Look for Chicago Fire winger Patrick Nyarko to have a big season in 2011. (Getty Images)

I’ve been tossing around different ideas in my head for weeks now for when it comes to previewing the new season ahead. I’m fairly certain I’ll do my usual team-by-team breakdown but given the fact that there are now 18 clubs that task will certainly take a good amount of time for a busy guy like myself.

This time around I also wanted to do a couple more things to preview the season, staring with today’s look at five players who I believe will have breakout season in 2011. I hope to do other short previews like this one but I’m still putting together a list of items to do. If you have suggestions just hit me up with a comment below, an email, or a tweet with it.

So today is all about the breakout star. Last year I mentioned in my team previews names of players who I thought could breakout in 2010. Some names I was spot on, others probably not so much.

A breakout player can be a number of things, from a guy who is young and could tear the league apart with his scoring, or just a guy who’s finally getting a chance to show his worth (think Chris Wondolowski from last year on both).

1. Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew) – I almost feel like a broken record with Rogers but I truly do believe this is his year to be a true star that he can certainly be. Rogers no longer has the big shadow of veteran players above him to make up for any issues he has on the field. He is now one of the key guys for the Crew going forward.

I don’t see a lot of goals coming from him but certainly more than last season. The 23-year old has a lot to prove this season and will likely be pushing to get back in the national team picture with the Gold Cup coming up this summer.

2. Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire) – I’ve always had high hopes for this kid ever since he came out of college a couple years back. With so many moves happening in Chicago this winter, the offense looks completely different aside from Nyarko and Marco Pappa. I see the speedy winger stepping up in a big way this season and possibly competing for the Fire’s leading scorer spot.  The talent has always been there and I think this is finally the year Nyarko displays it for the rest of the league to see it. It will be interesting to see if he got over the injury bug that hit him last season. For Fire fan’s sake, let’s hope he does.

3. O’Brien White (Seattle Sounders FC) – I’ve seen enough of this kid over the years, from his days at UConn to his time in Toronto, to know that he can be a special talent when everything is lined up for him. I thought the move to Seattle was a perfect fit for him as he’ll finally be able to shake off the dirt that hounded him in Toronto and move forward into a new capter of his professional career. Also, having some coaching stability around him in Sigi Schmid won’t hurt a single bit. Expect him to be a home run type of sub for the Sounders this season.

4. Eric Brunner (Portland Timbers) – I was fairly shocked to see Brunner left exposed back at the expansion draft by Columbus and Portland had no issues taking him in that draft. I think the move west to Portland will do a lot for Brunner and his career under John Spencer. The Timbers should have a fairly decent defense and Brunner will play a large part in that this season.

5. Collen Warner (Real Salt Lake) – Myself and a few others were very high on RSL drafting this guy a season ago. So far from what I’ve gathered this preseason Warner is looking very good for RSL. I see him being a key piece in their CCL run this spring and even more so in league play. If he doesn’t start, he’ll be that change-up off the bench that will both lots of clubs.

Toronto's O'Brian White looks to break out in 2010.

Normally in my season previews I go team-by-team but this year as I mentioned earlier in the week I am doing something a little different. Instead of the old way I’m trying something new to break up the content and give folks a little more room for discussion.

Today’s topic is all about who is the next guy to be a big impact player in this league. Or for someone to finally come out of their shell and help lead their club to the playoffs or even better a MLS Cup. I know a lot of these previews depend on the league and the player’s coming together on a new CBA but for the sake of things we’ll be optimistic here and say they do come to terms on something soon.

So I went club to club and asked a few folks who they thought would be the next big thing for their clubs. Some clubs will have just one guy to watch out for and some will have two. If a guy you think is going to break out this season isn’t on this list, hit the comments below with your reasoning behind it.

Now some are rookies and others are guys that have been around the league for a little while. I tried to balance it out between those two groups.

1. Patrick Nyarko (Chicago Fire): Even with the recent addition of Collins John I still expect a big year from Nyarko. His speed and skill (even off the bench) will be tough for some teams to deal with. I’ve always been a fan of Nyarko so in a way this is just me hoping he finally reaches his potential as a player in this league.

