The U.S. Soccer Federation yesterday announced an expanded Open Cup format and schedule, one that will incorporate all MLS and lower division teams in a newly and hopefully more condensed way.  In essence, the changes allow the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup to mirror the English FA Cup, where lower division and semi-pro teams have a chance to play against the top level of the country’s soccer hierarchy.

The Open Cup in 2012 will expand from 40 to 64 teams, which means all 16 U.S. MLS teams, 10 USL Pro, and 6 NASL teams will be included in the tournament.  Last season, only half of the eligible MLS teams and all the eligible USL Pro sides had been included in the tournament, so this format change alone guarantees more participation.  Six MLS teams in 2011 had automatically qualified for the tournament while another two came from play-in rounds held prior, a format that in essence had been in existence as long as MLS.  Now, every MLS side will have an opportunity to participate in at least one match.  The larger pool also means an expanded number of amateur teams are eligible to participate, with 16 spots going to the Premier Development League and the remaining to be divided among other amateur leagues.

What does this mean for MLS teams?  First, it means that they do not have to worry about “playing in” to the U.S. Open Cup; they’re in as of May 29 (more on schedule below).  Secondly, it sets up some very interesting potential match-ups.  Soccer fans who watched the FA Cup this weekend saw major upsets like Swindon defeating Wigan; imagine the Des Moines Menace upsetting DC United or the Real Colorado Foxes giving the Colorado Rapids a run for their money.  Those amateur teams would have a shot, if they survive the first two rounds, to take down the big boys and gain a little attention.  While it is unlikely that too many amateur teams will advance too far (again, see how many were in the most recent round of the FA Cup), the possibility exists.  More likely, for the first time NASL teams, who were excluded last year, will have a chance to show how small the gap could be between the top two divisions.

Another change that addressed a major concern with the tournament is the hosting of home games.  Last year, Seattle played five home games on their way to the title.  This season, everyone theoretically will have a chance to host their match prior to the quarterfinals.  When the match-ups are determined, if both teams meet U.S. Soccer specs for hosting an Open Cup match, a “random selection process” will be used to determine the host.  While few non-professional teams will likely qualify to host, for USL Pro and NASL teams there exists a chance that they can bring MLS teams to their venues and make a little extra money off the match.  After the quarterfinals, the old bidding system of submitting financial bids will be used to determine the hosts.  So while the Sounders could again theoretically only play home games on their way to winning the U.S. Open Cup, the potential exists that they would go on the road due to a random draw.

A final major change of note is the timing.  As referenced above, MLS teams join the competition in the third round, but the tournament itself begins on May 15 and wraps up by the first weekend in August.  All matches will be played on a Tuesday.  This condensed schedule allows MLS teams competing in the CONCACAF Champions League and the Open Cup to wrap up the latter before turning their attention to the former.  However, this is where travel can become a factor in these matches.  Since the Open Cup games are on a Tuesday, MLS teams potentially face large travel distances in a short period of time.  For example, San Jose plays at Sporting Kansas City on May 27.  If they hosted an Open Cup match, they’d have essentially a day turn around.  Because MLS teams come in during the Third Round and the schedule is defused to avoid many of these potential conflicts, it may affect only one or two teams doing very well in the tournament (or it may increase the chance of an upset) but the possibility exists.

So what do all of these changes mean?  Do the problems that existed in the previous few years’ Open Cups still exist?  The answer is, potentially, yes.  But the tournament now at least has the look and feel of a European-style tournament, which undoubtedly will please Euro-phile American soccer fans.  The Davids of the U.S. soccer world will get their chance against the Goliaths, and the NASL/USL Pro sides have a slightly better chance to host and ride upsets to the finals.  MLS teams have a chance to juggle their lineups to take the competition seriously, or use it to play younger players and not have to worry about too much schedule congestion.  While the 99 year-old tournament will never approach the Copa del Rey or FA Cup in term of prestige or fan following, it does raise the professionalism of U.S. soccer and makes the tournament a bit more watchable.

We are nearing the end of our Three Questions series, and I hope you have found it insightful and useful during the offseason.  We’ll end the series tomorrow and Tuesday with the MLS Cup participants, prior to the 2012 Superdraft.

