What You Should Be Thankful About For Your MLS Team
With Thanksgiving only passing a few days ago and Christmas being less than a month away its time to feel thankful. Below is a reason why fans of all twenty MLS clubs should be thankful in 2016. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Chicago Fire: Youth
If I am a Chicago Fire fan it may be very difficult to try and find something to be thankful about this holiday season. But if I can look at this team right now I would say that youth is something that this team should be very thankful for. First off you can name two very talented and very young players on this team in Matt Polster and Brandon Vincent. Matt Polster is a young and large defensive midfielder for the Fire. Polster is someone who I feel like a club can truly build around. Polster`s young teammate Brandon Vincent is a huge talent in one of the shallowest positions in MLS. Vincent has a good combination of speed and size that really throws defenders for a loop. Two more young players on this team that should give Fire fans some hope is midfielder Joey Calistri and defender Jonathan Campbell.
Columbus Crew: The Newbies
The Columbus Crew might have had one of the most disappointing MLS campaigns this season but their new signings should give Crew fans some hope. The Crew signed defender Nicolai Naess midseason out of Norway who added great depth to their centerback position. Naess was a major upgrade for the black and yellow and should be a constant figure in their backline. The Crew also signed a youth USMNT goalkeeper Zack Steffen who will more than likely be their keeper next season after not picking up the option on Steve Clark. The final new comer that Columbus Crew fans should be thankful for is Norwegian forward Ola Kamara. Kamara scored 16 goals this season to replace the early season loss of another Kamara.
D.C. United: Patrick Viera
Hear me out on this one. Patrick Viera was never a huge fan of forward Patrick Mullins and rarely played the former Maryland Terapin. During the transfer window Patrick Viera decided to trade Patrick Mullins to D.C. United some money. Patrick Mullins came into D.C. United red hot and finally gave them a scoring threat that they were in desperate need of. In 14 games for United, Mullins scored 8 goals and 2 assists. D.C. United should be very happy that Viera decided to give up a young and talented striker for such a little amount of money.
Montreal Impact: The 30 and overs
Here is a list of every player on the Impact that are thirty years old or older; Ignacio Piatto, Dominic Oduro, Matteo Mancosu, Didier Drogba, Marco Donadel, Laurent Ciman, Hassoun Camara, Evan Bush, Patrice Bernier, and Hernan Bernardello. All of these players are familiar names to the MLS fan base and they have all been impactful to the playoff run made by this Montreal squad. This one is an obvious.
New England Revolution: Potential?
There are plenty of players on this roster that have the potential to be play makers and game changers. We have seen players such as Juan Agudelo, Diego Fagundez, Andrew Farrell, and Kei Kamara all have their shining moments. Now picture this, you have a midfield consisting of Lee Nguyen, Diego Fagundez, Xavier Kouassi, and Kelyn Rowe firing on all cylinders with Juan Agudelo and Kei Kamara in front on them hot as well. Now I know that I would take A LOT for all the stars to align and for all these players to all play well on the same day but there is potential there that should make all Revs fans thankful.
New York City FC: Patrick Viera
I feel like the obvious choice here would be David Villa, but not so fast. David Villa had a phenomenal year and yes NYCFC fans should be thankful for their captain but I`m looking farther up the list at Viera. Viera has put together a very talented group of players at NYCFC and has stuck to a set plan for these players to work under. Taking the veteran leadership of David Villa, Andrea Pirlo, Jefferson Mena, Jason Hernandez, and Maxime Chanot and combining them with the talented youth on this roster takes skill. There are so many players on this team that quietly let players like Villa get all the attention. RJ Allen is one of the most underrated defenders in MLS and his ability allows for the offense to push up the field. Who found and developed this talent? NYCFC management and Patrick Viera.
New York Red Bulls: Depth
When looking at the list of players on the Red Bulls first team there are many players that the average MLS fan can point out. Their depth is unbelievable and was a huge part of their success this season. Obviously looking past their starts like Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan, the Red Bulls have a plethora of players who could fill in and still continue their success. Players like Sal Zizzo, Daniel Royer, Damien Perrinelle, Mike Grella, Sean Davis, and Gideon Baah all add versatility and depth to what has been a successful NYRB team in recent history.
Orlando City SC: The Fan Base
You Guys! Be thankful for yourself and your fellow purple fan. The fan base in Orlando City is one of the best in MLS who constantly sell out the stadium. You guys stick by your players even if you aren`t happy with their signing *cough* Nocerino *cough*. Talking to an Orlando City fan is one of the greatest experiences because they will tell you about their love of players like Tommy Redding, Brek Shea, Carlos Rivas, Kevin Molino, and of course their big two Kaka and Cyle Larin. Orlando City may have had a rough year but fans join each other in the joy and excitement that you get from watching and cheering on your team.
Philadelphia Union: Youthful Defense
The youth that the Union have on their backline is unlike any other team in MLS. They have the likes of first round draft pick Joshua Yaro, first round draft pick (and the MLS Aces Rookie of the Year) Keegan Rosenberry, lengthy centerbacks Ken Tribbett and Richie Marquez, and finally Raymon Gaddis. This team also has a very talented Jamaican in net (another MLS Aces award winner; Goalkeeper of the Year), Andre Blake. Though Blake will probably get sold this January he was a very important part in the team going from "no chance at the playoffs" to the six seed in the east. The Union fan base need to continue to trust Earnie Stewart and allow him to build off of this young defense that he has set up.
