The MLS season begins on Saturday, Feb. 22, and promises to be another exciting one. With the season right around the corner, it's time for the MLS 2025 preview.
Eastern Conference
Inter Miami is expected to be at the top of the standings. Despite getting knocked out of the playoffs early last season, it would be no shock if they made a deep run with Leo Messi and Luis Suarez leading the way this year.
After making huge moves during the offseason, Atlanta United and FC Cincinnati are Miami's biggest competitors in the Eastern Conference.
New York Red Bulls and New York City FC are underdogs coming into this season but could also fall down the standings at any moment.
NYRB fell in the final against LA Galaxy, ending a run that no one expected. John Tolkin was sold to Holstein Keil, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting came over from Bayern Munich. New York will be going for its 16th straight playoff appearance.
NYCFC had a quiet offseason, making few roster changes. Will having an unimpressive offseason make NYCFC pay?
Unfortunately for Toronto FC and D.C. United fans, the odds are both these teams will be sitting at the bottom of the conference. With no roster additions that will help them, what changes must be made at both these clubs? Is it time to rebuild?
Western Conference
The Eastern Conference is the more dominant of the two, so it will be interesting to see how the Western Conference plays out.
Seattle Sounders and LAFC will battle it out for the top spot in the West. Both teams are built with players who know how to win, and their consistency makes it a challenge to predict who will take the number one spot.
Despite being the defending MLS Cup champions, LA Galaxy inevitably will fall down the standings with the loss of Dejan Joveljić. Still expected to make the playoffs, they might lock in at a lower seed at the end of the season.
FC Dallas is entering the new season with an almost entirely new team. With as many changes as they made, no one knows where they will end up this season.
After finishing fifth in the conference last year, Houston Dynamos lost a big chunk of their starting players. Jack McGlynn from Philly Union joined Houston, but a bit of talent was still not replaced. A fall down the standings is bound to happen, but how far is the question?
With multiple struggling teams, such as St. Louis CITY SC, Sporting Kansas City and Portland Timbers, and question marks surrounding teams like Dallas and Houston, anyone could finish last in the conference.
The top nine teams in each conference at the end of the season will make the MLS Cup playoffs.
Expect another exciting MLS season; prepare for opening day on Feb. 22!
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