Today in addition to Sporting Kansas City we’ll turn our attention to Real Salt Lake, who going into last season looked to challenge Los Angeles (and Seattle potentially) for the Supporters Shield.  But, as we all know, they never fully recovered from the Champions League final loss and while they made the Western Conference finals, it was after an up-and-down season where they never dominated for stretches like many thought they would.  Injuries played a role, but how will their 2011 season influence 2012?  Let’s take a look at some offseason questions that will dictate whether or not Real Salt Lake has reached its peak or the best is yet to come:

1. Can they adequately replace their depth?

The incredible Real Salt Lake fan site RSL Soapbox has a great breakdown of what exactly the team has lost so far this offseason: in the last two months the team has lost 6,700 first team minutes, 4 goals, and 12 assists.  These come from players like Robbie Russell (DC) and Jean Alexandre (SJ) who were traded, Colleen Warner (Montreal) and Arturo Alvarez (Chivas) who were drafted, and Andy WIlliams who retired.  All of these are replaceable players, but with so many players being shifted off the rolls the team is losing some serious depth, depth that was key to them succeeding in multiple competitions despite injuries and schedule congestion.  In addition to another appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League later this season, the team will lose some key players for Olympic duty, likely including captain Kyle Beckerman.

The positive to these trades is that RSL has received some draft picks so they can use those picks for depth.  The team can also look internationally, something that it has done successfully to find good young talent.  How quickly these younger/new MLS players can adjust to the league and contribute will be critical to this team.

2. How will RSL beef up their midfield?

A number of the players mentioned above were contributors to the midfield; for example, Andy Williams was a winger the team could depend on to play well during his starts.  The team has made some moves to secure this part of the team: it extended Ned Grabavoy’s contract and is working to extend Yordany Alvarez’s contract.  In addition, they have some young players like Luis Gil who could contribute more with more playing time.  But the team does need to do a little shopping, and how much money they have free to spend will be important to beefing up that midfield.

3. Are Javier Morales and Alvaro Saborio healthy enough to play at their peaks (or close to it)?

Javier Morales’ gruesome injury was part of an early season MLS trend of key stars going down with serious injuries, and his team certainly missed his goal scoring.  However, when he returned, the team was in a slump and his play could not bring them out of it.  A healthy, back-to-100% Morales is the kind of player who can help carry a slumping team so how healthy he is and back to his previous form is critical to this team.

Another player who failed to inspire last season was Alvaro Saborio, who took 3/4ths of the season to round into form coming off his own injury.  Although his final numbers looked good, his overall body of work was not up to his previous standards.  Again, a fully effective and healthy Saborio makes this team that much harder to beat.  The health of these two players could make the different between wild card contenders and MLS Cup contenders.

This past season in U.S. soccer was certainly an interesting one.  In MLS, two new teams were promoted and the soccer world fell in love with them and their passionate fans.  Coaches were hired and fired, players finally fulfilled their potential, and others failed to inspire.  One MLS team had a chance to make history and win the CONCACAF Champions League, but fell short in a heart-breaking fashion.  During the season, the team that dominated from First Kick forward hoisted the trophy at the end of the season.  Internationally, the U.S. women took Germany by storm but in the end it was Japan that took everyone’s hearts.  The U.S. senior men were underwhelming in the Gold Cup, and seeing Bob Bradley out the door was new coach (and long hoped-for savior) Jurgen Klinsmann.

It was certainly a year of memories, but as we belt out Auld Lang Syne and drink Champagne/sparkling cidar/assorted alcoholic beverages, let’s take a look ahead to 2012.  The upcoming year will hopefully feature a U.S. team in the London Olympics, a new broadcast network, World Cup qualifiers, and a whole host of new heroes and villains.  One of the things we do best at MLS Talk is make bold and informed predictions that are on occasion proved wrong.  Below are twelve such predictions I think we occur in 2012.  Happy New Year!

1. The U-23 team will not only qualify for the Olympics, but contend for a medal.

This U-23 team has a confluence of a good youth coach and good young depth on the team.  While the team is less talented than probably Mexico and some European teams, I think it will well set up to make a run at the Olympics, especially if they add some quality overage players like Carlos Bocanegra looking to supplement their legacy as medalists.

