2025 MLS Preseason Power Rankings

At long last, Major League Soccer is set to return this weekend. With the addition of San Diego FC, an even 30-team league makes for better scheduling across MLS. The two largest purchases in league history were completed during the offseason, along with an arrary of other world class quality players. As the league continues to grow and the on-field product improves, new storylines will continue to sprout. The 2025 season is set to be another thrilling campaign in a league where predictions are nearly useless to make. The parity in MLS is unmatched year-to-year, making each team difficult to place. With that being said, here are the totally meaningful preseason power rankings.

1. FC CINCINNATI

FC Cincinnati lost its best player in Luciano Acosta, so the club went out and replaced him with arguably an even better player, and added the second-most expensive player in league history. Evander arrived on an in-league record fee of $12m, while Kevin Denkey's transfer cost $16m. Teaming those two pieces up with Luca Orellano should leave the rest of MLS in fear. Lukas Engel was brought in from Middlesbrough to fill the wingback role, and Cincy retained the rest of its spectacular backline and midfield. Evander has MVP potential in 2025, as proven by his half-hour cameo in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Heading into the season, this is the team to beat based on lineup power alone.

PROJECTED XI: Celentano; Engel, Hadebe, Miazga, Robinson, Yedlin; Nwobodo, Bucha, Evander; Orellano, Denkey

2. INTER MIAMI CF

Inter Miami is always going to be a competitive team as long as Lionel Messi is around, and the club has added some new pieces to help him in 2025. Tadeo Allende is on loan from Celta Vigo to add some help on the wing. Fafa Picault brings veteran depth. Miami beefed up its defense and midfield with the additions of Gonzalo Lujan, Maxi Falcon and Telasco Segovia. All four of the former FC Barcelona stars are returning to the lineup, setting up the squad for another successful year. It feels like this is their prime chance to get the ultimate job done of winning MLS Cup following a disappointing playoff exit as the Supporters' Shield champions.

PROJECTED XI: Callender; Alba, Martinez, Lujan, Weigandt; Busquets, Redondo, Segovia; Messi, Allende, Suarez

3. ATLANTA UNITED

Atlanta United has built one of the scariest attacks in Major League Soccer during the offseason. When bringing back a club legend that was a major part of winning MLS Cup in 2018 is only the second-biggest move, things are looking good. Miguel Almiron is back in the A after six years and 186 apperances for the Premier League's Newcastle. Emmanuel Latte Lath arrived via a league-record $22m purchase to fill the striker position. He has quick feet and is a dangerous goal scorer, exactly what the doctor ordered. They also grabbed Mateusz Klich and somehow convinced DC United to pay most of his DP salary. Alexey Miranchuk will get a full season to pull the strings. The defense is the biggest question mark, as both fullbacks are fairly attacking players, but the attack might just make up for it anyway.

PROJECTED XI: Guzan; Amador, Williams, Gregersen, Lennon; Slisz, Klich, Miranchuk, Almiron, Lobjanidze; Latte Lath

4. LA GALAXY

LA Galaxy would assume the No. 1 spot coming off an MLS Cup victory, if not for a Riqui Puig torn ACL. Puig's importance to this team cannot be understated, and he will likely not return until the final two months at best. Joseph Paintsil will also miss the first two months or so, but the Galaxy are more than prepared. They had to let go of Dejan Joveljic, Mark Delgado and Gaston Brugman, though they have solid replacements. Lucas Sanabria came on a $5m fee to run the center of midfield with Edwin Cerrillo. Up top, they made a Superman signing in Christian Ramirez with a high-potential Matheus Nascimento as a backup. The back remains mostly the same, and Emiro Garces will have an opportunity to showcase his high-level defending, as he did at the end of last season. The Galaxy should be just fine without Puig, as Marco Reus and Diego Fagundez will fill the void.

