I’d normally like to get these predictions out much sooner but with all that has gone on this winter the day before First Kick seems about right really. The rosters became compliant at 5pm ET yesterday and thus will put an end to the preseason in a way for all the clubs.

In the past I’ve done these bold season predictions in various ways. I ended up sticking with the tradition of the predictions and picks and also added some other items like I did a year ago. I know some of the bold predictions are silly and meaningless but they’re fun to do nonetheless.

As always feel free to put in your season predictions below.

Players to watch out for in 2010:

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus): Can he guide this club to another stellar season? I think he will but it won’t be easy with the league out to get them.
• Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): No doubt Donovan will return to his MVP form from a year ago, but the question will he be with the club after the World Cup? Part of me thinks he will and part of me sees him going back to England.
• Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls): Once he is 100% again look for him to do very well this year. Not playing on nasty turf at home will do wonders for him and the Red Bulls.
• Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo): Big, big year in Houston for the Dynamo especially for Cameron. If he can help keep their offense in check and facilitate things like I believe he can then look out.
• Freddy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC): He’s a marked man but if he can break open in space like we’ve seen him do time and time again then he’ll get his goals this year.

Coaches Already Feeling The Heat

Each year I’ve done a Coaching Hot Seat, where I look around the league to see who stands the greatest chance of getting the boot. Last couple year’s I’ve been right on with some picks on here while a few others have been a bit off. Again, its just my opinion on each coach listed and it doesn’t mean it will actually happen. In other words don’t get all bent out of shape if you see your coach on here at any point this year, I can’t tell you how many emails I get over this issue.

But in saying so this year could be a fairly light year for coaching hot seats in general since there have been so many coaching changes.

• Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes): Its year three for the Quakes 2.0 which means Yallop should really feel some heat if he doesn’t get this club winning early on this year. I wasn’t shocked to see him get another season with the club after last year but I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see him be the first gone this year.
• Gary Smith (Colorado Rapids): Another western coach that should feel some heat this year if his club isn’t winning. If they continue to be inconsistent look for lots of calls for his head later this year. Thing is the Rapids owners typically drag these things out. I think he’ll be fine but for now this is more of a caution of possible things to come.
• Hans Backe (New York Red Bulls): I do believe he’ll last longer than most expected him to but I think its more of a formality at this point to always include the New York boss in these lists given the fact that they have a new coach about every year or year and a half.
• Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas): While I believe he will have this job as long as he wants it I also think that if he has another clunker of a season the pressure for him to go will have to mount. His overall record (15-18-14) isn’t anything to brag about.

Early Award Predictions:

Below are some predictions for each end-of-season award. I left a few off that I really don’t care about, why we vote on things like the Ref of the year is beyond me. I’ll give you my top three for each since that is how we have to vote on it anyways.

Goalkeeper:

1. Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy): He’s a beast…nothing more to say than that.
2. Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders): If Ricketts isn’t 100% all year then this award easily goes to Keller.
3. Will Hesmer (Columbus): I find him to be highly underrated.

Defender:

1. Chad Marshall (Columbus): Hard not to go against the league’s best defender.
2. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle): He’s the rock in the back for the Sounders.
3. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): I see this kid growing into a perennial All-Star.

Comeback Player:

1. Taylor Twellman (New England): Its gotta be Twellman right? Anyone else to put here?

(Yes I’m sure there are others but right now Twellman is all I have for this one.)

Newcomer:

1. Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls): If NY is going to be half as good as people think/say they are this year it will be because of this guy.
2. Eduardo (San Jose Earthquakes): The Quakes need a goal scorer and he will help do just that.
3. Blaise N’Kufo (Seattle Sounders FC): Yes he is only playing a half season but I agree with a lot of folks out there that think he is the final piece to the puzzle that puts this club over the top.

(Note: this will easily change as newcomers join the league in the summer and after the World Cup)

Coach:

1. Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders): He’ll continue to work his magic in the Pacific Northwest.
2. Peter Nowak (Philadelphia Union): I do believe he’ll make them better than most expansion clubs and thus will get high praise for it. A playoff birth would easily help him win this though.
3. Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy): If they end up losing Landon Donovan this summer and they still do well in the west then he may very well beat out Schmid for this honor.

Rookie:

1. Tony Tchani (New York Red Bulls): He’s a beast, believe me.
2. Zach Loyd (FC Dallas): The man that can play just about anywhere for Schellas Hyndman. Once he settles into a role he’ll be golden.
3. Teal Bunbury (Kansas City Wizards): He’s a natural goal scorer, and KC needs goals.