2. Ratings for MLS matches on the NBC networks will exceed those on the Fox network

NBC has three major advantages for MLS over Fox Soccer.  One, it has more platforms to promote the games (imagine MLS commercials showing up on Sunday Night Football, Brian Williams programming, or The Office).  Two, NBC needs its new sports network to succeed and will put the resources behind it to make MLS programming a success.  Three, the network formally known as Versus is available on more television sets than Fox Soccer, making it easier for casual sports fans to find the matches.  The ratings still won’t approach BPL matches on Fox, but the numbers will tick upwards.

3. The USMNT will beat a major European power and drop an embarrassing World Cup qualifier

Rumors are swirling of a U.S.-Italy friendly in the upcoming months, and even if that falls through the U.S. will surely line up one or two more big money friendlies.  Because of its talent and Euro 2012 fatigue, the U.S. will knock off a European power and gain some instant cred in world soccer (see Spain 2009).  However, it will lose to one of the teams in the group stage of World Cup qualifying in embarrassing fashion, adding unneeded drama into qualifying.  Because, after all, this is the Red-White-and-Blue.

4. An MLS team will again play in the CONCACAF Champions League final

Real Salt Lake almost made history this year, and another MLS team stands a good chance of repeating the feat.  In the current round, three of the eight teams are MLS teams and two are facing each other (Galaxy v. Toronto).  All of them have the talent and depth to make a run at the finals, and the Galaxy and Sounders may be among the two or three most talented teams this spring.  Expect to see either Los Angeles or Seattle trying to hoist the CCL trophy this spring.

5. Los Angeles will not repeat as MLS champions

The 2011 LA Galaxy were a truly dominant team.  They had the right mix of superstars, support players, and good coaching plus a friendly playoff schedule to allow them to dominate from start to finish.  The 2012 season will not be as kind.  In addition to two sets of CONCACAF Champions League matches (’11-’12 and ’12-’13) the team will play an unbalanced schedule, which means more matches against the tougher Western Conference teams.  In addition, even if Beckham returns, he and Robbie Keane will be playing in Euro 2012.  Landon Donovan will be coming off a short-term loan and spending time with the USMNT in World Cup qualifying, as could possibly one or two of his teammates.  The schedule glut for the players and team, plus the improvement of the teams around them, mean we will have a new champion in 2012.

6. At least two more fringe USMNT players will come to play in MLS

Last year, Benny Feilhaber, Charlie Davies, and Freddy Adu all returned to MLS to try and get themselves back on the USMNT radar.  I can see this trend continuing as players who are on the cusp on making the team will take pay cuts to play in MLS where Jurgen Klinsmann’s staff can more easily watch them.  In addition to the older players (maybe Carlos Bocanegra?) who will want to wrap up their career on national soil, players like Edson Buddle or Michael Parkhurst will bite the bullet and come play for an MLS team.

7. Arsenal will conduct a summer tour of the United States

While this is not a specific prediction for U.S. soccer, this is a prediction that will have a major impact on the American soccer scene.  Due to Arsene Wenger’s training philosophies, the club has hesitated to play the summer friendlies outside of Europe which has brought the major European clubs to America’s shores.  That will change this summer on the heels of a successful Asian tour in 2011.  Arsenal will announce a multi-city tour in the spring featuring a mix of MLS teams, one or two Euro club matches at major venues, and a match-up against the MLS All Stars.  Arsenal will reap a financial windfall, American Arsenal fans will finally get to see their favorite team without flying across the ocean, and more U.S. fans will become familiar with the Arsenal style of play.

8. A player from one of the BPL big six (not Thierry Henry) will come to MLS midseason

The rumors have been swirling around a number of big name players like Evra and Anelka.  One of them this summer will bite the bullet and sign with New York or LA as the latest designated player.  My prediction is that it will be a Chelsea player, a victim of AVB’s house cleaning who is too old to play in the new style.

9. A Canadian team will not have the first/second pick in the 2013 Superdraft

Obviously there are three Canadian teams in MLS and none of them will have the first pick in the Superdraft (or second if the 20th franchise is ready for 2013).  Even though they are the new team, Montreal has too much talent and too good of a coach to be the worst team in MLS this upcoming season.  Vancouver, while still not necessarily playoff bound, will be improved enough to avoid having the worst record in MLS.  Toronto will make a huge leap forward this year and contend for the playoffs.