PROJECTED XI: McCarthy; Aude, Yoshida, Garces, Yamane; Sanabria, Cerrillo, Reus, Pec, Fagundez; Ramirez

5. SEATTLE SOUNDERS

The Seattle Sounders boast the best defense in the league, conceding just 35 goals in 2024. Jackson Ragen has been phenomenal and Yeimar has been one of the best defenders in the league for many years. Stefan Frei holds down the net per usual, maybe this is the year he wins that elusive Goalkeeper of the Year. In attack, things have been altered. Jesus Ferreira and Paul Arriola flocked from FC Dallas, while Leo Chu went the other way. Joshua Atencio is off to Colorado, so Obed Vargas has a solidifed role in the midfield, and is gaining interest from abroad. The Sounders hope that Pedro de la Vega will stay healthy and break out. If the team can recreate their defensive performances from a year ago, there's no reason Seattle will not be in the conversation in the West.

PROJECTED XI: Frei, Nouhou, Ragen, Yeimar, A. Roldan; Vargas, C. Roldan, Rusnak, Morris, de la Vega; Ferreira

6. LAFC

LAFC held onto Denis Bouanga once again, so the attack will remain prolific. However, the team needs a bit more out of France's all-time leading goal scorer in Olivier Giroud than he showed at the end of last asesaon. Cengiz Under is a quality DP rental on the wing with Antoine Griezmann potentially on the way in the summer. If not, Under has a purchase option and can stay if he excels. The center back depth is some of the best in the league and the fullbacks are quality. The midfield got a real revamp, with Mark Delgado arriving from the rival Los Angeles team and Brazilian Igor Jesus slotting in for around $4m. The lineup looks great and has a chance to improve in the summer transfer window, so except LAFC to be one of the top dogs in the Western Conference.

PROJECTED XI: Lloris; Hollingshead, Long, Tafari, Palencia; Delgado, Jesus, Tillman; Bouanga, Under, Giroud

7. COLUMBUS CREW

Columbus Crew is an interesting case in 2025. The attack has been absolutely ripped apart with no new additions coming in. A DP striker may be on the way eventually, but for now the club's trust is in Jacen Russell-Rowe. Dylan Chambost will have an opportunity to show his ability as well. For now, Columbus is one of the only teams in the league without a new addition in the starting lineup. Cucho Hernandez left for Real Betis on a fee that was perhaps lower than expected, Christian Ramirez joined LA Galaxy and Alexandru Matan departed the club. The defense and midfield loooks exactly the same, and that is the saving grace of this team. The consensus league-wide is that a Wilfried Nancy-coached team will never be bad, and the backbone of the team supports that claim. It may take some adjustment and a reinforcement down the line, but the Crew are not going away.

PROJECTED XI: Schulte; Amundsen, Camacho, Moreira; Arfsten, Nagbe, Zawadzki, Farsi; Rossi, Chambost; Russell-Rowe

8. CHARLOTTE FC

Charlotte FC had the top scoring defense in the Eastern Conference in 2024 thanks to contributions from Goalkeeper of the Year Kristijan Kahlina and star center back Adilson Malanda. Since it began play in the league, the attack has gone through a variety of looks, but 2025's setup is the best yet. Crystal Palace's top modern legend in Wilfried Zaha will cover the wings with Liel Abada. Patrick Agyemang finally gets the striker position to himself after Enzo Copetti and Karol Swiderski's departures. Charlotte is just an extremely well-rounded team with no striking weaknesses. Ashley Westwood will remain crucial in the midfield. The sky is the limit for this team if Zaha has his way and the defense remains at least nearly as rock-solid.

PROJECTED XI: Kahlina; Ream, Malanda, Privett, Byrne; Westwood, Diani, Biel, Zaha, Abada; Agyemang

9. NEW YORK RED BULLS

The New York Red Bulls are the equivalent of the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, it doesn't matter what the team looks like, they're always going to end up in the playoffs. RBNY has qualified for the posteason in each of the last 15 seasons, and there's no clear reason that streak will end now. Last season, that run finally brought them back to MLS Cup, where the Galaxy were too much to handle. The big offseason acquisition was Eric Choupo-Moting, who has experience scoring goals for Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munchen. Alexander Hack, who spent eight years in the Bundesliga, will slot into the middle of defense. Emil Forsberg has the potential to hit an even higher level as well. The Red Bulls are set up for another solid year.

