With Matchday 1 already underway, I am going to be predicting the winner of the MLS Cup and all of the other awards.
MLS Cup Champions
I’m going to sound really, really biased, but I’m picking my favorite team, LAFC (who by the way has a great kit that will be ranked in the MLS Kit Rankings, coming out later this week) to win the whole dang thing. Carlos Vela and Chicho Arango will lead the attack, and I predict that they will combine to score 50 goals. If they score that much, it doesn’t matter if the defense is as bad as last year. USMNT midfielder Kellyn Acosta and defender Ryan Hollingshead will spearhead LAFC’s center, hopefully leading to the Championship.
Supporters’ Shield
I think that New England Revolution will win again. They have the firepower, with reigning MVP Carles Gil, good coaching with Bruce Arena, a solid midfielder in Sebastian Lleget, and a great goalkeeper in Matt Turner. (although he’s leaving in the summer) All signs point to them again having the best record in the regular season.
US Open Cup
My prediction is honestly not going to matter. Any soccer knockout tournament in anywhere but England is impossible to predict, Knowing my luck, I won’t even get remotely close to getting this right. So, to solve this problem I spun a random MLS team wheel. The team I got was Inter Miami, but they’re probably not going to win. But random wheels never are wrong, so when Inter Miami win later this year, remember that I told that they will win.
Landon Donovan MLS MVP
Continuing the LAFC hype train, (I’m sorry Galaxy fans) I’m picking Carlos Vela as MLS MVP. If the season goes how I think it will, Carlos Vela will have 25 goals and at least 10 assists. Chicho Arango should have a field day with Vela’s outstanding range of passing, leading to a large number of assists, which theoretically, should lead to Vela outshining competitors who have the same amount of goals, but not assists. Hany Mukhtar is another candidate, and I could see him stealing the award from Vela.
Golden Boot
The best striker in the MLS for some time has been Josef Martinez. Coming off of the ACL tear last year, he just wasn’t himself. He was good, but not Josef Martinez level. I think with two great wingers surrounding him in Luis Araujo and Thiago Almada, Martinez will have an unreal level of scoring.
Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year
The best goalie in MLS is Matt Turner, undeniably. But with the news that he’s leaving for Arsenal at the summer, Andre Blake is the best one remaining. Philly has a great defense, leaving Blake with few shots per game and Blake has some of the best reactions in the league. It’s a pretty easy decision.
Defender of the Year
One of the finalists from last year, Miles Robinson, is my prediction for Defender of the Year. From what I’ve seen, Walker Zimmerman is probably better, but I think that Robinson is going to improve dramatically this year, win the award, and establish his place as the best USA center back for the World Cup.
Newcomer of the Year
This is either going to be Douglas Costa or Xherdan Shaquiri. I think it’s going to be Shaquiri because he has been playing at a top level for most of the last 5 years. He’s going to be the maestro of the Chicago Fire midfield. He’s going to have at least 10 goals and 10 assists.
Young Player of the Year
One of the finalists from last year, Julián Araujo, should be the winner this year. Already the starting right back on the Galaxy at 20 years old, Araujo should blossom into a superstar this year. He is so dynamic as a right-back, constantly overlapping and causing havoc. He’s easily the best young player this year with the two finalists from last year, Tajon Buchanon and Ricardo Pepi in Europe at Club Brugge and FC Augsburg respectively.
A brief side note: I want Jude Wellings, the 15-year-old midfielder from RSL to win the award, but I already told you I’m not biased.
Comeback Player of the Year
After the season-ending Achilles injury, Aaron Long should be poised for a comeback. Immediately against San Jose, he slotted straight into the starting lineup. The USMNT international is a great defender and maybe a candidate for the Defender of the Year.
Coach of the Year
If LAFC wins the MLS Cup, Steve Cherundolo will undeniably be the Coach of the Year. But more likely though is that Bob Bradley will have a tactical masterclass in Toronto with former MVP Alejandro Pozuelo, his own son, Michael Bradley, and Lorenzo Insigne, who comes after his contract with Napoli expires in the summer. Bradley led LAFC to the playoffs in their first year and has the brains and leadership to bring one of the worst MLS teams last year to the playoffs. Maybe even the Cup.
Comment below with any questions you have or contact us here. Be on the lookout for our MLS kit rankings coming out very, very soon.
Excellent, In-depth season primer, AK! I like your call for LAFC to win it all, and an LAFC high-powered, explosive offense will be exciting to follow and root for in 2022.