10. The New York Cosmos will be announced as the 20th MLS franchise

It’s the worst kept secret in U.S. soccer, and over the All Star break MLS will announce that the New York Cosmos will be the 20th franchise in the league.  Whether they begin play in 2013 or 2014 I will leave to others to predict, but they will be announced to no one’s surprise.

11. DC United will finally find a home, and it will be in DC

Eventually everyone will come to their senses and work this deal out, but one major factor will help with DCU’s push to stay in DC: population growth.  The city’s population is growing, with most of the growth coming from young professionals and Hispanics, two demographics that are likely to support a soccer team in the city.  In addition, the population growth will help stabilize DC’s shaky finances, making a partial funding of a stadium on the Southwest Waterfront seem even more likely.  There will be a major announcement in 2012 and the DC area soccer community will breathe a major sigh of relief.

12. The 4-2-3-1 formation will make the U.S. women’s team unbeatable in international competition

The U.S. women’s team is switching to a more attacking 4-2-3-1 formation for the next World Cup cycle to have more of their dynamic attacking young players on the pitch at the same time.  It’s a change that is overdue and will lead to the U.S. women being the de facto best women’s national team in the world by the end of the year.

Chicago ended the year as potentially the best non-playoff team in MLS.  They caught “fire” and had a winning record for the final third of the season, almost stealing the tenth playoff spot from New York.  The same team that set the MLS record for draws in a season (which they tied with NY) gave interim head coach Frank Klopas the full time job this offseason based on their excellent finish.  Dominic Oduro finally lived up to his promised to finish with double digit goals while newcomers Sebastian Grazzini and Pavel Pardo were veritable finds.  Looking forward to 2012, the team looks like it could make a jump in the standings if it can carry over the momentum.

What do the Fire need to do to make the playoffs in 2012?  Chicago is up next in our “3 Questions” series.

1. Who will Klopas bring back from his European scouting trip?

Frank Klopas made a highly-publicized trip to Europe a few weeks back to search for, in his words, a midfielder and a striker.  He was looking for another forward to pair up front with Dominic Oduro as well as build a working relationship with La Liga’s Atletico Madrid.  This is a critical trip, as his depth up front may be thinner than when he left.  Diego Chaves has been in the media saying that he wants out and, while he underperformed last season, he was at least a viable threat up front.  Israeli youngster Orr Barouch was signed away from his Israeli club but he is not yet an every day performer that the team needs to make that next step.  Patrick Nyarko is more of a wing player and not as much a compliment to Oduro.  Kheli Dube, selected in the Re-Entry Draft, is depth and not a full-time starter.

The rumors have been flying about potential names, and the name(s) Klopas can come up with will be critical to this team’s success.  If they can find another forward or CAM to fit Klopas’ system, this could be a very dangerous team.

2. Sean Johnson: will he be a better keeper for the Fire in December 2012 than he was in December 2011?

There are two parts to this question.  The first is: will Sean Johnson be with the Fire next year?  He’s training with Everton currently and, while the Toffees have a decent keeper you may have heard of, Johnson may catch the eye of a European club looking for a new long-term solution in net.  This is however the curse of an MLS team with young talent.

The bigger question is whether he takes the next step and becomes a dominant MLS keeper.  Like DC’s Bill Hamid, Johnson has all of the tools to be the next great keeper but needs to improve his decision-making and leadership.  With the call-up to the national team, he certainly will be able to train with the best America has to offer and should be a much more polished keeper this time next season.  At least Fire fans should hope so.

They have no choice.  Their back-up is Jay Nolly.

3. Can the Fire recreate the magic of August and September 2011?

Luck was a lady dating the Fire last year.  Oduro finally began converting those chances he created, and Nyarko and Barouch grew up.  The overseas midseason acquisitions performed as well as could be expected.  Even the interim coach who had never been a head coach at the MLS level before made all the right moves.  The question this offseason is can Chicago retain the magic that made that run possible.  Can they acquire the right players without upsetting the balance of personalities?

More importantly, can they keep the joyous play they maintained last season? After their shocking 2-1 victory at DC United last year, I went to the locker room to interview Frank Klopas, and the atmosphere went beyond happy about a win.  It was CYO level of fun, just plain joy with the game.  This joy, this fun with the game, is hard to maintain over a season but to capture a little of it at key times will help Chicago make a run in the playoffs.