2. Osael Romero (Chivas USA): Its hard to pick someone on a team that has a bunch of veteran players, a bunch of young players and a batch of international players. I’m picking an international mainly because I have to think Romero may be the answer to their issues in the midfield. He’ll be the guy they look to distribute the offense and keep pressure off their defense.

3. Wells Thompson (Colorado Rapids): I really think a new address will be the key for this kid. He was in New England for the first few years of his career and did alright under Steve Nicol but I see bigger and better things out west with the Rapids for him. Look for him to add depth to the wings and help produce some offense this season. Colorado is dangerous when their wing play is going well and Thompson will provide that.

4. Jed Zayner (Columbus Crew): The Crew are still a dangerous team and with young defenders like Zayner I can’t see a reason not to consider them a contender once again in 2010.

5. Chris Pontius/Brandon Barklage (D.C. United): The Black-and-Red get two on my list. I see Pontius jumping out even more this season after a superb rookie campaign. Barklage is a guy I’ve been watching for a while now. I think this is a year he’ll get a lot more playing time and DC should be better for it.

6. Brek Shea/Bryan Leyva (FC Dallas): I honestly see this as Shea’s big year. He should be a starter this year for Schellas Hyndman out wide and I think he could make some noise once again with clubs overseas with his play. Leyva on the other hand is is a 17-year old project that should see some time this season. Believe me he’s got all the tools to be a very good player in MLS.

7. Cam Weaver (Houston Dynamo): Dominic Kinnear brought Weaver over from San Jose in a trade last year and it paid off right away with a couple goals. But injuries and setbacks got in the way. I think a new season will get Weaver a little more time on the field for a club that needs all the help it can get offensively.

8. Kei Kamara (Kansas City Wizards): With Claudio Lopez gone I fully see Kamara getting a lot more time on the pitch for the Wizards. Based on his preseason reports he’s doing pretty well so far. I think for the Wizards to reach the playoffs one of the things that need to happen is Kamara get to at least 7 to 10 goals. With his speed there’s no reason he shouldn’t be able to get near that mark.

9. Michael Stephens (LA Galaxy): He may be just a rookie but look for loads of good things out of Stephens this year. He’s exactly the type of player that Bruce Arena can mold into a good role player for the Galaxy in the midfield, an area they needed some youth in.

10. Zack Schilawski (New England Revolution): Another rookie I think will have a very good first year. With Taylor Twellman still iffy for the Revs, Steve Nicol will need another breakout rookie to shine, and Schilawski will be just the guy that does in 2010.

11. Tim Ream/Tony Tchani (New York Red Bulls): Weird that the Red Bulls would get two breakout stars and both be rookies but I’ll give you a reason for both. Tchani for obvious reasons like him being a total beast. Ream may be one of the most underrated rookies out there. Look for him to be the Darrius Barnes of 2010.

12. Andrew Jacobson (Philadelphia Union): He would have been on this list if he were still in Washington. With such a young team Philly really could have any number of breakout stars but I have a good feeling on Jacobson doing well for Peter Nowak this season.

13. Collen Warner (Real Salt Lake): Another rookie but Warner is one you need to start paying attention to right away. He might not get a lot of playing time early but coming off the bench he’ll prove to be very valuable for Jason Kreis’ team as they look to defend their title.

14. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes): San Jose may have been the toughest team to figure out who would be a breakout star this season. I went with Wondo for a couple reasons, he’s still relatively young and second he’s got to be a guy that can provide a few goals off the bench or even as a starter if the Quakes want to be better in 2010. From what I’ve seen out of him I know he can do it, its just a matter of him hitting that potential this year.

15. Sanna Nyassi (Seattle Sounders FC): Twin brother of Sainey Nyassi (New England), look for him to get plenty of time off the bench this year for Sigi Schmid. They need quick players on the wing and Nyassi is one of the quickest.

16. O’Brian White (Toronto FC): Here’s a guy I’m very excited to see breakout this season. He didn’t come on to the scene last year until mid-way through the year due to injuries. Look for White to be a key part in the offense going forward this year for TFC. He showed a lot of promise late in the year and I see that momentum carrying over in to the new season.

