For the last four years, The Athletic has polled some of the top soccer executives around the league for their thoughts and predictions ahead of a season. The answers have shown that it’s no easy task to foresee what’s going to happen next in MLS.
Last year, exactly zero of the 30 executives polled tipped the LA Galaxy to win MLS Cup. Only three backed Inter Miami to take the Supporters’ Shield.
On the other hand, those same executives correctly picked that Thiago Almada and Caleb Wiley would be the next two MLS players to make big moves abroad. And nine of 30 executives did vote that the Galaxy had the best offseason in the league, pointing to the hire of Will Kuntz and the additions of Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec as a sign that “they should get a lot better, real quick.”
This year’s survey gives MLS executives another chance to predict the 2025 season. We polled 21 soccer decision-makers from clubs around the league. Most of those surveyed are the chief soccer officer (CSO) of their respective club, their official titles may vary, but CSOs are the individuals in charge of the sporting side of their organization. Some of the respondents are slightly lower down the team’s organizational chart, but all are highly involved in soccer operations and more than fluent on league matters.
This is Part 1, which deals mostly with picks and preferences for the 2025 season: MLS Cup predictions, the best players at each position, the top coach, and the best transfer and trades of the offseason. Part 2, coming Monday, is more open-ended, and our panel was asked about several different big-picture, league-wide topics ranging from the FIFA Club World Cup to the potential fall-to-spring schedule shift and USL’s move for division one sanctioning.
In exchange for their candor, execs were granted full anonymity. No execs were allowed to vote for anyone associated with the clubs for which they work.
Now, onto their responses:
FC Cincinnati has been one of the most aggressive teams in the transfer market, shelling out tens of millions of dollars to become one of the best teams in MLS. That continued this offseason, with what was briefly a league-record $16.2 million transfer fee for Kévin Denkey followed by a $12 million internal transfer for Evander, who replaced Lucho Acosta (sold to FC Dallas for $5 million). That has made them the MLS Cup favorites in the minds of CSOs around the league.
“They’re scary,” one exec said. “The Evander move for me is a game-changer. He’s going at half-speed right now. And Denkey looks the part too. He’s a monster.”
… (more)
Source link