In my 2011 season preview, I predicted that Toronto would struggle for the first few months under its newest leadership structure (new general manager and head coach) but toward the end of the year start to look like a promising team for 2012.  I had no clue that the amount of change they would undergo in a few short months: only two players would start both the first and last game of the season.  The 2012 version of Toronto FC is a new franchise personnel-wise, and I suspect we will see more changes over the next few months.

So is this team now good enough to make a playoff run this upcoming season?  Despite the infusion of  new talent, there are still many gaps that need to be addressed by this franchise.  To continue our series, below are three questions the team needs to address this offseason:

1. Are everyone’s expectations for the team realistic?

Off the pitch questions may overwhelm on the pitch questions this offseason.  In an interview with Alex Labidou, Toronto FC head coach Aron Winter bluntly stated that he would not be disappointed if his 2012 team does not make the playoffs: “We are focused on building something that will have progress not only in the playoffs”.  When you are doing a total rebuild that is the result of some really bad management in the first few years of your franchise’s MLS existence, this kind of attitude makes sense.  To be blunt, Toronto has lived too long off of the good will of its fans in a league where over 50% of teams make the playoffs.

However, the statement does ignore some realities that make this position untenable.  Rogers Communications, the Canadian media conglomerate that part-owns many sports franchises and properties in Toronto, recently bought a stake in the Reds.  Undoubtedly, this makes many fans salivate with the thought of corporate money being able to fund some player acquisitions.

The team is also the victim of its own success.  By advancing past the group stage of the CONCACAF Champions League plus ending the 2011 MLS season on a hot streak, the fans have seen that this team can have success against good opponents.  For the head coach and management to essentially say “let’s not get ahead of ourselves here” especially in light of gaffs like jacking up ticket prices a few years back, there could be a major division between the team itself and its fans.  Setting correct and manageable expectations for the team, players, and fans may define the success of this rebuild more than the on-the-field performance.

2. Is Julian de Guzman still part of the plan?

Dwayne De Rosario was quickly shipped from Toronto to New York to relieve a high-priced problem early in 2011.  Their other high-profile player was forced to shape up while new names were brought in that could compare to de Guzman’s stature.  As a result, de Guzman played better in 2011 and actually became an important part of the Toronto midfield.  However, he was left unprotected in the recent expansion draft, which while it may have been done strategically could send a signal to the player about his future in Toronto.

Undeniably Julian de Guzman is a very good player that can be a critical part of the Toronto attack.  However, with a rebuild overshadowing the team and he being the most visible sign of the old Toronto FC, does he have a role in Winter’s team?  Maybe more importantly, does he want one?

3. How close are they to the three year plan being completed?

This question ties somewhat to the first one, but how close is this team to reaching their goal of being a replenishing playoff contender?  Their 2011 acquisitions paid off big-time in many ways, with Danny Koevermans being their best acquisition by scoring loads of critical goals.  The other designated player acquisition Torsten Frings helped stabilize the midfield and young players like Ashtone Morgan and Joao Plata really shined under Winter.

However gaps do exist and how management chooses to fill these gaps will be a telling sign of how close they believe the three-year plan is to completion (a year early).  Their only big offseason acquisition so far has been Reggie Lambe, a winger who represents Jamaica Bermuda and played in England last season.  However, the team has not locked up Plata for another year (he’s on loan from Ecuador) and has not addressed some of their defensive issues (hello Andy Iro!).  Will they try and sign some established players, or just rely on the growing academy to fill in slots?  The answer may define how quickly this team makes a playoff run, if at all.

3. Is a more veteran team a better team?

The Vancouver Whitecaps’ first season in MLS ended as so many other “expansion” teams’ season have ended in U.S. leagues throughout the years: basement and struggling to build for the future.*  After the near immediate success of recent MLS additions like Seattle and Philly, as well as the late playoff run by Cascadia rivals Portland, this season had to have been somewhat of a disappointment.  Now, on their third coach in less than two years, the team is looking to build on a solid nucleus to begin their climb up the tough Western Conference standings and contend for an MLS playoff spot.

The Whitecaps kick off our “3 Questions” series for this offseason, where I will take a look at every MLS team (in draft order) and see what three questions will dominate their offseason.  These questions and how they are answered over the next three months will go a long way to determining how or if they can contend for MLS Cup 2012, or whatever relevant goals they may have.