How will the Fire fare going forward in 2010? (Getty Images)

Today is the start of a new series. As teams get into training camp and new players come on board its worth looking into each club to see how they are stacking up and what else they need to do to get ready for the 2010 season. I got this idea from the post I did a few days back on how the Philadelphia Union were looking. I figured it would be good to do something like that to all the clubs.

I’ll go in alphabetical order here with this series. Now I don’t know if it will be a daily thing or what yet, it all depends on my current work schedule but I do plan on getting each club by the end of February.

Keeper:

Who they have: Jon Busch, Sean Johnson (GA), Andrew Dykstra

Notes: Busch is the main guy we know that and with rookie Sean Johnson waiting in the wings with that Generation adidas contract things should be looking pretty bright in this department for years to come. I honestly don’t know much about Dykstra so it wouldn’t be too shocking to hear if the Fire waive him or send him out on loan this year at some point to get him some playing time.

Defense:

Who they have: CJ Brown, Tim Ward, Wilman Conde, Daniel Woolard, Dasan Robinson, Austin Washington, Kwame Watson-Siriboe, Krzysztof Król, and Steven Kinney.

Notes: Getting Krol and drafting someone like Watson-Siriboe should make up for the losses of Gonzalo Segares and their lack of depth down the stretch in 2009. Conde will obviously still be the rock in the middle and adding Krol to the outside should work. I’m curious to see if Frank Klopas and Carlos de los Cobos add anything else to this group. Its good but not great right now, maybe one more center back would do the trick to keep Jon Busch from having to come up with big games.

Midfield:

Who they have: Logan Pause, Baggio Husidić, John Thorrington, Marco Pappa, Mike Banner, Justin Mapp, Peter Lowry, Corben Bone, Julio Martínez, and Drew Yates.

Notes: I really like what they’ve done to make up for the losses of Blanco and Chris Rolfe this winter so far. Adding Martinez on loan makes up for Rolfe on the wings and getting lucky in the draft by landing Bone was something else. For some reason I really like this group and hope it turns out to be as good as I think they can be in 2010. I’m very curious to see the development of Husidic in 2010 and I hope Thorringtoncontinues to grow as a player too.

One thing I kind of see happening at some point is a trade involving Justin Mapp. For some reason I get the feeling his time in Chicago is almost up. Just a hunch at this point from me but all I am saying is don’t be shocked if at some point this season we see him in a different uniform.

Forwards:

Who they have: Brian McBride, Patrick Nyarko, Calen Carr, and Stefan Dimitrov.

Notes: I’d say this is the one area Klopas has the most work to do. There are rumors that Collin John could be headed to Chicago. John was a former teammate of McBride at Fulham. I’m not entirely sure if that is the best move for the Fire at this point but they definitely need someone else along with McBride and Nyarko. Someone younger than John would probably be the best fit in my eyes. (ignore that comment on finding someone younger, I thought I read that John was 34, but he is only 24. Wow, it is Friday)

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Overall:

The Fire aren’t looking too bad overall considering the talent they lost this winter and the coaching change. I still have my doubts defensively with this group and I question right now whether or not they have enough offense to remain a top dog in the east. Also with SuperLiga on their schedules again this year I wonder a bit about their depth. On the surface it seems decent enough but a couple more quality moves like Krol and Martinez before the season will put my worries to rest with this group.

Klopas and de los Cobos have done a good job so far this month. Their draft a couple weeks ago was one of the best in the league. Usually a coaching change in the winter will see its ups and downs but seeing how de los Cobos is letting Klopas take control of picking out a good majority of the talent I think this team will be just fine in 2010.

Which one was the best? Too many good ones to go through if you ask me.

Order of video: Cornell Glen, Chris Wondolowski, Jeff Cunningham (1), David Ferriera, Jeff Cunningham (2), Brad Davis, Fred, Brian Ching, and Dwayne De Rosario. (Note I couldn’t fine the Patrick Nyarko or Chad Marshall’s goal – the league’s site didn’t have them available for QuickKicks).

Beckham’s classy free kick against Barcelona:

By the way, what was with Rob Stone’s Max Bretos call on the DeRo goal? That was just plain annoying.

