From a jam-packed opening day back in March, to MLS Cup in Toronto in early-December, the 2016 Major League Soccer season had plenty of intrigue, drama and excitement.
Some stories, however, were just a cut above. Here are our top-10 from the 2016 MLS season:
10. Columbus, Portland drop off
For the first time in MLS history, both defending MLS Cup finalists missed the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs the year after meeting in the title game. The Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew SC had different paths to their rather embarrassing record, with Portland nearly clawing their way into the playoffs out West while Crew SC finished in ninth in the East and 18th in the league. Portland were up and down all year, but Columbus went off the rails early, going winless in their first five games before a spat in May between Kei Kamara and Federico Higuain saw Kamara shipped to New England less than seven months after tying with Sebastian Giovinco for the 2015 scoring title.
9. Return of a LegenD
He just couldn’t stay away, could he? Less than two years after he retired for the first time, Landon Donovan returned to the LA Galaxy in 2016, re-joining the club on a short-term deal in September. Despite having to quickly work his way into fitness, the US soccer legend made an impact for LA, scoring one goal in six regular season appearances and starting all three of the Galaxy’s playoff matches.
8. Bruce says bye as LA make big changes
After eight years, two Supporters’ Shields and three MLS Cups, Bruce Arena said goodbye to the LA Galaxy in November, when he left the club to retake the reins of the US men’s national team. The most successful manager in MLS history, Arena wasn’t LA’s big departure in 2016. Dutch midfielder Nigel de Jong left the league in August after just 18 games, while Designated Players Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane won’t be back in 2017. LA did acquire the rights to veteran midfielder Jermaine Jones this winter after he spent 2016 in Colorado, but the Galaxy – who replaced Arena with head coach Curt Onalfo and GM Pete Vagenas – should look much younger as they move forward into 2017.
7. Red Bulls stars run rampant
The postseason didn’t go according to plan, but the New York Red Bulls got MVP-caliber regular seasons from Bradley Wright-Phillips and Sacha Kljestan in 2016. The attacking duo combined to lead MLS in both goals and assists, with Wright-Phillips winning his second Golden Boot in three years with 24 goals and Kljestan becoming just the second player in league history to record 20 assists in one season. The pair likely ended up splitting the MVP vote between each other, but both still factored in the race, with Wright-Phillips finishing second to MLS MVP David Villa and Kljestan placing third.
6. Toronto climb new heights, but fall one step short
One year after qualifying for the playoffs for the first time, Toronto FC again set a new bar for success in 2016, finishing the regular season with the most points in club history and coming within a shootout of lifting MLS Cup at BMO Field. It was another banner season for MVP snub Sebastian Giovinco, who finished with 17 goals and 15 assists – the highest combined total in the league – in 28 regular season games. After a slow start to the year, Jozy Altidore came through in a big way, too, recording 10 goals and five assists in league play and adding five goals and four helpers in postseason action to help the Reds to their appearance in Cup.
5. Making noise in Atlanta
Atlanta United FC won’t play their first game until March, but the expansion club have already put the rest of the league on notice. Atlanta landed a huge name head coach in former Barcelona, Argentina and Paraguay manager Tata Martino, who helped the club sign in-demand 22-year-old Miguel Almiron to a Designated Player contract in the fall. They’ve been even more impressive off the field, setting a new record for season tickets sold by an expansion team when they surpassed the 22,000 mark – in August. With USMNT ‘keeper Brad Guzanreportedly on the way and a number of MLS savvy players already on the roster, Atlanta should compete in the East from Day 1.
4. Dallas do the double
Dallas lost one of their top players when they transferred Fabian Castillo to Turkey in the summer, but that didn’t stop Oscar Pareja’s side from claiming both the US Open Cup and the Supporters’ Shield. Anchored in the back by Defender of the Year Matt Hedges and powerful center back partner Walker Zimmerman and inspired in the attack by the wonderful Mauro Diaz, Dallas finished with 60 points for the second straight year. Unlike in 2015, when they lost out on the Shield to the New York Red Bulls, Dallas claimed the regular season title this year. It’s a shame their treble hopes took a huge hit when Diaz suffered a torn Achilles in the penultimate game of the regular season, but a young core and academy-centric model should have FCD contending for years to come.
3. Villa’s maravilla for resurgent NYCFC
New York City FC’s ascent to the No. 2 seed in the East after a lackluster inaugural campaign was driven by one man: Star forward David Villa. The first player in NYCFC history was excellent in 2016, recording 23 goals and four assists to claim the Landon Donovan MLS MVP trophy. One of the more successful Designated Players in league history, Villa – who has 41 goals in 63 career regular season contests – will need another big year in 2017 if NYCFC are to improve on their Eastern Conference Semifinal finish.
2. Colorado shocks MLS
Widely picked to finish at the bottom of the Western Conference after miserable 2014 and 2015 seasons, Colorado shocked the entire league in 2016. Buoyed by the offseason additions of Jermaine Jones and Shkelzen Gashi and the midseason arrival of US national team goalkeeper Tim Howard, the Rapids posted the best defensive record in MLS, allowing just 32 regular season goals en route to a second-place finish in the Supporters’ Shield standings. They showed well in the playoffs, too, defeating LA in the Western Conference Semifinals before taking Seattle to the brink in the Conference Championship.
1. Seattle’s remarkable rise
The top story of 2016? That’s an easy pick: The Seattle Sounders’ rise from the depths of the Western Conference in July to the top of MLS in December was as remarkable as it was unlikely. After a demoralizing 3-0 loss at Sporting Kansas City left them in ninth in the West entering the final week of July, Seattle replaced longtime head coach Sigi Schmid with Brian Schmetzer. The change was followed later that week by the arrival of star midfielder Nicolas Lodeiro, with the two moves – and the return of defender Roman Torres from injury – sparking the Sounders’ miraculous late-season turnaround. The story took on almost mythical proportions after Clint Dempsey's season was cut short due to a heart condition and rookie Jordan Morris -- whose signing was definitely the biggest story leading into the season -- became a star right in front of our eyes. From there, the Sounders stormed into the playoffs, knocked off SKC, Dallas, and Colorado, and then outlasted Toronto on penalties to lift the first MLS Cup in club history. Storybook stuff, from start to finish.
