The Seattle Sounders will open the 2017 Major League Soccer regular season and begin their title defense on Saturday against the Houston Dynamo (5:30 p.m. PT; Q13 FOX, KIRO Radio 97.3 FM, El Rey 1360AM). The two clubs drew all three matches last season, including two in Houston where Seattle has never won. As the MLS season kicks off, here is a look at all the action this weekend.
Portland Timbers vs. Minnesota United (Friday, 6:30 p.m. PT; FS1)
Minnesota United will play their inaugural MLS match in the first game of the 2017 MLS season when they visit the Portland Timbers. The two teams previously met in official competition in the USL in 2010 in what was Minnesota’s first year as a club and Portland’s final USL season.
Minnesota and Portland drew 2-2 last month during the Timbers’ preseason tournament with the Loons taking a 2-0 lead before the Timbers starters entered and equalized.
After missing the 2016 MLS Cup Playoffs following their 2015 MLS Cup title, Portland reloaded in the offseason and added defensive midfielder David Guzman and winger Sebastian Blanco. A front six of Guzman, Diego Chara, Darlington Nagbe, Diego Valeri, Blanco and Fanendo Adi is one of the most dangerous in the league. Throw in the addition of 2017 first-round MLS SuperDraft pick forward Jeremy Ebobisse (who is currently away with the U.S. U-20 national team), and the Timbers look poised to get back to the postseason.
The Loons enter their MLS tenure with an uncertain future, as head coach Adrian Heath tries to seamlessly transition his side from the USL. Minnesota inauspiciously went 0-2-5 in the preseason, but the club’s players are still learning how to jell with one another. Since 1998, expansion teams are 4-7-3 in their inaugural MLS match, and the 1998 Chicago Fire was the only team to win its first game on the road.
Columbus Crew SC vs. Chicago Fire (Saturday, 11 a.m. PT; MLS LIVE)
Crew SC failed to make the playoffs last season after losing in the 2015 MLS Cup Final, but they bring back a ton of talent. Wil Trapp, Federico Higuain, Justin Meram and Ola Kamara are all back for a side that just won the Carolina Challenege Cup in Charleston, S.C., including a 1-0 win over the Sounders. Zack Steffen has looked great in goal and offseason acquisitions Jukka Raitala and Mohammed Abu should contribute immediately.
Perhaps no team in MLS made more of an overhaul than the Fire, who finished with the league’s worst record last season. Chicago brought big names to Bridgeview, Ill., including Dax McCarty, Juninho and Designated Player Nemanja Nikolic, who should pair nicely up front with speedy forward David Accam.
LA Galaxy vs. FC Dallas (Saturday, 1 p.m. PT; Univision)
FC Dallas added even more depth in the offseason, signing maestro Javier Morales as well as 23-year-old Paraguayan forward Cristian Colman. Walker Zimmerman, Matt Hedges, Carlos Gruezo, Kellyn Acosta and the recovering Mauro Diaz all return in 2017 for one of the league’s most consistently impressive teams last year.
The Galaxy went through a major facelift in the offseason, most notably losing head coach Bruce Arena and most of his staff to the United States national team. Curt Onalfo takes over without Robbie Keane, Landon Donovan and Mike Magee, but promising offseason signings Romain Alessandrini and Jermaine Jones should fill some gaps. Playmaker Giovani dos Santos and MLS Defender of the Year finalist Jelle Van Damme return, as do Sebastian Lletget and Gyasi Zardes, to anchor LA.
Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC (Saturday, 1:30 p.m. PT; TSN1, MLS LIVE)
Real Salt Lake will try and replace longtime midfield cog Javier Morales with Slovakian Designated Player Albert Rusnak, who was acquired in the offseason. RSL has a ton of young talent, but four players — Danilo Acosta, Justen Glad, Brooks Lennon and Sebastian Saucedo — are all unavailable for Saturday as they compete with the United States U-20 national team.
TFC came within penalty kicks of its first MLS Cup title last season and are once again buoyed by one of the best players in MLS in Sebastian Giovinco. U.S. internationals Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are also back, as are Drew Moor and Jonathan Osorio. Toronto again boasts one of the league’s most explosive lineups.
Colorado Rapids vs. New England Revolution (Saturday, 3 p.m. PT; MLS LIVE)
The Rapids fell just short of the Supporters’ Shield last season and reached the Western Conference Championship. They lost Jermaine Jones in the offseason, but Tim Howard (who is likely out for the opener with an adductor injury), Axel Sjoberg and Kevin Doyle are all back.
The Revolution missed the playoffs last year by virtue of a tiebreaker, but they finished the season strong, winning five of their last seven matches. The trio of Juan Agudelo, Lee Nguyen and Kei Kamara lead the attack with Kelyn Rowe pulling the strings behind.