Order of video: Kheli Dube, Steve Ralston, Steven Lenhart, Jason Garey, Patrick Nyarko, Blanco, Bryan Namoff, Dwayne De Rosario, Alecko Eskandarian, Landon Donovan, and Eddie Lewis.

Let’s get down to it.

2008 record and finish: 13-10-7, 46 pts, second in the East, lost in Eastern Conference finals.

Player Movement:

Incoming:
Baggio Husidic (SuperDraft)
Richard Jata (SuperDraft)

Outgoing:
Tomasz Frankowski (waived)
Diego Gutierrez (retired)
Andy Herron (waived)
Stephen King (Seattle Sounders FC – Expansion Draft)
Lider Marmol (contract not picked up)

Unsigned Draft Picks:
Jokull Elisabetarson
David Sias

Questions going into 2009:

1. Did they do enough to improve from 2008 over the winter?

I have to admit, Chicago is one of a few clubs that has hardly done a thing this winter. They drafted a few guys and that is about it. No major movement this winter other than Blanco on loan for a few weeks in Mexico.

The club was defensively strong last year and has been able to keep a couple guys that most expected to leave this winter. As long as Bakery Soumare is still in MLS and Wilman Conde is happy this defense is fine.

Did they improve from 2008 in terms of movement though? I don’t think so. I still think they are missing an element up top that can be paired with Brian McBride. I know they are hoping for Patrick Nyarko to be that guy but we are still waiting to see that. The addition of Baggio Husidic is a good one though for the midfield, I will give them that.

2. Can they still keep Conde happy?

I think this may be the biggest question going into the season. They didn’t trade him like some thought and they didn’t see him leave on a transfer like others thought. He’s still in uniform and is apparently showing up for camp.

More than likely it looks like Chicago will keep him until they have to do something with him later this summer. If they can get some compensation for him either in a trade or a transfer they will do it but right now they are happy to have him anchor the backline.

3. What guy is due for a breakout year with the Fire?

I don’t know if this guy is really due for it but he certainly needs to have a breakout year for the Fire. That guy is Patrick Nyarko. His speed alongside McBride’s smarts up top should be a good combination for this club.

If Nyarko can spark the attack either as a starter or in late game situations as a sub, he could be a real tough defend for most clubs in the league.

Look at the 2009 Schedule:

A fairly nice start to the 2009 season for the Fire. A couple on the road in win-able environments like DC and San Jose mixed in with a couple nice home games that should be wins. All that before a huge Eastern conference finals rematch with the Crew in Columbus on April 25.

May is a full month for the club with six games all together, three in a row on the road. June slows down in a big way with only two matches.

After the All-Star break its another big month in August with six big games, four in Toyota Park. Two of their last three games of the year are on the road. Should it be like last year they won’t have to worry about needing those final few games to get into the playoffs.

2009 Season Outlook:

On the surface this is pretty much the exact same team we saw in 2008 with the only exception of a couple draft picks. No big roster changes yet (though there is still time before the season kicks off next month). Right now in the East you have to think they are still a favorite to go pretty deep into the playoffs again with Blanco, McBride and the defense in place.

Getting back to the playoffs and even the conference final shouldn’t be a big stretch with the way things look in the East. But depth is still an issue for this club and should one defender go down the defense could be a bit shaky. Still the core of this club remains in place from last year and I still like their chances.

Today just seems like as good of a time as ever to update this list. Seeing how it has been nearly a month’s time since our last view at this list. Some rookies are shining in league games and in once case in SuperLiga games.

With only ten or 12 games left on the year (depending on the team) some guys have to make a serious push in the final months of the season to get votes here. A couple guys are still well ahead of the rest. Some guys have fallen completely off the watch and some new faces have come up in recent weeks.

I think there is finally a true order to this list as well. Before I had said there was no need to have a true order until we had seen enough out of some players – well I think we have now.

And as always, feel free to pipe in your own thoughts and comments on this list with a list of your own.

1. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution – For most people now, Dube is the front runner for this Rookie of the Year award this season. Four goals in 15 games this year for the rookie is some solid numbers. What may be more impressive is the fact that he was a Supplemental pick! Not a SuperDraft pick!
2. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy – Recent injuries have hindered his progress on this list, not to mention play of his club in recent weeks. Once he gets back to health I think he will still contend and get votes for this award from Dube. But he does have a bit of a hill to climb now.
3. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo – Cameron is a personal favorite of WVH (I had a couple classes with him back in his WVU days before he went to URI). His play recently in SuperLiga has really impressed me and a lot of other people around the MLS world. The more PT he gets the better he is getting.
4. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew – Another defender on the list, for good reason too. I think people under estimate his value on the backline for the Crew. He’s big, strong, and pretty quick.
5. Tony Beltran, Real Salt Lake – May be the biggest mover in recent weeks in my mind. His recent play (and his club’s play) have been outstanding. He’s one of the reasons why that RSL defense is becoming one of the best in the league.
6. Justin Braun, Chivas USA – Not the flashiest of players but still a solid one. But hopes of winning this award henge on how many goals he can put up in the final months.
7. Julius James, Toronto FC - Recent play of his club has hurt James but if they can get their act together you will see him move back up this list. He’s a beast in the air on set pieces and before long he will start coming through on them for the Reds.

Some others trying to move up:

• Eric Avila, FC Dallas – If you haven’t seen him play for Dallas yet go online and find a few clips of him. He’s been solid in the attack for Dallas and has some quality service.
• Danleigh Boreman, New York – Was up the list but is still down here because his PT hasn’t been as much and his overall play hasn’t been great lately.
• Patrick Nyarko, Chicago Fire – Don’t be shocked to see him in the top five before long.

I think now that we are halfway through the season we can have a better understanding of who is in this race and who is not. Some guys have floated on that bubble, while others are starting to place themselves in the true discussion for this award. A lot has to do with playing time, how their clubs are doing and what impact they are actually making on the field.

Still no true order to this list though, that will still come later on. Feel free as always to post your short list or discuss mine.

1. Sean Franklin, LA Galaxy: Still one of the favorites in most people’s minds right now. Even with the lack of actual success on the LA backline, Franklin is still making solid strides to be one of the better center backs in the league. Let’s just hope Abel Xavier’s terrible play doesn’t rub off on the rookie.
2. Kheli Dube, New England Revolution: Others will have Dube atop their lists. He is definitely up there on mine.
3. Julius James, Toronto FC: The more time this kid gets on the field the better. Come October he will be an absolute beast for this club.
4. Justin Braun, Chivas USA: I must say, I still get impressed by this kid each time I see him out there. He isn’t making loads of headlines or anything but he is still for the most part a mainstay in the Chivas lineup.
5. Andy Iro, Columbus Crew: Another guy that is starting to see a lot more time is Iro. The kid is a tower on the backline for Columbus with Chad Marshall. Another kid that come later this season will be a total beast. Hell, I think he already is.

Fringe guys for the list:

1. Danleigh Boreman, New York: I don’t know what has happened with Boreman recently but I tend to lose him out on the pitch. Then again his club has been pretty terrible in recent weeks so that may be why.
2. Chance Myers, KC Wizards: Number one pick isn’t playing like one anymore. He may not even be the best rookie on his club at the moment.
3. Jonathan Leathers, KC Wizards: Who is the better rookie, Leathers or Myers? Right now I would honestly say Leathers.
4. Geoff Cameron, Houston Dynamo: Continues to get better with each game, and I’m not saying that because I know the kid. More PT coming up could help his cause in this award.
5. Patrick Nyarko, Chicago Fire: Not playing a whole lot now but you will begin to see a reason why people thought he would have been the number one pick in the draft come this fall. He will be torching clubs as a sub in the 70th minute.
6. Pat Phelan, New England Revolution: Toronto will be wishing they had kept Phelan in the long run. I know they needed to free up a roster spot but in the long run he will make them wish otherwise.
7. Eric Avila, FC Dallas: That perfect cross to Abe Thompson is reason why this kid will begin to make his way up the charts here.

Others that should be considered, but won’t:

• Emmanuel Ekpo, Columbus Crew: I’m pretty sure he won’t count as a rookie, if he does put him up near the top. He has seen time with other clubs in Africia, so that is why I think he won’t be considered.
• Sainey Nyassi, New England: See Ekpo.
• Kenny Mansally, New England: See Ekpo.