MVP:

1. Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): Not settling the world on fire with this pick but as long as he is in the league he’s the best player no matter what.
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew): As long as he has a full healthy season he could end up winning this on his production alone.
3. Kyle Beckerman (RSL): If this club is going to repeat it will be because of this man.

Playoff Predictions:

Top two from Eastern Conference: Columbus Crew* and Chicago Fire
Top two from Western Conference: Seattle Sounders FC and LA Galaxy

Wild card winners: Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, D.C. United

I feel as though the first six (auto-bids, RSL, and Houston) are simple picks for me but with parity in this league we really could see any number of teams in those final two spots. I think it will come down between Dallas, D.C., Colorado, Chivas, Toronto, New York and New England for those final two spots. I felt weird taking four western conference wild cards so D.C. gets the nod for me though I’ll be honest I’m not totally set on that pick. Dallas needs to find a partner for Jeff Cunningham or they’ll be in trouble. Still Dallas is a dark-horse for me just as I’ve said all winter long. Had to stay with that pick here.

First round playoff winners: Columbus (over Dallas); Chicago (over D.C.); Seattle (over Houston); and RSL (over LA).

Conference final winners: Columbus and Seattle.

MLS Cup winner: Seattle Sounders FC

(*= Supporter’s Shield winners)

The Rest of the WVH Bold Predictions:

1. A MLS club will win SuperLiga: I still hate this tournament but I’m a homer and root for anyone MLS in it. My guess is Houston will take it hom this year.
2. A MLS club will win the US Open Cup: The league usually does every year and with the whole Division II mess that went on these past few months I like a MLS club’s chance even more. I’m going to go with the Chicago Fire to win this year.
3. MLS will get four clubs in CCL Group stage: We already get two in Columbus and Real Salt Lake. I’ll say LA and Toronto some how manages their way into the group stage this year. Seattle falls short.
4. MLS will win the All-Star game: Yawn.
5. Three clubs will add DPs by the end of summer: New York will add their second while Chicago and D.C. get new ones.
6. More Yanks will return home: Maybe a Benny Feihaber? Who knows? I still see a couple coming back this summer.
7. A couple Yanks transfer out of MLS: This deserves it’s own post (again) but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Donovan go as well as someone like Brek Shea.
8. Dominic Kinnear will once again trade like crazy: He does it each year and it only makes his team better. Why people trade with him I’ll never know. You can bet one at least one trade really working out in the Dynamo’s favor though.
9. Mo Johnston and Preki will butt heads: All seems good now as they continue to dump salaries but at some point they’ll clash over player pickups.
10. Houston and San Jose will see their stadiums go up: They’ll join Kansas City in the movin’ dirt department.
11. D.C. will still be stuck at RFK: Its election year for D.C.’s mayoral race, so I don’t see anything happening to United’s stadium issues anytime soon. Which sucks.
12. Montreal will get their expansion bid: They’ll be in the league in 2012…its all but announced at this point.
13. No other expansion bid will be announced this year: I think the league will carefully plan who their 20th club will be. My money is on them trying to find an owner in New York to bring a second club to that area.
14. A late season run will help…D.C.: We see it every year, last year it was RSL getting lucky at the right time, this year it will be D.C.
15. Juan Pablo Angel will lead the league in goals: No turf at Red Bull Arena will go a long way in getting him back to producing lots of goals.
16. Brad Davis will lead the league in assists: He always quietly gets lots of assists and no one notices.
17. Kasey Keller will lead the league in saves: I still see the Sounders give up a fair amount of shots but Keller will be there to save most of them.
18. The US Men’s National Team will make it to the quarterfinals: Not MLS related but definitely worth predicting at this point. I love the boy’s chances in South Africa, as much as I want to put them in the semi-finals, a quarterfinal exit seems more likely.

Freddy Ljungberg and Sigi Schmid lead the way again in 2010 for Seattle. (Getty Images)

We only have two more clubs to look at here in our preseason look-ins of each Major League Soccer club. Today we head to the Pacific Northwest to see how Sigi Schmid and his Seattle Sounders FC are doing this winter.

For the most part things have been fairly quiet for last year’s expansion darlings. Schmid has kept the majority of his club intact from last season which came very close to a western conference final birth, not to mention they were the winners of the US Open Cup.