D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City (Saturday, 4 p.m. PT; MLS LIVE)
D.C. United spent a club-record transfer fee to keep playmaker Luciano Acosta from Argentina’s Boca Juniors hoping he can spark an attack led by target man Patrick Mullins, who scored eight goals after joining the Red and Black from New York City FC midway through last season. Goalkeeper Bill Hamid anchors a defense highlighted by U.S. international Steve Birnbaum.
Matt Besler and Dom Dwyer each had offseason surgeries but should be good to go for Sporting. Benny Feilhaber is still one of the league’s best center midfielders, and he’ll look to play alongside new left winger and Designated Player Gerso Fernandes, who signed from Portugal’s Os Belenenses in the offseason. Erik Palmer-Brown is poised for a breakout year on defense, but he is currently away with the U.S. U-20s.
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Montreal Impact (Saturday, 7 p.m. PT; TSN1, MLS LIVE)
The Earthquakes have missed the playoffs for four straight seasons, but made a decent push in the offseason to acquire more firepower. San Jose drafted center midfielder Jackson Yueill and signed Albanian international Jahmir Hyka, as well as added Costa Rican international Marcos Ureña and Dutch forward Danny Hoesen, who is on a year-long loan from FC Groningen. Chris Wondolowski continues to run the show up front and talented goalkeeper David Bingham returns in net.
Montreal came to the brink of reaching the MLS Cup Final last season after a wild second leg of the Eastern Conference Championship against Toronto FC. Didier Drogba has left, but the main attacking trio of Ignacio Piatti, Matteo Mancosu and Dominic Oduro is back and one of the league’s most threatening. The rest of the Impact’s team is essentially intact from last year as they try and get over the hump in 2017.
Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC (Sunday, 2 p.m. PT; ESPN)
These two 2015 expansion franchises began their MLS tenures against each other in Florida two years ago, and they face off this year in Orlando’s brand new soccer-specific stadium.
Orlando City brings back the dangerous attacking duo of Cyle Larin and Kaka, but parted ways with Kevin Molino and Brek Shea in the offseason. Cristian Higuita and Rafael Ramos are both injured for Week 1, though, and so more will likely be expected from offseason signings Will Johnson and former United States national team defender Jonathan Spector, who had spent the last 14 years playing in England.
Frank Lampard retired last year, but reigning MLS MVP David Villa and Andrea Pirlo are back for New York City FC, as are promising young players Jack Harrison and Ronald Matarrita. Designated Player Maximiliano Moralez joined in the offseason along with former Portland Timbers winger Rodney Wallace. Sean Johnson also joined NYCFC in the offseason to shore up the goalkeeping position.
Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. PT; FS1)
In what’s expected to be a sold-out crowd of more than 50,000 people, 2017 expansion team Atlanta United opens against last year’s Eastern Conference regular-season champions the New York Red Bulls.
Atlanta has constructed an incredibly talented roster, spearheaded by Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra. Paraguayan No. 10 Miguel Almiron may be the league’s best offseason signing, and Hector Villalba looks poised to be a menace on the wing. Current U.S. international Greg Garza joins former U.S. international and club captain Michael Parkhurst on defense along with Tyrone Mears, whose play at right back helped the Sounders win the 2016 MLS Cup. Josef Martinez and Kenwyne Jones also highlight what should figure to be a potent United attack. Expectations for expansion teams should be rightfully curtailed, but Atlanta has done everything right heading into its inaugural match.
The Red Bulls lost captain Dax McCarty to the Chicago Fire in the offseason, but still return reigning Golden Boot winner Bradley Wright-Phillips and 20-assist man Sacha Kljestan. Luis Robles is back in goal, and the emergence of young defensive midfielder Sean Davis should be a notable story to watch in 2017.
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Philadelphia Union (Sunday, 6:30 p.m. PT; TSN1, MLS LIVE)
The Vancouver Whitecaps missed the playoffs last year, but added some key offseason signings. Former Seattle Sounders forward Fredy Montero joins the Whitecaps after spending the last four years outside of MLS, and he scored in his debut in the CONCACAF Champions League on Thursday against the Red Bulls. Mauro Rosales, another former Sounder, also signed with Vancouver. The club traded Giles Barnes to Orlando City for Brek Shea, who Vancouver is hoping can help in the attack along with winger Kekuta Manneh.
The Union lost Tranquillo Barnetta in the offseason, but U.S. international Alejandro Bedoya is back to pull the strings in midfield. Philadelphia returns productive forward Chris Pontius and reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Andre Blake, as well as Rookie of the Year finalist Keegan Rosenberry, who will play alongside offseason signing and former U.S. international Oguchi Onyweu.