PROJECTED XI: Coronel; Morales, Hack, S. Nealis, D. Nealis; Edelman, Carballo, Forsberg, Harper; Morgan, Choupo-Moting

10. MINNESOTA UNITED

Minnesota United is one of the more intriguing teams in the league, especially with a full season of Kelvin Yeboah. Based on the nine goals he scored in just 12 matches at the club to close last season, Yeboah has Golden Boot potential. Robin Lod had an incredible season in 2024, and will need to recreate some of that success along with DP Joaquin Pereyra, who is still a bit of an unknown. The manner in which the Loons plan to set up is still up in the air, but if the end of last year is any indication, it will be a five-back with a mix of youth and the 36-year-old Michael Boxall. Minnesota focused on acquiring depth this offseason, so the team is certainly ready for the 34-game season ahead.

PROJECTED XI: St. Clair; Diaz, Boxall, Harvey; Rosales, Trapp, Lod, Pereyra, Hlongwane; Oluwaseyi, Yeboah

11. HOUSTON DYNAMO

Houston Dynamo went out and acquired Jack McGlynn in a bargain $2m deal to replace Coco Carrasquilla, which was the most important task of the offseason. This team excels defensively, conceding an impressive 39 goals in 2024. Micael will be departing the team, though Daniel Steres can step into that spot. Franco Escobar, Griffin Dorsey and Erik Sviatchenko are the crucial pieces for the Dynamo. In attack is where the questions lie. Amine Bassi has done well with what he's had. The biggest X factor, though, is Ezequiel Ponce. If Ponce can be the consistent scorer Houston needs, things are looking up. If not, it will remain difficult to win games in bulk without scoring, as the Dynamo were the only Western playoff team that failed to score 50 goals in 2024.

PROJECTED XI: Tarbell; Escobar, Steres, Sviatchenko, Dorsey; Artur, McGlynn, Bassi, Aliyu, Kowalczyk; Ponce

12. ORLANDO CITY SC

Orlando City addressed the departure of Facundo Torres with a $5m purchase of Marco Pasalic. The front office dealt with the season-ending achilles injury of Wilder Cartagena by grabbing a proven MLS central midfielder in Eduard Atuesta. Orlando did its job during the offseason. Robin Jansson is a quality center back and the fullbacks have the potential to take another step. Martin Ojeda and Ivan Angulo have ideas in the attack. The biggest remaining issue is at the striker position, though having too many good options is a non-issue. Ramiro Enrique, Duncan McGuire and Luis Muriel all have a case for the spot and will share time as a committee. Orlando has an all-around good team that should compete in the East.

PROJECTED XI: Gallese; Santos, Jansson, Schlegel, Thorhallsson; Araujo, Atuesta, Ojeda, Angulo, Pasalic; Enrique

13. COLORADO RAPIDS

The Colorado Rapids were one of the pleasant surprises in 2024 as a result of their offseason additions. This winter, they revamped the center back position and grabbed a young attacker in Ted Ku-DiPietro. In the midfield, Joshua Atencio will join the ranks with Cole Bassett and Conor Ronan. The fullbacks have USMNT experience and should be solid for the Rapids. Ian Murphy, Chidozie Awaziem and Andreas Maxso give ample options at center back. Colorado desperately needs Rafael Navarro to remain the goal-scorer he proved he can be in 2024. Most importantly, Djordje Mihailovic must run the show, and that aspect does not look to be at risk after watching his domination of LAFC in the CCC.