So far this winter the Sounders have been fairly quiet, only signing a couple players. Though they will get one big boost this summer with Swiss striker Blaise Nkufo joins them. Until then the Sounders will have to rely on young star Freddy Montero to carry the offensive load, which shouldn’t be much of an issue.

Anyways, let’s dive in to see who Seattle has going into the new season and where else they need to fill in the holes.

Keepers:

Who they have: Kasey Keller, Chris Eylander, Terry Boss.

Notes: When you have one of the best American keepers in US soccer history you’re pretty set, even if Keller is up there in age. Also they have a pretty solid backup in Eylander too so this is an area I think Sounder founds aren’t at all worried about. I’d be even willing to bet that should Keller be out for an injury at some point in this season that Eylander will be a fine replacement. But for their sake I hope Keller stays healthy for the year.

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Defense:

Who they have: Tyrone Marshall, Jhon Kennedy Hurtado, Patrick Ianni, Tyson Wahl, James Riley, Nathan Sturgis, Leonardo Gonzalez, Zach Scott, Taylor Graham.

Notes: This is a group I like but am not totally in love with…yet. Between Hurtado, Marshall, Riley and Gonzalez I think they’re pretty good but after that they’re pretty young and raw. I’d like to think that Sturgis will finally be fit enough to show his true potential this season. If he can be the player LA draft him to be a couple years back then they’ll be doing very well in the back this year.

I’d still like them to get a little deeper in the back though by getting another center back. Times they got beat least year were right down the middle on some sloppy plays. Possibly improving on their outside backs wouldn’t hurt either. I know they’ve had Jeff Parke in camp some this winter, that wouldn’t be a bad pick up for them.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Freddie Ljungberg, Brad Evans, Osvaldo Alonso, Steve Zakuani, Stephen King, Sanna Nyassi, Peter Vagenas, David Estrada, Kevin Souter.

Notes: When 100% the group of Ljungberg, Evans, Alonso and Zakuani are as close to being the top midfield group in the league as possible. I’d argue they are one of the best on any given day. Thing is you can’t count on them to be 100% all the time, especially not when they play 15 games on turf.

We could also see them lump in guys like Nate Jaqua to this group since they typically play more out wide than up top. But something tells me Jaqua could be on his way out with that recent signing. I would like to see them add a little more depth on the wings though and maybe another guy to facilitate the offense when Ljungberg isn’t out there.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Freddy Montero, Nate Jaqua, Roger Levesque, Miguel Montano

Notes: They’ve address this light area with the signing of Nkufo but he won’t be there until the summer. So a lot of pressure will be on Montero to live up to his hype yet again this season. If Montero struggles early it could be a bumping couple months until Nkufo arrives to this club.

I think adding another striker here for the short term could be beneficial. They do have young Montano but not many know exactly how productive the 18-year old will be. Adding someone with experience is the way to go here but it looks like they’re just waiting on Nkufo for the time being.

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Overall:

This should be an interesting year in Seattle. The club has a little more on their menu with the CONCACAF Champions League later in the year. Should they have any issues before then in terms of depth it could be a rocky road in the second half of the season. I think however Schmid’s club is set up nicely to brace any kind of storm that their schedule could present them this year.

The big wonder on most folks mind is whether or not they’ll be able to keep Montero for the entire season. My bet is they will so they’ll have to make the most of things this season.

Seattle should be in prime position to remain near the top of the west and the league this season should all the right parties be healthy this year. Lets not forget they were only a couple points out of being a Supporter’s Shield winner in their first season. I think they’ll be contending again in 2010.

Freddie Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso were huge additions to Seattle and to MLS this year. (Getty Images)

Everyone knew going into the 2009 season that the new kids on the block would make a splash. Just the kind of splash the league needed in some folks eyes. The Seattle Sounders FC came into the year not as a typical expansion club. No this group broke the mold for expansion clubs by being able to sign players from their old USL club and by going out of their way to sign quality veteran players to play even before the expansion draft last November.

Yes, these Sounders made a splash on and off the field as well. Minority owner Drew Carey hyped up his club in every way possible on TV or the radio or in newspapers. For once it looked like a club just got “it” for getting people’s attention in a city.

And it worked too as Seattle became one of the most successful expansion teams in Major League Soccer history. No they didn’t end up winning it all like the 1998 expansion Chicago Fire but they did definitely bring in a new era of how to do things both on and off the field.

