Birahim Diop is one of the many new players for Kansas City this year. (Getty Images)

Even with all the strike talks for Monday (or Tuesday…or whenever) I’m still going on with some 2010 season previews for Major League Soccer. Today I wanted to center my focus around the moves in and out that hav been made with the league this year.

As some of you know I’ve been doing my best to keep track of these moves with my offseason player movement page listed above. Each club has made some moves this winter, some definitely more than others. Now the question comes into mind of which moves were good, bad and which will pay off in the new season.

The United Nations comes to Kansas City

Looking at what the Wizards have done this winter makes some folks giggle. Of the newcomers eight of them are from out of the country. You have three Englishmen (Ryan Smith and Craig Rocastle, Korede Aiyegbusi), a Canadian (Teal Bunbury), a Frenchman (Stephane Auvray), a Scandinavian (Jimmy Neilsen),  a Colombian (Pablo Escobar), a Moldavian (Igor Kostrov), and a big guy from Senegal (Birahim Diop).

I guess those guys really like BBQ or something. Amazing that KC was able to get that many international players to come there. Now comes the question of whether all this change really will pay off. Last few clubs that did a massive influx of foreign talent (though Bunbury and Aiyegbusi were drafted so I kinda won’t count them in this here) didn’t fare too well from what I recall. Maybe KC is the team that bucks that trend in 2010.

Big Rebuild In the Windy City

Another eastern club that did a lot this winter was Chicago. Not only did they get a new coach in Carlos de los Cobos but they also had to fill plenty of holes with the losses of Blanco and Chris Rolfe. Adding Julio Martinez and Krzysztof Krol should be two moves that help their defense and midfield out in a big way. The bigger move may be up top with the signing of Collins John. By already having Brian McBride and Patrick Nyarko in camp, the addition of John may help keep this club near the top of the pecking order in the east this season.

Trades Shake Up Rapids

It seems as though Colorado was apart of a few trades this winter. The biggest trade could very well help them get into position for a playoff run in 2010. Adding Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson from New England was a bold move but one that I see really working in their favor this season. The Rapids have lacked consistency over the years in the midfield and defensive midfield area, adding Larentowicz should free up more space for others in the attack to do what they do best. With Wells it should add the much needed depth to the wings because as we saw when they were healthy this club was very dangerous because of their wing play.

New Era In D.C.?

We know that Curt Onalfo will bring a different style of play to this club. No longer it seems they are going for a big-named South American to carry their offense. Christian Gomez is gone, and so is Luciano Emilio. Who does D.C. turn to in 2010 to generate offense? Players they already had in Chris Ponitus, Jamie Moreno and Santino Quaranta. Sure they’ve added Cristian Castillo and Danny Allsopp but the bulk of weight will be put on those returning players. Biggest thing to see is the fact that Onalfo doesn’t have a true No. 10 in the midfield any more. Then again with the way he sets his lineup he may not need one.

The Backe/Soler Time In New York

We know about Red Bull Arena and what it will do for this club but the real story has to be the new management in Eric Soler and new manager Hans Backe. Not only did the club take the SuperDraft pretty serious in January but they’ve added parts that should work in Backe’s system unlike in previous years where the management would sign anything South American on it. Joel Lindpere may be one of the best additions this winter. I’m also interested to see how some former Toronto players do in with this club as Carl Robinson and Greg Sutton are now Red Bulls.

Brazilian Flare in LA

Bruce Arena did two things well this winter, he had a better than average SuperDraft in getting Michael Stephens (along with trading for Clint Mathis) and he signed some young depth from Brazil. We don’t know how well these three Brazilians can play but based on some quotes I heard from Landon Donovan when he first saw them they sound pretty good. If anything they fill some depth issues that bothered the Galaxy in 2009.

Moves To Repeat In Salt Lake

I liked the draft by Real Salt Lake in January but the best move I saw them make this winter had to be the signing of striker Alvaro Saborio. No doubt in my mind that once he and Robbie Findley get comfortable with one another they could form one of the best duos in the league. Oh and that trade with Kansas City for Luis Gil was pretty good too. I see that paying off in the long run as well.

Union Forming In Philadelphia

Its always fun to watch an expansion team go from nothing to a near full roster in a matter of a couple months. Peter Nowak had to do just that but you could tell he spent a good amount of time in getting the players he wanted for this club. The expansion draft was good, the SuperDraft was great but the other moves around that have been spectacular. I love the trade for Fred at the SuperDraft, as I think he is a perfect player for Nowak’s system. But then getting Danny Califf and Michael Orozco to round out a defense that was already decent looking really has me liking this club.

Academy Player Movement

This is a movement we’ll start to see plenty more of in the coming years. But this winter we saw the signing of a couple more quality young players out of various MLS academies. Francisco Navas Cobo in Houston may see the field this year, as could Bryan Levya in Dallas. One more product could be signed in New York if the league would pull the trigger on the Juan Agudelo deal. Agudelo may be one of the best homegrown talents the league has ever produced too!

