MLS

MLS 2022: Storylines, players to watch on opening weekend

Updated Mar. 4, 2022 3:50 p.m. ET

By Doug McIntyre
FOX Sports Soccer Writer

Editor's Note: MLS Footnotes takes you inside the major talking points around the league and across American soccer.

Following the shortest offseason in its 27-year history, Major League Soccer kicks off the 2022 campaign with all 28 teams — ambitious expansion club Charlotte FC included — in action on opening weekend.

Of the record 14 games, several stand out. MLS Cup contenders Philadelphia Union meet Minnesota United in the opener. Charlotte travel to D.C. for their first match. Defending champ New York City FC visit five-time Cup winners LA Galaxy, who are desperate to return to the playoffs after missing out two straight years.

But the marquee matchup is undoubtedly Saturday’s prime-time contest between the New England Revolution and Portland Timbers (7:30 p.m. ET, FOX, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app).

New England posted the most points in MLS regular-season history in 2021, and they enter this season as the favorites — along with the Seattle Sounders — to hoist the Philip F. Anschutz Trophy on Nov. 7.

"This is probably the first time since I’ve been here where we actually have an experienced team," said Revolution coach Bruce Arena, now entering his third full season in Foxborough.

The Revs' roster has been bolstered by the additions of veterans (and previous MLS Cup winners) Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez and U.S. national team midfielder Sebastian Lletget.

"I think the players we’ve signed will help a lot," reigning MLS MVP Carles Gil told FOX Sports. "Sebastian is a great player, and he’s getting accustomed to our system quickly. Omar and Jozy are experienced, and they’ve won. I’m sure that will help us. Every year it’s a better team."

The question, as it always is in New England, is: Can they win it all? The Revs, one the league’s nine remaining originals from its 1996 launch, have reached the finale five times and lost every one.

Last year, they were eliminated on penalties by eventual titlist NYCFC in their first postseason test. The loss stung. Still, Arena hasn’t tried to use the defeat as motivation.

"Anything that happened in 2021 doesn’t matter," he said. "It’s a new year."

MLS FOOTNOTES

As the season kicks off, here are the top storylines and players to watch.

1. Keeper conundrum

Arena must navigate losing USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner, who will leave to join English Premier League side Arsenal this summer. For Turner, the move is a no-brainer.

"It’s really hard to say no to not only the chance to go fulfill a dream but also to go challenge myself at the highest level," said the 27-year-old Turner, who didn’t start playing soccer until he was 15.

The question for the Revs is how to replace him.

"We have some time to plan," Arena said, adding that he’s confident in experienced backup backstops Brad Knighton and Earl Edwards Jr., plus youngster Jacob Jackson.

"If we need to make an addition, we will. But we'll take a little time to analyze that."

2. Revs eyeing Horvath

Multiple sources have told FOX Sports that New England have interest in Turner’s U.S. teammate, Ethan Horvath. His crucial penalty save against Mexico’s Andres Guardado helped the Americans claim the CONCACAF Nations League final last summer, but Horvath has been unable to win a starting job with English second-tier side Nottingham Forest.

Moving to MLS would guarantee the UEFA Champions League veteran the playing time he’ll need to have any hope of cracking the U.S. World Cup roster — provided the USMNT qualify, of course.

As of now, MLS Cup MVP Sean Johnson of NYCFC appears firmly entrenched behind Turner and former Columbus Crew custodian Zack Steffen.

"It would be foolish of me to comment on any player with another team," Arena said when asked about Horvath.

Not surprising. Also, not a denial.

3. Starting over

The parity in MLS means most clubs go through a rough patch during the season. Unfortunately for Sporting Kansas City, their lull came at the worst possible time last year. After losing just seven of their first 31 games, SKC dropped four of their last five, missing out on the Western Conference title (and the first-round postseason bye that goes with it) and then getting upset by Real Salt Lake in the quarterfinals.

"I don’t feel like we did ourselves justice," Sporting captain Johnny Russell told FOX Sports. "That was the frustrating part. The way we played was more disappointing than losing."

This season, SKC are among the favorites to win the MLS title, after New England and Seattle. SKC will open their 2022 slate in front of 70,000-plus fans Sunday in Atlanta (3 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX Deportes and the FOX Sports app). It will be among the highest-attended games in the world that day.

Partly because of the pandemic, SKC and Atlanta United FC have met only three times since 2017. The only time they faced off in Georgia, the visitors emerged with a 2-0 win.

"It’ll be a lot of guys' first time going to that stadium," Russell said. "It’s definitely one of the trips you look forward to."

4. A loss even before the season

Peter Vermes is entering his 14th season as coach of SKC, easily the longest tenure of any boss in MLS. He's also the team's GM, and in both roles, he's dealing with a big loss heading into the season.

SKC lost Designated Player Alan Pulido to season-ending knee surgery in January. Even worse, Vermes can’t replace the Mexican national team forward.

"You’d have to have a DP spot, number one, but it doesn’t work that way," Vermes said. "There’s no rule in place for that. Even if there was, you’d have to go find a player that’s comparable to him, and there’s not a lot out there. I think that highly of him."

5. L.A. story

It’s hard to believe both the Galaxy and LAFC missed the playoffs last season, but the two squads should be better this year. Carlos Vela is healthy for LAFC, which hired former USMNT fullback Steve Cherundolo to replace Bob Bradley as coach. (Bradley is now in Toronto.)

The Galaxy lost Lletget but added Brazilian winger Douglas Costa, who should take some pressure off of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. Chicharito scored 17 goals in just 21 games last year.

6. Designated Playmaker

Besides Costa, the other two marquee DPs who signed with MLS teams this winter are Xherdan Shaqiri (Chicago Fire) and Lorenzo Insigne (Toronto FC). They’re all close in age, but Insigne, 30, is the only one still at the top of his game. His MLS-record $15 million salary and the fact that he led Italy to a European title less than a year ago reflect that.

Meanwhile, Shaqiri struggled mightily at Lyon this season after leaving Liverpool, and Costa has now been loaned out by parent club Juventus three times in two years. The only downside for TFC is they’ll have to wait until Napoli’s season concludes for Insigne to arrive.

7. USMNT players to watch

With Weston McKennie’s broken foot ruling him out of the USMNT’s three crucial World Cup qualifiers next month, LAFC’s Kellyn Acosta will be out to prove to U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter that he should spell the Juventus star in central midfield.

Another player to watch early this season is CF Montreal’s Djordje Mihailovic. He was behind former SKC homegrown Gianluca Busio and fellow midfielder Luca de la Torre on Berhalter’s depth chart in January, but things change.

The 23-year-old Mihailovic had a goal and an assist and was downright dominant in Wednesday’s 3-0 drubbing of Liga MX side Santos Laguna that sent Montreal into the last eight of CONCACAF’s Champions League:

One of the most prominent soccer journalists in North America, Doug McIntyre has covered United States men’s and women’s national teams in more than a dozen countries, including multiple FIFA World Cups. Before joining FOX Sports, the New York City native was a staff writer for Yahoo Sports and ESPN. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.