Seattle started off strong in 2009 with big wins at home in front of massively packed crowds that the league had never seen on a consistent basis before. Guys like Newcomer of the Year Fredy Montero and Nate Jaqua proved to be solid up top while former USL guys like Osvaldo Alonso and Sebastian Le Toux proved they had what it takes to be big time MLS players.

Then there was the DP, the designated player from Sweden Freddie Ljungberg. The Swede proved to a load of folks around the league that he still had some gas left in the tank and that the wouldn’t be a Denilson-type of DP.

The club was tough to figure out for others as they went on to win their first US Open Cup in DC back in September, securing a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League. Let’s just hope this year’s bunch will be one that they can build on for years to come.

What Went Right In 2009:
As mentioned above on and off the field there was plenty to smile about in Seattle this year. Montero was a beast to handle. Veterans like Ljungberg and Kasey Keller were great when needed. New faces like Jhon Kennedy Hurtado made big impacts and Sigi Schmid continues to be the Sigi Schmid we all know. Winning the Open Cup was also a big step for this club as well. They proved late in the year when it mattered most that they could get the job done away from home. Oh and lastly, the fans in Seattle were amazing this year…no getting around it they were just amazing.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
The play on the field wasn’t always so rosy. May was a dry spell that saw the club not win a single game (though they didn’t lose a game either). They struggled at home against clubs they should have beaten and the defense was clearly the weakest link on the field at times. Until late in the year they struggled on the road and looked like they may even fall out of playoff contention. But getting in the playoffs they struggled offensively to beat Houston.

What’s Next:
I think next is just the start of what could be a good run for this club. The foundation is there and we know the veterans that are coming back. I believe the transfer talks surrounding Montero will continue to be there but he will return in 2010. I think they need to get some depth right away on defense and find some extra quality in the midfield. Lastly getting Montero some support up top wouldn’t hurt at all. There is work to be done but to be honest it won’t be as hard as other clubs out there.

Fredy Montero leads the charge for the expansion Sounders. (Getty Images)

The playoffs are finally here and tonight they kickoff with a bang up in the Pacific Northwest as the Houston Dynamo travel to Qwest Field to face the Seattle Sounders FC in a big first leg western conference semi-final series.

Seattle comes into the playoffs as one of the league’s hottest teams and with the opening game at Qwest you have to believe Sigi Schmid and company will pull out all the stops to make sure the expected large crowd stays happy. Schmid will have to rely heavily on Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Leo Gonzalez in the back to slow down the attack from Brian Ching and Stuart Holden.

The Dynamo need to find a way to get a goal early and then rely on their strong defense to carry them in this game and in the series. Catching Seattle off guard on corner kicks or free kicks could go a long way for the Dynamo. However the most important thing for Dominic Kinnear’s bunch is staying out of card trouble. These last couple months have been nothing but yellow and red cards for Kinnear’s team. Make no mistake if they get into card trouble it will be another early exit for the Dynamo this year in the playoffs. You can’t beat a club like Seattle with ten men, you just can’t do it.

I think tonight’s game will be physical as Houston will want to use guys like Geoff Cameron and Bobby Boswell to keep Fredy Montero and Freddie Ljungberg off the boards. Look for Seattle to play the wings a lot in this game and also look for Ljungberg to try to live up to his DP status with the Sounders.

I like the homeside by a slim margin in this one. These two played two exciting games in the regular season and I don’t see anything different here tonight. Goals by Ching for the Dynamo and goals by Montero and Nate Jaqua for the Sounders.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Houston 1

Anyways, I’ll have a full rundown next week of who I voted for and why. Not to say that I won’t take some input from you all on these matters. Tonight I wanted to go into another award race that is pretty tight as the one I discussed earlier in the day. The Defender of the Year.

This is another award that is going to be very tightly contested between a number of players. Last year we saw Columbus’ Chad Marshall run away with the award, and while he is in the running yet again for it this year I don’t believe he has completely won everyone over for it this season.

Who exactly do I see in the running? I have a few guys here listed below that I think are all candidates for this award. If you feel I left anyone out just comment below with a good reason and they may get my consideration.

Chad Marshall (Columbus): Yes Marshall is in the running and you got to believe he will get his fair share of votes this season. The thing is his injury issues will keep him off some folks ballots and at the end of it all I kind of doubt he will repeat as Defender of the Year.