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.

Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni will be called to lead again in 2010. (Getty Images)

We’re moving on in our look at each Major League Soccer roster to see where all the clubs are at in their pre-season. So far we’ve looked at Philadelphia, Chicago and Chivas USA. Today we stay out west and look at Gary Smith’s Colorado Rapids.

Last season had some ups and downs for the Rapids. Offensively at times they looked like they could not be stopped with Conor Casey and Omar Cummings leading the charge but injuries got in the way of post season glory for this bunch.

The winter months have given Smith and his club some time to make some moves and so far they’ve been pretty active. I still see this club making more moves before the season kicks off next month. But lets see how they are doing at each position right now.

Keepers:

Who they have: Matt Pickens and Steward Ceus

Notes: After Pickens things get pretty thin for the Rapids. No doubt they probably have a couple keepers in camp to fill that third keeper spot behind Ceus. I would imagine this isn’t a huge area of concern or we’d hear about them making deals for a backup or even a starter at this point in the winter.  If I were them I’d be looking for a quality back up to pressure Pickens. I like Pickens but part of me thinks they could do better here.

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Defense:

Who they have: Drew Moor, Ty Harden, Julien Baudet, Michael Holody, Scott Paguta, and Chad Borak.

Notes: Another thin area for this club on paper but with guys like Pablo Mastroeni and Jeff Larentowicz on your roster you’re able to keep less defenders in a way. Some rumblings this winter have suggested that Mastroeni will be moved to the backline now that Larentowicz is in town. I think this is a good move for both parties as Mastroeni has started to show his age a bit in recent years and a move out of the midfield may be a wise thing.

Still if that doesn’t happen this group is incredibly thin. I like Baudet and sorta like Moor and Holody but that’s about it for me with this bunch. I think Smith and the front office need to get some more depth in this area or else they will have another up and down season. We saw last year that this group was decent but not nearly good enough to take on the top offenses in the league.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Wells Thompson, Greg Dalby, Jeff Larentowicz, Mehdi Ballouchy, Pablo Mastroeni, Ciaran O’Brien, Jamie Smith, Nick LaBrocca, Colin Clark, Kosuke Kimura, and Ross LaBaux.

Notes: Parts I like include Thompson, Clark, Mastroeni, Larentowicz, LaBrocca, and Smith. After that I’m not entirely sure about this group. Look when everyone was healthy last year this group was as good as any but injuries showed their lack of depth in a big way.

I like the addition of Thompson and Larentowicz this offseason, they both should add the right parts that were missed last year at key moments.

Hopefully for the fans there and for the league we get to see Clark healthy here, I really believe he is one of those guys that has the potential to be a big deal in this league. We’ve seen moments out of him where he is special but injuries just killed it for us all last year with him.

I’d still like to see the Rapids go elsewhere in terms of their playmaker in the midfield. I’ve never been a Ballouchy guy and I probably never will be. He did improve last year but I think its time for them to move away and find someone that can create offense on a consistent basis.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Conor Casey, Omar Cummings, Andre Akpan, Facundo Diz, Pat Noonan, and Ross Schunk.

Notes: When they are on their game Casey and Cummings are the best pairing in the league, hands down. But as we saw at times last year they can get off track in a heart beat if the midfield isn’t in line or if the defense is giving up too much.

I still have to wonder if Casey’s head is on straight here and if he and Smith got everything sorted out after his little outburst after the season ended. At times this winter it sounded like he was going out of town but the rest of the time things were quiet.

The more I looked at their draft the more I did start to like the Akpan pick. It wasn’t great at the time but he was the best player available when they first picked in the second round. He isn’t ready to go just yet but towards the end of this year we’ll see how valuable this pick really can be.

As long as Casey and Cummings return to their stellar midseason form from 2009 the Rapids should be fine in this department.

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Overall:

I think this season still has a lot of ups and downs written all over this bunch. They’ve improved in certain areas but not addressing their defense as much as I’d like this offseason worries me a bit. I know adding Larentowicz is a defensive move but the backline still needs work in my eye. This club is either going to frustrate people with their midfield or they will struggle against top clubs yet again because of their midfield.

Lets face it this is a big year for the Rapids, no playoffs in three years is a dry spell for any club and with more clubs in the league it will only get harder. I believe the Rapids aren’t done this offseason though so it should be interesting how they fill their holes in the final month before the new year.

Jeff Larentowicz could be headed to Colorado. (Getty Images)

The big offseason trade between the Colorado Rapids and the New England Revolution is finally complete. We’ve been talking about it since last week’s draft.

The Colorado Rapids have sent  defender Cory Gibbs and goalkeeper Preston Burpo to the Revolution in exchange for Wells Thompson and the rights to Jeff Larentowicz will go to the Rapids, this all according to the Boston Herald. The Revs also get some allocation and 3rd-round draft pick in 2011.