PROJECTED XI: Steffen; Vines, Awaziem, Maxso, Cannon; Atencio, Bassett, Mihailovic, Cabral, Ku-DiPietro; Navarro

14. AUSTIN FC

Austin FC did what very few teams have ever done before, signing two DP strikers in the same window. Myrto Uzuni arrived from Granada on a $12m fee with a pedigree of scoring in Spain soon after Brandon Vazquez returned to the league on a $10m fee. Uzuni may cover the flanks with fellow DP Osman Bukari. If this trio of DPs works out well for Austin this season, it has potential to be one of the best windows across the league. If the goals don't come rushing in, regrets may be had. In the midfield, Besard Sabovic and Ilie Sanchez will join Dani Pereira. Defensively, Austin has multiple avenues to pick from, which just means there's deph there as well. ATX is one of the more underrated teams in the 2025 preseason considering the money it spent to directly improve the roster.

PROJECTED XI: Stuver; Gallagher, Hines-Ike, Svatok, Desler; Sanchez, Sabovic, Pereira; Bukari, Uzuni, Vazquez

15. REAL SALT LAKE

Real Salt Lake may be in some trouble in attack. The midfield is the team's best quality, especially with Pablo Ruiz returning from injury. Braian Ojeda had a fantastic 2024 and the converted midfielder in Emeka Eneli performed well. Brayan Vera anchors a very capable defense. Those are not the things to worry about. The most pressing issue at the moment is the lack of striker. Elias Manoel seems to be on the way out before even playing a game for RSL, leaving Forster Ajago and Ariath Piol as the options, a pair who has scored just six career first-divison goals. Diogo Goncalves and Dominik Marczuk did not show much in their few appearances last year. Diego Luna, 21, is the only proven MLS attacker and is currently working through an injury. This is a true boom-or-bust team, if the unknowns in attack turn into positives, watch out. Otherwise, RSL could miss out on the postseason.

PROJECTED XI: Cabral; Katranis, Vera, Glad, Hidalgo; Ojeda, Eneli, Goncalves, Luna, Marczuk; Ajago

16. NYCFC

NYCFC is set to sell Santiago Rodriguez to Botafogo for around $15m. This completely changes the complexion of the team, as 37-year-old Maxi Moralez is the backup. Alonso Martinez absolutely has to keep up the scoring form he introduced in 2024. Hannes Wolf and Agustin Ojeda both need to take a step up in their play, along with Julian Fernandez. The rest of the squad is solid, though James Sands will have to be replaced, likely by Justin Haak or Andres Perea. Matt Freese was fantastic between the pipes as well, so more where that came from is crucial. NYCFC is usually a competitor in the East, and that trend will likely rise or fall based on how it deals with the loss of its top attacking contributor.

PROJECTED XI: Freese; O'Toole, Risa, Martins, Gray; Parks, Haak, Moralez, Ojeda, Wolf; Martinez

17. PORTLAND TIMBERS

The Portland Timbers' story of the offseason was losing Evander after internal issues broke the relationship down. Evander is an MLS MVP-caliber player, making it a massive loss, but not all hope should be lost quite yet. The Timbers are returning the blazing attacking trio of Jonathan Rodriguez, Santiago Moreno and Felipe Mora. On top of that, Kevin Kelsy made a $6m move to compete with Mora. In the attacking midfield spot, David da Costa arrived on a separate $6m deal from Lens. He is quick and plays incisive through balls, which will likely play to the strengths of his team. The defense is mostly the same, though the roster now has five very capable center backs, so trading one may be smart. Diego Chara will earn a plethora yellow cards for his 15th straight season in Oregon. Even with the loss of top talent, Portland can easily still be one of the best attacking teams in the Western Conference.

PROJECTED XI: Crepeau; Fory, Miller, Zuparic, Mosquera; Chara, Ayala, da Costa, Rodriguez, Moreno; Mora

18. NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

The New England Revolution has largely been written off as being too much of a question mark this preseason, which is a fair assessment considering they parted ways with 19 players and acquired 13 brand-new ones. Judgment must indeed be reserved for when the Revs begin play with a whole new team, but sporting director Curt Onalfo did his job. Leonardo Campana arrived in the largest GAM trade in league history. The center backs have been completely cleaned out and replaced. Carles Gil has new toys to play with, plus Tomas Chancalay will return from his ACL recovery in April. A full season of Alhassan Yusuf and Luca Langoni should bear fruits. New England has the worst betting odds to win MLS Cup in 2025, but be careful, this team now has all the tools it needs and is hardly recognizable from its dreadful 2024 season.