Geoff Cameron (Houston): Had the season ended last weekend you could bet Cameron would be the top choice for this award. More than likely we should see Cameron walk away with the award this season for many reasons. He’s been by far one of the most consistent defenders in the league and how sick was the bicycle save last week?

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle): Some say Kasey Keller has been the reason why the expansion Sounders have been fairly solid on defense this year but I would argue that it is mostly been due to the play of Hurtado. This winter addition has been one of those that you have to give the Seattle front office credit for because he’s been a total gem of a find.

Wilman Conde (Chicago): About two months ago I would have said he was the top choice for this award but as the Fire have slipped lately so has Conde’s play. Conde is still one of the best defenders in the league but something tells me the in-house issues in Chicago still remain and Conde won’t be there next year.

Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas): One of the reasons why Chivas USA has been near the top all year is due to the consistent play of Bornstein. He missed a decent amount of time this summer with the National team but it hasn’t kept him from picking up the slack when he is with the Goats. The Chivas defense would be nothing without him I think.

Omar Gonzalez (LA): The LA rookie has been very good, so good in fact that he has a shot at two awards (other being rookie of the year).

Others in consideration: Darrius Barnes (New England), Bobby Boswell (Houston), Tyrone Marshall (Seattle).———————————————————

Playoff Scenarios Will Make Your Head Hurt

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I’ve come close to posting the playoff scenarios for this weekend but there are so damn many of them that it makes my head hurt even trying. Thankfully Beau Dure has us all covered.

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Hello Mr. Gulati

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Ever wanna know what it is like to actually talk to USSF president Sunil Gulati? Well new writer Brian Morse over at MatchFit USA has you covered. Seriously, this is real conversations between a fan like yourself and Gulati. Guess the USSF does care when you email them. Very cool read.

Fredy Montero. (Photo via Rick Morrison, www.digitaldadphotography.com)

Good evening folks. It’s been a rather slow day around the soccer world but there has been plenty of talk on one subject that has been pretty hot since late August, the possibility of a MLS-2. But more on that in a bit. And I have a link about SuperLiga below that is definitely worth a read.

I wanted to kickoff tonight’s thoughts/links with another look at the season awards. With a few weeks left in the 2009 season each award race is really hot right now. Tonight I want to look at the Newcomer of the Year award.

The newcomer award race pretty good this year, especially with one club the Seattle Sounders FC. That club has a chance to have three or four guys nominated for the award alone. Pretty crazy but that’s just how it worked with them this season.

Who’s on the watch list for this award? Below are the few that I think are gonna get consideration from me and other voters. And sadly most of my list below do revolve around Sounders players.

Fredy Montero (Seattle) – Pretty easy to say he may end up with this award based on his play. He’s one of the top goal scorers on the league and since the start of the season he has shown flashes of brilliance.

Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle) – Probably Montero’s biggest competition in this award is this former USL-1 star. Alonso is a beast in the midfield and has quickly become one of the best defensive midfielders in the league.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – No this has nothing to do with my biased towards Swedish players but Ljungberg has been a solid addition to the league and to Seattle since day one. When healthy he has proven to be one of the better DP signings in the league.

Kasey Keller (Seattle) – Weird to see this American keeper legend on this kind of list but it has been his first MLS season after all. No doubt he should have some consideration here because I really don’t see him winning the keeper of the year award (that should go elsewhere to Chivas’ Zach Thornton).

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle) – The last of the Sounders for me on this list. He’s been one of the better defenders in the entire league this season.

Emmanuel Osei (New England) – Not a house hold name but believe me this guy has been a great addition to Steve Nicol’s side. As a defender his stats won’t amaze you but he’s been a rather solid rock in the defense for the Revs this season.

Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA) – His numbers aren’t bad (7 goals and 1 assist) but he doesn’t have the hype to get a lot of votes out west. Still he is worth a look for this award.

David Ferriera (Dallas) – It really took him a while to get use to the MLS style of play but honestly he hasn’t been a terrible signing after all for Schellas Hyndman and FC Dallas. Six goals and four assists this season really isn’t bad.

From the looks of things you gotta just pick a Sounder for this award because after that group the pickings are rather slim. And again, this award goes to non-rookies that are playing their first year in MLS.

Now for more fun talk. As mentioned there has been a lot of chatter today (and for the past month or so) about USL-1 owners forming their own league and possibly be known as MLS-2. Crazy talk I know, some call it a wet dream but others like me just call it crazy.