1. Third time’s a charm: how will the team fare under new coach and CEO?

To say there have been some changes in the team’s management is an understatement.  As mentioned, Martin Rennie is the team’s third coach is a little over a calendar year, and his style has won acclaim in the lower levels of U.S. soccer.  How he is able to implement his more cerebral coaching style on a team that has been at times a little mental (see Eric Hassli’s early run of red cards) will be a key to determining the improvement this club can make.  In addition, the recent resignation of CEO Paul Barber casts some shadows over the club.  While he will be replaced by in-house personnel, the absence of the man who helped move the team to MLS and into BC Place (as well as ultimately hired Rennie) adds a little uncertainty in the front office.  How all of these new faces deal with this team remain to be seen.  What we do know is that Rennie has been given the authority for personnel moves, so authority rests with him for the roster.

2. Can they stop allowing so many goals?

The ‘Caps offense was fine last season and at times even quite impressive, but their defense undid all of that good.  Not surprisingly that is one area where Rennie and the front office have been focusing their player purge.  While starting keeper Joe Cannon was re-signed after taking a pay cut, back-up Jay Nolly was shipped off to Chicago and North Carolina RailHawks keeper Brad Knighton was brought on as competition for the starting gig.  Their biggest defensive acquisition, however, is probably Young-Pyo Lee from South Korea.  The fullback is a World Cup veteran and played for clubs PSV Eindhoven and Tottenham Hotspur.  The team hopes his veteran presence will stabilize the backline, and with his pedigree there’s no doubt it won’t help.  The question is, will the players around him be good enough as well?  And will John Thorrington be healthy enough to be a defensive force in the midfield?

3. Will Omar Salgado continue his rapid rise to stardom?  

Reports from the Generation Adidas tour suggest that Omar Salgado is playing well and making a name for himself for the national team.  The GA tour plus his training in England and time in the U.S. youth camp have given the young forward valuable playing experience against some top-flight competition.  Now the question is can he take this experience back with him to Vancouver and translate it onto the MLS pitch?  The ‘Caps have scoring options around him, so he is not going to be relied upon to make all of the plays.  But a dynamic young scoring threat can make a difference for a team; look at how much better Kansas City was when Teal Bunbury was playing well or even Juan Agudelo for New York.  Salgado taking the next step could be a huge factor for this team’s improvement in the new year.

*Note: I know Vancouver is technically not an expansion team in the traditional sense, but the principles apply.

With their 1-0 victory over the Houston Dynamo yesterday, the Galaxy reached their season-long goal of winning an MLS Cup and certain high-profile players notched their first North American championship.  Anytime a team wins a championship, writers and bloggers take to the keyboard to assess where that team or franchise fits in the pantheon of previous winners.

This writer is no different, and for the first time in a few years we have to seriously consider how the 2011 Galaxy stack up against the best of the best in MLS (albeit short) history.  The last two MLS Cup winners (RSL and Colorado) arguably slid into the championship game due to playoff format rather than on-field success, so it has been a while since we’ve had a top regular season club win the Cup.

Ultimately it is impossible to compare this era of MLS to the first few years.  With fewer teams and different rules, can the 2011 Galaxy be compared to the early DC United teams that fielded so many USMNT players, or even the 1998 Galaxy or similar successful teams?  Even Bruce Arena didn’t tip his hand, telling reporters prior to last night’s game: “Couldn’t even compare it [his DC and LA teams].  I don’t even know how you do that.”

But the impressive run for the Galaxy demands we place them in a historical context.  So are the 2011 Galaxy the best team in MLS history?  A few points to consider:

• Their 67 regular season points is the most ever in a post-shoot out season and they finished 5-0 in the playoffs.  They allowed fewer goals than games played (28 total)
• Arguably the Galaxy have the best MLS player ever on its roster, as well as the best international (I’ll define that as non-North American) ever to play in MLS.  With his fourth MLS Cup, Landon Donovan joins an elite group of players with four rings and if he continues to play in MLS and score the way he has, he will eclipse Jeff Cunningham as the league’s all-time leading scorer.  And while Beckham has been rightfully criticized for his lack of commitment to the league based on his salary and expectations, when healthy and committed he has been an unstoppable force for LA.
• While the three designated players get the press, it’s the role players that really propelled this team.  The stout back line led by future USMNT call-up (right?) Omar Gonzalez was a key to the Galaxy being able to play their cobra-like quick strike and down offense.  Juninho was a quality acquisition who gave them some game-winners during the season.  And forwards like Mike Magee and Chad Barrett while not world beaters were the roll players that any successful team needs to be, well, successful.
• The travel.  With 18 teams in the league and a balanced schedule, the Galaxy faced more travel than any previous MLS winner within the league.  Outside of the league, the Galaxy faced even more mileage with the competitive CONCACAF Champions group stage, meaning this veteran team spent a lot of time in the air traveling.  This certainly makes it harder to play at a high level on the road and while other MLS champions have also booked lots of mileage, few I wager would have put in the travel of LA.
• Statistically, the Galaxy’s season makes a strong case.  According to Grant Wahl’s stat work, LA had the third best points-per-game season ever in MLS, behind two teams that did not win an MLS Cup (LA ’98 and San Jose ’05).  The metric is the number of points for the season divided by number of games played, with Wahl adjusting for shoot-outs in the early years.  So according to this metric, a regular season that ended with the Supporters Shield looks even better.

Undoubtedly, expansion is an exciting time for MLS fans, as it allows them to see and experience a “new” market, a new potential rival, and the possibility of the next great soccer city.  With the success of recent expansion clubs in Philly, Portland, and Vancouver (well, at least in the stands), the addition of the Montreal Impact fills MLS fans with anticipation: what will these sometimes French-speaking fans bring to the league?

However, the downside of every new team coming in is the inevitable expansion draft, which occurs right after the end of the MLS Cup.  That backup young forward you think could be a wild card in your team’s playoff run, or that wily veteran who can spot start and save the day? That fan favorite could be gone simply because the Impact need more high-level talent.  While the rules on who can and cannot be protected are somewhat confusing (see the actual rules here), basically every team submits to the league a list of eleven players they want to protect in the draft.  Home grown and Generation Adidas players are generally exempt from the draft.  Everyone else is fair game, and Montreal gets ten picks from those lists, with only one player allowed to be taken from a team.

So who are some intriguing possibilities that Montreal could pick up next Wednesday?  Below are a list of players that the Impact could potentially pick to make, well, an impact in 2012 and beyond.  This is not a prediction post, but simply a list of possibilities that may be available.  Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments!

In no particular order:

Austin de Luz (DC): The young midfielder was the second steal for DC from New York this year; while not a consistent contributor he showed some flashes of skill and the potential to be a good contributor down the road.  But, due to a numbers crunch, he will probably be left unprotected by DC on Monday.  A potentially good upside pick for Montreal.

Brad Evans (Seattle): Drew Epperly has a good breakdown of the Seattle protected list dilemma, and how it depends on Alvaro Fernandez’s contract.  If Evans is left unprotected, it will be because of his salary (about $130k).  He would be a really good pick for Montreal and would provide an immediate talent upgrade in the midfield.

Anthony Wallace (Colorado): I’d be willing to wager a player is taken off the Colorado unprotected list for the simple reason that pretty much all of their roster has played decent minutes this year due to their injuries and multiple competitions.  Wallace would be the one I suspect would catch Montreal’s eye.  He’s talented, young, and would be a great pick-up if available.

Dax McCarty (New York Red Bulls): Could McCarty be selected in back-to-back expansion drafts?  He’s a bit pricey (salary over $150k) but he’s undeniably talented and could anchor a midfield.  New York will probably leave him exposed to Montreal, and if the Impact want an experienced midfielder looking for a new home, he’ll be there.

Michael Harrington (Kansas City): Another pricey option who has spent some time on the trainer’s table this past season, but if he’s left exposed he should be scooped up quickly.  Like Wallace he’s a fullback but unlike Wallace his career is at a bit of a crossroads.  He was an off-and-on again starter for KC and a new location would allow him to potentially show off his full potential.

Cam Weaver (Houston): Another familiar name for many MLS fan and another injury risk that Montreal may want to add for a veteran presence.  While this “pick” could also end of being Brian Ching, I think Weaver could be left hanging and would be a tempting pick-up for Montreal.