PROJECTED XI: Ivacic; Sands, Fofana, Ceballos, Bye; Yueill, Yusuf, Gil, Ganago, Langoni; Campana

19. ST. LOUIS CITY SC

St. Louis City's big-time additions arrived last summer, giving the rest of the league a sneak-peek of what's to come. Cedric Teuchert and Marcel Hartel showed real flashes of quality at the end of 2024. Joao Klauss was not the same player last season, but a resurgence is plausible. STL focused on defense this offseason, acquiring Timo Baumgartl from Schalke to anchor the defense. Conrad Wallem is prepared to take on a wingback role if St. Louis does opt for a triple center back formation. Eduard Lowen has consistently been one of the top central midfielders since he joined the league as well. The German-heavy roster will look to revert results back to St. Louis' inaugural season, rather than its lackluster sophomore one.

PROJECTED XI: Burki; Horn, Baumgartl, Kessler; Wallem, Durkin, Lowen, Totland, Hartel, Teuchert; Klauss

20. CF MONTREAL

CF Montreal heavily dislike signing Designated Players. It has become a rarity for the club to have more than one on the roster. Montreal shipped DP striker Matias Coccaro out to Atlas on loan and acquired Giacomo Vrioni as its lone DP instead. New England desperately wanted to get Vrioni off the books, and found him a home up north. The attacking midfield duo of Caden Clark and Bryce Duke has a lot of potential considering their youth and ability. Jalen Neal joined the defensive corps of Joel Waterman and George Campbell, so the roster is looking solid on that end. Nathan Saliba is another young talent that has begun to break out. Montreal is likely not much of a contender in 2025, but there's a ton of untapped potential in this side.

PROJECTED XI: Sirois; Neal, Waterman, Campbell; Pearce, Piette, Saliba, Marshall-Rutty, Clark, Duke; Vrioni

21. FC DALLAS

FC Dallas had a fire sale this offseason, letting go of Alan Velasco, Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola and Nkosi Tafari. Velasco's $12m departure fee to Boca Juniors opened up the $5m acquisition of attacking midfielder and 2023 MLS MVP Luciano Acosta. Petar Musa is returning to his position up top after scoring 16 goals in his debut season. The issue is that Acosta and Musa cannot do everything on their own. Bernard Kamungo and Anderson Julio must get in on the scoring, and luckily for them, Acosta is exactly the kind of player who makes everyone around him better. The club replaced Tafari with the club-record defensive signing of Osaze Urhoghide on a $3m fee. Ramiro will take on the Asier Illarramendi role. Any team with Lucho on it has a good chance of making the playoffs, but there is work to be done in reaching that point.

PROJECTED XI: Paes; Farfan, Abubakar, Urhoghide, Moore; Ramiro, Delgado, Acosta, Julio, Kamungo; Musa

22. SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

The San Jose Earthquakes were the worst defensive team in MLS history during the 2024 season, so their solution was grabbing two high-profile strikers. Their solution defensively was picking up a handful of defenders and midfielders from the third-worst defensive team in MLS history, the 2024 New England Revolution. There is a lot of excitement around the Chicho Arango trade from Real Salt Lake and the free agent signing of Josef Martinez, and rightfully so. Cristian Espinoza and Hernan Lopez desperately needed some help in that regard, a pair of players capable of finishing the chances they create. Unfortunately, the likes of Dave Romney, Nick Lima and Mark-Anthony Kaye are probably not good enough to kill the defensive woes of recent times. If Bruce Arena's magic works itself out in that department, the attacking quartet is more than compelling.

