Following an eventful first week in the 2024 MLS campaign, this year is already shaping up to be one of the best in the league’s 29-year history.
Talent runs immensely deep through nearly every club’s roster and big names continue to emerge. Not only are superstars signing for David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF, but other squads such as LA Galaxy and LAFC have found themselves able to acquire top players ranging from South America to Europe.
All of this added skill to MLS will continue to help foster the league’s development and will make predicting the league’s champion this early into the season very difficult.
With that being said, the Portland Timbers have been impressive to open up their schedule and look to be my early favorite to win the 2024 MLS Cup.
I can see the Timbers facing off with Galaxy in the Western Conference Finals and the Philadelphia Union squaring up with Columbus Crew on the eastern side. As a Union fan, it pains me to say it but the Crew look equally as impressive as they did in their MLS Cup run last year and they seem poised to make it back.
The most impressive thing about the Timbers thus far has been their offensive firepower. No other club was able to score as much as they did in Matchday 1, not to mention how frequently the goals came, too. Each of the four times Portland found the net was in the first half and three of them were within the first half hour of the match. Last fall’s big signing in Antony looks to be one of the best moves in the league with the Brazilian tallying two and being utterly impossible to cover on the left wing. If they are able to continue their attacking success, few teams will be able to hang with manager Phil Neville’s side through the rest of the season.
As for Galaxy, who I believe will also be in the running for an MLS Cup come autumn, the young Spaniard Riqui Puig is an obvious reason to consider their validity. He is quick on the ball, plays aggressive all over the pitch and serves as the facilitator to the team’s success and proved that in a great performance against Miami on Sunday, Feb. 25. If he buried his early penalty it very well would have been a 2-1 Galaxy win, but they nonetheless grabbed a point. Recent signings Joseph Paintsil and Gabriel Pec showed promise, but I do want to see more from Paintsil and his finishing if the club really wish to replace the gap left from Tyler Boyd’s transfer and compete for a trophy.
Now, onto the Eastern Conference, I expect my hometown club, the Philadelphia Union to still potentially make a run for an MLS Cup after getting so close in 2022 and even 2023, where they went out on an obvious error, with the official failing to call offsides on a late winner. The Union lost no real assets in the offseason and continue to be a well-built team all-around. Legendary goalkeeper Andre Blake is banged up at the moment, but when he returns to action the Union will once more be a top team defensively. The Boys in Blue show up in every game and if they can continue to get their attack, headlined by the Argentine Julian Carranza (who has drawn attention from solid European clubs) and the Hungarian Daniel Gazdag (one of the best penalty takers in the world), clicking, this team could be dangerous.
Finally, I mentioned last year’s trophy-raisers Columbus Crew. Cucho Hernandez will not stop scoring and this Crew side, even after losing Julian Gressel on a transfer to Miami, are virtually unstoppable. Atlanta United is a very good team, yet the black-and-gold cruised past Thiago Almada en route to a 1-0 triumph. Crew continue to be a top-tier MLS club and do not be surprised to see them in the 2024 edition of the MLS Cup, aiming for their second-straight hoisting of hardware.
Other teams to keep an eye on in the East have to be the aforementioned Miami and Atlanta United, as well as last year’s Supporter’s Shield winner FC Cincinnati. In the west, LAFC will always be a notable club as long as Denis Bouanga, the 2023 Golden Boot winner, continues to wear their black and gold. Signing French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the offseason was huge, as well.
At this point in the 2024 MLS season, Portland looks to be the club to beat, with their ridiculous offense leading the way for a promising season. I was incredibly impressed with Antony, and if the Timbers continue to make opposing defenses look as silly as they did to the Colorado Rapids Saturday, Feb. 24, the state of Oregon may be lifting their second MLS Cup.