First of all even if there is a chance that the TOA (Team Owners Association) form their own league, which I still have a feeling won’t go down when it is all said and done, the chances of it being associated with MLS is very slim. Which means the chances for those wet dreams of promotion/relegation are very slim. Its a pipe dream really for those who hope for it.

Yes I do hear that the TOA is in talks with MLS.

MLS-2 is an option for this bunch but a very small one. Its just one of those things we just need to put to rest and move on from here.

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SUM Explains SuperLiga

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Very interesting interview by Boston Examiner reporter LE Eisenmenger about SUM’s marketing of the always interesting SuperLiga tournament. Its bold to say that they are trying their best to promote this tournament to the general fans out there. Okay, I know they are trying because I saw them try in Dallas a couple years ago. The thing about this tournament is the exposure for non-Spanish speaking fans in this country is weak. Believe me I’d watch these games on TV if I didn’t have to listen to it in Spanish.

This tournament has a chance to grow into something nice in the long run I do know that but it’s still a long way off from being anything that soccer fans here can really get excited over year-after-year.

From what we already know, Montero wants to be in Europe and Cali nearly sold his rights to Europe this summer. Gotta give MLS credit for stepping up and at least making sure they cash in on Montero when he does go to Europe.

I don’t envision a long stay in Seattle for Montero but one long enough to at least give the Sounders a shot at a MLS Cup run, maybe even this season since the big game is being played on their home turf.

According to the reports the executives also talked about the out right transfer of two other MLS players, Seattle’s Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Real Salt Lake defender Jamison Olave.

Freddie Ljungberg and Osvaldo Alonso have been huge additions to Seattle and to MLS this year. (Getty Images)

While rookies have been doing well this year so far, so have the list of newcomers to the league that aren’t rookies. It seems like last year we talked at length about the lack of positive newcomers until the summer months when guys like Darren Huckerby came into town for the San Jose Earthquakes.

This season is far in a way different as plenty of newbies are making a positive impact on the league. Most of the list below does contain a lot of Seattle Sounder players, but there are a few others that have made similar headlines this year that aren’t in Sounder green.

The list below is really no particular order here. After a while though I will still track the newcomers to the league this season as we gear towards the end of season awards. If you see a newcomer that I failed to remember, be sure to post his name below. Again, no rookies please, they have their own watch list that will probably be updated again next week.

Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle) – As some of you know, I am part Swedish so I am a little biased on this one when I see a Swede in the league and one doing well. So far Ljungberg is playing just the way Seattle needs him to be, a strong part of the midfield and one that hits the back of the net when called to do so. Osvaldo Alonso (Seattle) – He may not light up the scoreboard this year but he could actually be the best new addition to the league. How all the clubs failed to see this guy a year ago while he was in the USL-1 with Charleston is beyond me. Funny part is several clubs passed on this Cuban after he defected to the US. He already has three assists on the year and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him tally plenty more.

Fredy Montero (Seattle) – There really isn’t much to say other than what we’ve already said about this kid. He is more than a handful and as clubs are already seeing, they need to continue to find good young talent like this kid to help grow the league.

Eduardo Lillingston (Chivas USA) – For a while now Chivas has been looking for a go-to Mexican striker and maybe they have finally found it with Lillingston. He isn’t a big name draw for those Mexican soccer fans but that may just be what this club really needed.

Gerson Mayen (Chivas USA) – When I first saw him a couple weeks ago in Dallas I was like “who the hell is this guy?” But after seeing him play in person I realized the kid has some talent behind him. He’s been a handful for other clubs on the wings and could be a big part of this Chivas club this season if they continue to play well. Hard to believe he signed with the club a year ago and we are just now seeing him play.

Kasey Keller (Seattle) – Okay red card against KC aside, Keller has been far in away one of the best pickups by any club this year. He’s proving to everyone that he still has it at his present age and that his experience is still good enough to lead a young expansion club like Seattle.

David Ferreira (Dallas) – Schellas Hyndman is slowly starting to get what he needs and wants out of his number 10. While he hasn’t done anything wonderful yet for the club you are starting to see him get use to the MLS style of play here. I would be willing to bet by the middle of the summer he will have racked up his fair share of assists to Kenny Cooper and company.

Sebastian Le Toux (Seattle) – Another USL to MLS guy that is probably making some general managers wonder why they didn’t sign before this last year. Le Toux is quickly becoming one of my favorite Sounders.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle) – Another Sounder on the list, this one is a defender that is showing his worth so far in the league. He hasn’t done anything too flashy but for the most part he has done enough to help his club only give up one goal on the year after four games.