PROJECTED XI: Daniel; Costa, Romney, Rodrigues, Lima; Kaye, Harkes, Lopez, Espinoza; Arango, Martinez

23. CHICAGO FIRE

Chicago Fire likely has the highest rising potential out of the bottom tier of clubs. Jonathan Bamba arrived from Celta Vigo on a fee of just $2m, a great deal for a player that proved himself in Ligue 1 for many years. On the other wing, Philip Zinckernagel was another bargain, on a sub-$1m fee. He has a vast array of European experience across Belgium, Greece and Norway. The upcoming campaign will be a make-or-break one for DP striker Hugo Cuypers. Cuypers scored 10 goals and fell below expectations, but now has a lot more help. The additions of Jack Elliott and Leonardo Barroso mark the defensive intent for this Chicago side. Kellyn Acosta is always solid in his role at the center of things. Chicago may be in for a breakout season under Gregg Berhalter, but caution is required for now.

PROJECTED XI: Brady; Gutman, Elliott, Teran, Barroso; Kouame, Acosta, Gutierrez, Bamba, Zinckernagel; Cuypers

24. PHILADELPHIA UNION

The Philadelphia Union lost Jack McGlynn and Jack Elliot this offseason, forcing some changes to a lineup that has remained very consistent for years. Kai Wagner once again stayed after rumors linking him abroad. The one spot this team seemed fairly set was at the striker position, with Mikael Uhre and Tai Baribo, but the Union opted to spend a club-record $3.4m fee on forwrad Bruno Damiani. Quinn Sullivan and Daniel Gazdag will be two of the most crucial pieces if the Union want to salvage a season that has a bleak outlook preseason. Jovan Lukic, Danley Jean Jacques and Ian Glavinovich are still unknowns as well, so Philly cannot fully be ruled out at this point. For now, a similar year as last is the expectation.

PROJECTED XI: Blake; Wagner, Glavinovich, Glesnes, Harriel; Jean Jacques, Lukic, Sullivan, Gazdag; Uhre, Baribo

25. VANCOUVER WHITECAPS

The Vancouver Whitecaps have been knocking on the door of becoming a relevant team in the Western Conference playoff picture for years, but it just has not panned out for a full season quite yet. Under new manager Jesper Sorensen, they hope to make that next step. A fairly neutral offseason does not play in their favor. Jayden Nelson and Emanuel Sabbi, who is already injured, give some winger depth but likely do not move the needle. Stuart Armstrong forced his way out and Fafa Picault departed for Miami. Vancouver remains Ryan Gauld's team, it's up to him and Brian White at this point. The defense and midfield is solid, but the overall makeup of the roster simply does not jump off the page. Pedro Vite and Ali Ahmed are both young and have a chance to become regular contributors in 2025. The Whitecaps just seem to be missing something in their current state, but could very well secure a playoff spot.

PROJECTED XI: Takaoka; Adekugbe, Veselinovic, Blackmon, Laborda; Cubas, Berhalter, Vite, Ahmed, Gauld; White

26. NASHVILLE SC

Nashville SC addressed some needs but do not look much different than they did during an ugly 2024 season. Edvard Tagseth was the biggest acquistion, a piece to beef up the midfield. Andy Najar made his return to MLS to play right back for the club. Otherwise, it remains the Walker Zimmerman, Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge show. Mukhtar had his worst season in Nashville last year by his standards, and nothing the team changed this offseason makes his situation a whole lot better. Surridge has proved he can score goals and is a good target man, but will that be enough for this attack to succeed? Gaston Brugman also joins the midfield from LA Galaxy after a fabulous MLS Cup performance. Nashville is going to need more of that Mukhtar magic from 2022 in order to push for playoffs this time around.