Donovan Ricketts (Los Angeles): It’s very simple – if Montreal wants a veteran keeper through the draft, he’ll likely be the best one available.  While Ricketts and Josh Saunders were kind of interchangeable this year, Ricketts is a respected international with both European and American club experience.

Justin Mapp (Philadelphia): I’m repeating myself a bit at this point, but Mapp was such a good player for Chicago and has been an ok player for Philly, you have to wonder if Montreal would want to give him a chance to try to see if he can be that Chicago Fire version of himself.

Leave it to MLS to miss a slam dunk.  As part of their daily unveiling of award winners leading up to the MLS Cup (an idea that I like that they do), the league announced the winners of the Comeback Player of the Year and Coach of the Year.  One of these awards was a no-brainer while the other one had reasonable arguments for all of the candidates, but strong arguments in favor of one of the finalists.  So MLS of course went with the biggest names and announced that David Beckham and his coach Bruce Arena had won Comeback Player and Coach of the Year, respectively.

The problem was that neither was the most deserving of this award, and in Beckham’s case it wasn’t even close.

Before I explain the error of MLS’s ways I want to make two critical points.  The first is that I acknowledge that these votes have multiple components, with front offices and players being involved in the voting.  When I say “MLS” I am also criticizing those elements of the vote.  Secondly I acknowledge the fact that some of you may criticize my perspective because I am an avowed DC United fan when I am not professionally covering events.  I won’t be able to convince some of you otherwise except to say that my opinion is shared by non-DCU writers.

On to the awards, and I’ll start with Comeback Player of the Year.  The three finalists for the award were Dominic Oduro (poor 2010 season), David Beckham (2010 Achilles injury), and Charlie Davies (2009 car accident, missed 2010).  Beckham edged out Davies for the award in the weighted vote with Oduro trailing by a decent percentage.  This is an absolute sham.  Statistically speaking, Beckham had a better season than Davies; Beckham was a key midfielder for a team that won the Supporters Shield and almost led the league in assists.  Davies tailed off after a great start to the season and by October there were questions as to whether he would even be brought back by DC United.  Beckham was the league’s first international superstar, Davies has a great story but by the end was making some questionable PR moves.

That aside, this is not a Player of the Year or Most Photogenic award, this is a comeback award, and it is hard to argue that Davies does not deserve this over the rest of the field.  His 2009 car wreck was so horrific his life was in danger potentially and his career certainly was in doubt; he visibly carries the scars with him.  The fact that he scored eight goals and carried DC briefly before the De Rosario trade when the prior year he didn’t even play professional soccer is incredible.  Granted, he isn’t back to where he was but he has come a long way and his comeback is mighty impressive.  Beckham also made a comeback from injury, but that was an Achilles injury probably due to playing overseas plus repeated travel.  Some have claimed that Davies did not deserve to win because he did not play in MLS last season; Beckham was hurt playing in Serie A and openly angling for an overseas loan.  If prior MLS playing time was a criteria (and it should be stated if so), Geoff Cameron deserves this award.  But to give it to Beckham over Davies is a terrible mistake.

Now to Coach of the Year, and this one is less cut and dried.  Bruce Arena is undoubtedly a great coach, there is no doubt about that, and to bring this team of immense egos to the finish line in the regular season is a tremendous accomplishment.  Phil Jackson was coach of the year in the NBA for a reason.  However, on a team where you could solve your striker problem by shedding one designated player to sign another three million dollar a year international, that should count as a strike against your candidacy.  That’s not a coaching skill, that’s a competitive advantage.

Let’s now consider the candidacy of Peter Vermes, a coach I put on my hot seat early in the year.  For the first few months of the season, Sporting Kansas City did not have a home stadium, and rather than drift down into the bottom of the league the team survived to finish first in the Eastern Conference.  There was certainly talent on the team due to some shrewd signings like Omar Bravo, but it was the team’s growth around some young players like C.J. Sapong and Teal Bunbury that really pushed it over the top.  Graham Zusi is now being discussed as a potential USMNT call-up and Omar Bravo, while a proven international talent, could have struggled more in integrating himself to MLS like so many others have before him.  This was a team that made a lot out of not as much proven talent as LA and Seattle, but still clinched the first seed in the competitive East.  Were they a better team than LA and Seattle?  No but they made do with less, and that should be a major consideration for Coach of the Year.