Toronto Giovinco: Sebastian Giovinco
I tried not to do it. When looking at this team and thinking about their season I couldn`t come up with anything else that TFC fans should be thankful about other than the Atomic Ant. Giovinco missed about a month of the season and still scored 17 goals and 15 assists. He is truly an unstoppable force in MLS and has already gone down as a Toronto FC great next to Dwayne De Rosario. TFC fans should all be going out this holiday season and buying their Giovinco gear and be extremely thankful that they have the best player in the league.
Colorado Rapids: Defensive Mindset
The mindset of the Colorado Rapids was the key to their success this season. They focused on defense more than anything else, plus their home field being at such a high altitude, and made themselves into one of the best defensive teams in MLS history. Only being able to play one... the Rapids have two goalkeepers on the roster who were able to play at a high level for them. Their backline consisted of tough and brawly no name players like Marc Burch, Axel Sjoberg, Jared Watts, and Eric Miller. Then moving onto the midfield, you can`t really get more defensive than a midfield consisting of Micheal Azira, Sam Cronin, Marlon Hairston, and Jermaine Jones. Finally, you look at their forwards, all of which hold possession and begin the defense up top. Players like Dominique Badji and Shkelzen Gashi are very physical and have no problem making tackles when needed.
FC Dallas: Oscar Pareja and Upper Management
The job that the FC Dallas organization has done in OUTSTANDING. The youth players that they have, that they have developed, and the signings they have made are incredible. Here is a list of homegrown players that FC Dallas has on their roster as of right now; Kellyn Acosta, Coy Craft, Jesus Ferreira, Jesse Gonzalez, Aaron Guillen, Moises Hernandez, Paxton Pomykal, Bryan Reynolds, and Victor Ulloa. Now I can promise you that you either know or will know those names in a few seasons from now. Pareja has also developed the likes of Matt Hedges, Fabian Castillo (sorry FCD fans), Walker Zimmerman, and Ryan Hollingshead.
Houston Dynamo: Persistence
It might be difficult for a Dynamo fan to find anything to be thankful about due to a lack of a true star and no youth to be excited about. But this year I was a fan of watching the Dynamo. The Dynamo never quit on a game and would steal points from some very good teams in the league. Players like Ricardo Clark, Will Bruin, Boniek Garcia, and David Horst are all good players that can come together to give an opposing team a tough game.
LA Galaxy: Being the LA Galaxy
The LA Galaxy has lost a lot recently. They have lost Robbie Keane, Steven Gerrard, Bruce Arena, and possibly Landon Donovan. They also have a lot of older players on their roster such as Ashley Cole, Alan Gordon, Jeff Larentowicz, Mike Magee, and Jelle Van Damme. But, the LA Galaxy are still the LA Galaxy. Their older players like Ashley Cole and Jelle Van Damme are still playing at a very high level for the club. They also have players in their prime like Gyasi Zardes, Robbie Rogers, Baggio Husidic, and Giovani Dos Santos. The Galaxy also have one of the best academies in the league and have very good young talent coming up soon. Players like Emmanuel Boateng, Bradford Jamieson, Ariel Lassiter, Jack McBean, Raul Mendiola, and Oscar Sorto are all 22 years old or younger and very skillful. The Galaxy will always have the location, the fame, the money, and the Galaxy in which all fans should be thankful for.
Portland Timbers: Fanendo Adi
I am going to make an extreme statement right here. Fanendo Adi is the best player on the Portland Timbers. Okay, not such an extreme statement but one that some may disagree with. Fanendo Adi is a very large and forward that is capable of scoring around 20 goals in a season. He was the only true attacking force for the Timbers this year who had to deal with an inconsistent Nagbe and injury prone Valeri. He is the type of player that will soak up two defenders and give another teammate a shot. Timbers fan should be very thankful for Adi for the reasons stated above... and also because he may not be on the team after this January.
Real Salt Lake: Familiar Faces
Real Salt Lake fans had a great amount of success this season and finished 6th in the western conference. Their postseason run was due in part to players who have been a constant figure in an RSL jersey. RSL fans all know these names; Kyle Beckerman, Tony Beltran, Javier Morales, Yura Movsisyan, Jamison Olvae, Demar Phillips, and Nick Rimando. In recent news RSL has lost two of these players but without them they may have missed the playoffs this season. RSL fans all of the players I named about are club legends and be thankful that you still get to watch them.
San Jose Earthquakes: Chris Wondolowski
I tried to think of anything else to say here for the Earthquakes but Wondo continues to be Wondo for San Jose. Wondo again lead the team in scoring with 12 goals which made his MLS career goals grow to 121 goals. Chris Wondolowski is an MLS legend and in my opinion one of two true talents on the San Jose roster. All hail Wondo!
Seattle Sounders FC: MLS Live
Before Nicolas Lodiero came to MLS he asked the league for an MLS Live account so he can watch the players in the league. I believe that it is far to say that you have Nicolas Lodiero + him able to study players= the recent success of the Sounders. Lodiero has made many players on the Seattle roster much better and they are now in MLS Cup.
Sporting Kansas City: Benny Feilhaber
SKC fan should be very happy right now that their best midfielder has resigned for the 2017 season. With recent reports of Feilhaber looking for opportunities over in Europe, he has decided to stay in the states and be that play maker for Kansas City. Fans should also that Feilhaber might have a career resurrection with the USMNT. With Bruce Arena back in charge we should see a larger influx of MLS players and one of his favorites is Benny.
Vancouver Whitecaps: 2016 being over
Coming into the 2016 season many MLS reporters were high on the Whitecaps. Well, expectations came crashing down when play began for this club. The Whitecaps never found a true attacking player to consistently put away goals, the midfield was messy, and the backline inconsistent. There is still plenty of talent on the roster such as Kendal l Watson, Tim Parker, and Alphonso Davies. I think that this was just a bad season for the Caps and that sights need to be set on 2017.