PROJECTED XI: Willis; Lovitz, Maher, Zimmerman, Najar; Brugman, Yazbek, Tagseth, Shaffelburg; Mukhtar, Surridge

27. SPORTING KANSAS CITY

Sporting Kansas City went out and spent some money, an important first step. DP attacking midfielder Manu Garcia and Shapi Suleymanov for a combined $5m and Dejan Joveljic for $4m to plug in up top is a good start. The trio will join Daniel Salloi, who has not been able to recreate his 2021 form, and Erik Thommy, who was one of the sole contributors for SKC previously. Joveljic is going to score goals, that is a given. The two new additions from Aris Thessaloniki will determine what level this team can reach in attack. Nemanja Radoja will have an important role as the defensive midfielder in an otherwise attacking-minded team. John Pulskamp gets a stab at being the starter, while Logan Ndenbe returns full-time at fullback with Jake Davis. SKC also has solid depth in guys like Willy Agada and Stephen Afrifa. This is another one of those wait-and-see squads, anything can happen.

PROJECTED XI: Pulskamp; Ndenbe, Fernandez, Rosero, Davis; Radoja, Thommy, Garcia; Salloi, Suleymanov, Joveljic

28. SAN DIEGO FC

San Diego FC is entering its inaugural season as a club in 2025. The terms 'questions' and 'unknown' have been used all over these power rankings, but there is no better description for a team that has literally never played a competitive game. Expansion teams being near the cellar preseason is a rite of passage, but that game did not work out with St. Louis. The star of the show in San Diego is Mexican winger Hirving Lozano. They have paired him with DP Anders Dreyer and striker Marcus Ingvartsen. Luca de la Torre is one of the more underrated pickups of the offseason, he will start in the center of midfield, likely with Anibal Godoy. Andres Reyes and Paddy McNair make up the center back duo, which should be a good building point for the squad. SDFC's highly anticipated debut is almost here. It remains to be seen what flavor of expansion team they will be, each one seems to take a unique direction.

PROJECTED XI: dos Santos; Negri, Reyes, McNair, Kumado; de la Torre, Godoy, Tverskov; Lozano, Dreyer, Ingvartsen

29. DC UNITED

DC United's strategy in 2024 was Christian Benteke. DC United's strategy in 2025 is Christian Benteke. Having your player win Golden Boot is usually a good thing, obviously becuase it means they scored a lot of goals, 23 in Benteke's case. The issue in DC is that they have failed to build a winning team around the star striker. Aaron Herrera is quality, but the rest of the defense is underwhelming. The center midfielders in Boris Enow and Matti Peltola need to win the midfield battle for this system to work, while they are paying Mateusz Klich to be a DP in Atlanta. Gabriel Pirani also must show improvement in the attacking midfield spot. The only attacking addition is Joao Peglow, a Brazilian winger with no track record of scoring goals. Kim Joon Hong may help things at the back as the new goalkeeper, along with defender Kye Rowles from Hearts, but this DC United team is staring a sixth consecutive season of no playoffs straight in the face.

PROJECTED XI: Joon Hong; Schnegg, Rowles, Bartlett, Herrera; Enow, Peltola, Pirani, Peglow, Stroud; Benteke

30. TORONTO FC

Toronto FC are now far removed from the glory days, only Jonathan Osorio lives to tell the tale. TFC has been one of the laughing stocks of the Eastern Conference since the 2021 season. Lorenzo Insigne has a shout to be the biggest flop in MLS history. He makes some of the worst-spent $7.5m there is. The day that Toronto finds a resolution to the Insigne catastrophe will be a chance for a new beginning. He scored double-digit goals for Napoli for seven straight seasons, yet failed to register more than four in two full MLS seasons. Toronto made two major acquisitions in the attack in loanee Theo Corbeanu and TAM striker Ola Brynhildsen. Federico Bernardeschi will also return, preferably not in a wingback role this time around. The defense remains a bit of a mess and the midfield is average. Toronto made a few promising changes this offseason and hope it will help the club move in the right direction during a time of struggle.

PROJECTED XI: Johnson; Petretta, Rosted, Long, Laryea; Flores, Osorio, Longstaff; Corbeanu, Bernardeschi, Brynhildsen