fans is that even if they find a bit more in the attack there are just too many teams that are better than them. Its early but they don’t have the look of a playoff team at the moment, at least offensively.
Nashville FC:
Be very careful looking at the standings and asking what has happened to Nashville? They sit clear down in 7th place. You wouldn’t be wrong in that assessment. But context is key. Take a look at the far right side of the standings and you’ll notice that they have gone 3-1-2 thus far. ALL on the road. And they have 2 more road matches before their first home game on May 1st. They still have a very talented defense and will be near the top of the conference come the playoffs.
Portland Timbers:
After finishing 4th last season but making the Audi Cup finals Timber fans were excited for 2022. But some, including me, cautioned that their team was the proverbial good news/bad news deal. The good is that they are filled with very experienced players. And that bodes well for the playoffs when smarts can really make a difference. The bad is that that experience has come with age. The question facing them this year would they age out quicker than they could build new talent into their roster. Thus far the answer seems to be unfortunately yet. When you start to lose your legs the first things that goes is your ability to defend. Portland has allowed the 2nd most goals in the conference. Not a good sign. They sit in 9th right on par with the projection.
Real Salt Lake:
One of the best things that may have happened to RSL thus far has been the injury to keeper David Ochoa. He hasn’t played a minute and its not sure how much longer his injury will keep him out. And veteran Zac MacMath has performed quite well in his place and without all the drama. Perhaps this will be good for Ochoa. He might figure out that he is better to focus on playing and not all the outside antics. Hard to see them staying up in 3rd when they were projected clear down in 11th but time will tell. Perhaps their balanced attack (7 goals scorers) and being less susceptible to counters will give them a better outlook?
San Jose Earthquakes:
Its hard no matter how much I try to see the Quakes and no Chris Wondolowski. After a woeful 10th place finish last season projections were bad again this year. 13th on my board and here there are actually down in last. The biggest issue is on defense where they have allowed a league worst 15 goals 6 matches. That isn’t cutting it and I don’t expect it to get much better. They look like who we thought they were.
Seattle Sounders:
Another team to be careful assessing them off a quick glance at the standings. Projected to finish in 1st they sit clear down in 11th. But they have played the fewest matches of any team. They also have had a rash of injuries. And if you think their scoring line of just 6 goals in 6 matches means their offense has fallen back just ask NYCFC. The Sounders thrased them 3-1 last week in the first leg of their CONCACAF Champions League semi-finals match. And Jordan Morris looks fully fit. Seattle will be up near the top of the table come playoff time.
Sporting Kansas City:
Simple story line thus far for Sporting. Giving up twice as many goals as they are scoring and just dreadful on the road (0-0-4). Predicted to finish the same as last year (3rd) they sure don’t look it so far sitting in 12th and having played the most games in the league at 7. Thus far the help they brought in over the winter to bolster their defense hasn’t done so. Its early but they need to turn things around quickly lest they dig themselves to big of a hole to climb out of.
Vancouver Whitecaps:
Next to last after making the playoffs last year and predicted to do so again this year isn’t they start they wanted. So what has gone wrong? Well pretty much everything. They have scored the fewest goals (tied with several teams) and have allowed the third most in the conference. Their -7 differential is “good” for last in the conference too. Like Sporting they need a pretty big turnaround quick or it will be a long season in Vancouver.
So there you have it. Are you a glass half full or empty kind of fan? Lots of good and lots of not so good so far in the early season.
Soccer Analyst
Steve is an avid fan of all things soccer and the O’s. Originally from the west, he grew up in the Baltimore area. He returned to the west for college where he earned a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from Montana State University and spent 36 years working at the Idaho National Laboratory prior to retiring in 2013. It was during his school years in Baltimore where he learned to play soccer and that developed into a life long passion. He played competitively for over 40 years and was a four year starting goalkeeper at MSU. He also coached and refereed in the Idaho premier soccer and High School programs for many years.