Santiago Hirsig (Kansas City) – Still waiting to truly see if this guy helps this club out or not this season. I am holding out belief that he will keep their offense in tact and maybe even help relieve some pressure of their defense. If that is the case we could see a playoff club in the midwest.

Pablo Vitti (Toronto) – For the most part I think Toronto would be better off if they’d get this guy more playing time. While he may not be the full answer to the Reds offensive issues, I do believe he is better than some of the forwards John Carver currently employs on the field.

Cam Weaver (San Jose) – Another player I am pretty high on here but am still waiting to really shine this season. Weaver has a goal to his name this year and I really still believe he will be a huge part of this club’s offense in 2009. Once Darren Huckerby and Arturo Alvarez figure out how tall he is Weaver should be able to get more headers in the box, and more looks in the box overall. That can only make things better for the Quakes.

Bojan Stepanovic (Chivas USA) – Not a bad debut a couple weeks ago against Dallas. First touch lead to his first shot on goal, which ended up being his first MLS goal. Yeah, not a bad start.

I know there are plenty more on the way here this season. Off the top of my head I know of a few with New England that have yet to debut (their new African players for those who wonder), Gregory Richardson in Colorado has played a little bit for Colorado, Ade Akinbiyi in Houston, the few in New York that have been talked about for months now, and probably a few others that I am failing to remember.

First of all we know what Seattle’s Fredy Montero did in week one. His two-goal effort against the New York Red Bulls was pretty much what we expected out of him. And as we all know if he keeps it up he will either become the Newcomer of the Year or he will be bought by some European club by mid-summer.

Montero wasn’t the only Seattle newcomer that turned some heads. Both Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Osvaldo Alonso stood out and former USL MVP Sebastien Le Toux wasn’t too shabby either.

Seattle’s newbies really started the year off with a bang. Other around the league didn’t do too bad either though it could take a few games to see real impact (rookies not included, that’s another post for another day):

Santiago Hirsig, KC: He didn’t go the full 90 last weekend against Toronto but we all know the offense will pretty much flow through his feet this year. I saw a couple times on Saturday where he really helped control things in the middle for KC, something that has been missing for years.

Gregory Richardson, Colorado: A guy that we may know of more in a couple months. He briefly saw action against Chivas but he did find a way to incert himself in the action as soon as he could when the Rapids were trying to tie things up late.

Eduardo Lillingston, Chivas USA: A Mexican forward for Chivas? Seriously though there were a couple times that I thought Lillingston looked good for Chivas in the first half against the Rapids. Once he gets use to his teammates (and when everyone is healthy) he should be a good pair with either Maykel Galindo or Ante Razov.

Mariano Trujillo, Chivas USA: I have to say I did like what I saw out of Trujillo against guys like Conor Casey and Omar Cummings. Trujillo isn’t a name that many will see on the stat sheet this year but I think he will be a good part of an underrated defense this year.

Cam Weaver, San Jose Earthquakes: Looked dangerous here and there for the Quakes but just like everyone else wearing black on Saturday night he couldn’t hit anything inside the box. The goals will come and I think Weaver will be a big part of the Quakes’ offense this season.

Dejan Jakovic, DC United: Looked alright for DC in the opener against LA. Thing was the defense as a whole are to blame for the poor showing late.

Any other newcomers show somep promise to you in week one? Let me know if I missed them.

Jhon Kennedy Hurtado could anchor the Sounder backline.

Expansion side Seattle Sounders FC is closer now to filling out their roster with the addition of two more internationals. One from Trinidad and Tobago and the other from Columbia.

I missed this signing the other day. The Sounders announced on Tuesday they signed T&T national team midfielder Densill Theobald. The 26-year-old has floated around a bit over the last couple years so I really don’t know what to make of him as a player.

Yesterday the club also announced the signing of Columbian defender Jhon Kennedy Hurtado. The team says Hurtado’s signing won’t be finalized until he gets his P-1 work permit and International Clearance.

I like this signing on the surface as Seattle still needed defensive help. He played the 2008 season for Deportivo Cali now Sounders teammate Fredy Montero, but most recently completed a trial with AC Milan in Italy. He spent the 2007 season with Real Cartagena in Colombia and played 121 matches in the Colombian first division since 2004.