as they're rebuilding -- that stigma is enough to get me excited for what's going on in Dallas. Picking up Dave van den Bergh is a good move, but the Hoops need to hope VDB is not past his sell-by date, and can still be a contributor when they're ready to seriously contend.
6. Yura. I've been wrong many times before, but when I watched Yura Movsisyan terrorizing MLS defenses at the end of last season, I felt like I was watching the league's next impact striker. Yura is, quite simply, too much for one defender to contain. That is, too much for one contender to contain, when it comes to getting chances. Yura's ability to put those chances away is what needs to improve. If he improves his finishing, watch out MLS.
5. D.C. redemption. Quite simply, too good a team to have not been in the playoffs last year. What does the future hold for D.C. United? They captured the U.S. Open Cup last year, but do United have a good enough roster to challenge for an MLS Cup this year? Does Jaime Moreno have anything left in the tank? His career looked to be over once, already. Does he have another comeback story to write? And what about Emilio? Lots of questions, and you know coach Tom Soehn is going to be desperate to get off to a good start in 2009.
4. New England. Transition? The team that has stood for stability for so long, looks like they're finally in a transitional period. Or are they? The Revolution still made the playoffs a year ago, but did not seem to walk with the same swagger as in years past. Can they regain their confidence? A lot depends on the health and form of Taylor Twellman, who only started 12 games a year ago. I'll be watching the Revs closely at the start.
3. Quake II. A year ago, I said the San Jose Earthquakes would be the best MLS expansion team since the '98 Fire, and I think I was right. Still, I also thought Frank Yallop would get the Quakes to the playoffs, so I was wrong there. I think there's a lot to like about San Jose, from the home-field advantage their fans provide, to the demands Yallop places on the team to play exciting, high-pressure soccer. A full season from Darren Huckerby and continued improvement from the likes of Jason Hernandez and Ryan Johnson and the Earthquakes will work their way up the Western ladder quickly.
2. Angry Dynamo. After a 1-1 draw with the Red Bulls at Giants Stadium, who thought the Dynamo would bow out so quickly? Not me. Even though Houston did not dominate the regular season, when they closed things down by going without a defeat in their final nine league games, I figured they'd cruise past New York. Wrong. Now, I wonder how the Orange will resp ond, especially with one of their all-time legends (see No. 1) moving on.
1. DeRo goes home. Yes, of all the stories that have me antsy to get camps open and the '09 season under way, none get the juices flowing quite as much as the story of Dwayne DeRosario heading home to Toronto to try and lead the best-supported team in MLS to the playoffs.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