The deal is still an iffy one for Colorado but should Larentowicz re-sign with the league it will be one hell of a trade for them. I’d say the trade earlier in the day to get allocation from Toronto in-exchange for midfielder Jacob Peterson means that Larentowicz is closer to a deal with MLS rather than going across the pond like he originally wanted to.

If he does re-sign then go a head and give the win to the Rapids for this deal. No doubt their midfield will be much better with Larentowicz there. Now they need to find a playmaker in the midfield to tie everything up nicely here.

New England gets a keeper to start out the season while Matt Reis recovers from shoulder surgery. Adding Gibbs to the defense isn’t a bad move either, as long as he is healthy.

I know New England fans will not like this deal because of the loss of Larentowicz. I’m guessing that New England just didn’t have the salary cap space to re-sign him to a good enough deal here which is why they dealt his player rights to the Rapids.

What do you all make of this deal?

Jeff Larwenowicz possibly on the move? (Getty Images)

The SuperDraft is over and now clubs all around Major League Soccer are making moves to improve their rosters. Several are hoping to beef up certain areas while others hoping to get the right pieces in place to make another deep run in the playoffs this year.

I figured since there was plenty of news out there today that I’d put them all into one post rather than drag it out into several different posts. Its a timing thing really, no need to post a bunch of small posts, especially if some of it doesn’t turn out to be true.

Rapids and Revs Dealing Players

There was a deal on the table during last week’s SuperDraft that would have sent Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson to Colorado for Preston Burpo and Cory Gibbs and possibly allocation money. Apparently that deal got caught up in a snag due to Gibbs’ contract and physical exam that he would need to do.

Now it seems like the deal is closer to finalizing according to Steve Goff.

Honestly if Larentowicz does re-sign with the league I don’t see how this could be a good deal for the Revs. Now if its a matter of dealing his player rights to the Rapids and he bolts for Europe then that is another thing and this deal seems more even.

Chicago’s Roster Revamp

Reports out of Poland have linked the Fire to a loan move for Polish fullback Krzysztof Król while the arrival of Salvadoran midfielder Julio Martinez. We’ve said multiple times here that the Fire need defensive help. I like these kinds of moves by Frank Klopas, especially the loan of Krol.

Both should be starters from what I hear. Also the Fire seem to be linked with Dutch striker Collins John. I don’t have a lot of details on this rumor (other than a link to Tribalfootball.com) but a former strike partner of Brian McBride at Fulham sounds like a good move here. That’s another area the Fire really need to go after this winter.

Nguyen Fails To Reach Deal With MLS/FCD

For a few weeks now Lee Nguyen has been in Dallas training with FCD hoping to get a deal worked out so he could play with his hometown club. Well according to his Twitter account this morning he is headed back to Vietnam. Tough to see him not get a deal worked out. He would have been sent to the Allocation system by the league though which probably held up this deal getting finished.

Shouldn’t the league make concessions for players that want to play in a certain town? Yes, honestly they do need to be more flexible with their allocation. Its just the system we have in place whether we like it or not.

Chivas Gets Loans Extended

Don’t expect forwards Jesus Padilla and Maicon Santos and defender Yamith Cuesta to anywhere anytime soon. All three had their loan deals with Chivas USA extended yesterday.

New Chivas USA head coach Martin Vasquez is still expected to make some roster moves here. One guy he won’t be able to retain is Paulo Nagamura, who moved to Mexican side Tigres on a free transfer after three seasons with Chivas USA.

Good for Chivas to retain Padilla, Santos and Cuesta. All three were a big part in getting Chivas out of a midseason slump. I hate to see Nagamura go though, he was actually one of my favorites with the club.

DC Parts Ways With Two Defenders

A quick DC note from Steve Goff, the club has parted ways with two defenders today, Avery John and David Habarugira. Both were reserve defenders a season ago and were probably just not in Curt Onalfo’s plan for the club this year. No biggie really, but this club really needs a big time center back on their roster. Onalfo and one assistant are going to Brazil to scout this week according to Goff, hopefully their trip yields some good results.

Toronto Looking At Egyptian Defender

A change of pace for Mo Johnston. Instead of his usual quest to find over-priced players from England he is going to Africa to find some defensive help. This in the form of Egyptian central defender Ibrahim Said (or Saied).

This sounds like a decent move if, and I mean a big if here, he comes into town with a good head on his shoulders. There has been some rumblings of him being a locker room cancer in the past. Maybe a trip across the pond will help him out though for once.

For Toronto’s sake I hope he comes in cheap and ready to go because their defense really needs a boost.

My favorites were Beckham’s and Richards. What did you all like?

Order of goals: Dane Richards, Julien Baudet, David Beckham, Pablo Campos, Bryan Namoff, Steve Ralston, Wells Thompson, Ramon Sanchez, Pablo Campos (Chivas game), Fabian Espindola, and Robbie Findley (1 and 2).