Houston Dash-ing toward the mean By Arianna Cascone The Houston Dash made the playoffs for the first time last season. They finished 2022 in fourth place but tied for 36 points with two other teams (San Diego Wave and Kansas City). The Dash ended up losing to Kansas City in the 90+10th minute in the first round of the playoffs, and they’ll undoubtedly be on a mission to avenge that loss in 2023. So, what should we look forward to this season? A new head coach  Last season saw three head coaches for the Dash. Former head coach James Clarkson was suspended in April 2022, and first assistant ..read more

New Jersey, New York, New Coach By J.J. Post I started writing Gotham’s preview for ASA in 2021, so this will be my third time around manning this piece for the site. The theme of each edition has been, for better or for worse, similar: optimism.  2021 focused on the club’s rebrand and new image on the back of a promising Challenge Cup performance during a unique COVID-affected season. 2022 discussed how Gotham could build off their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade. 2023’s preview will be optimistic because… well, things can’t really get much worse. 2022 was a nightmare season ..read more

We’re releasing team previews ahead of the NWSL season that kicks off on Saturday, March 25! Our first edition includes Kansas City Current, OL Reign, and Washington Spirit. Current will be electric in 2023 By Kieran Doyle What a year for the Current. Going from the worst team in the league to being 90 minutes away from NWSL Championship glory in the space of one season is a story that hits the crux of being a sports fan in North America. Good talent acquisition moves, an in-form goalkeeper, and some bounces and a trophy is yours. Let’s discuss the foundation that the Current built in 2022 and ..read more

San Jose Earthquakes - Luchi: Gucci? by Jamon Moore If you are a San Jose Earthquakes fan, your neck is still recovering from the whiplash of last season (yeah, and probably from that Atlanta United game, but these are still preseason previews, right?).  If you are not a fan, then you are probably not very aware of all the comings and goings last year of people not named Matias Almeyda. Chofis, the top goalscorer from 2021? Gone mid-season. Francisco Calvo, the most entertaining player in MLS this side of Nouhou Tolo? Gone mid-season. Marcos Lopez, the U-22 player trying to help Peru get ..read more

We’re rolling out 2023 MLS Season previews ahead of the regular season that kicks off on Saturday, February 25, which is definitely something happening in the future, and has certainly has not already occurred, as you obviously know. You can find all our previews here! Real Salt Lake: Shooting for la Luna By Paul Harvey In 2022, Real Salt Lake was picked by by nine of 10 MLS pundits to finish in the 10-12 range. These spots are reserved for teams who are unexciting and lack top end talent. 13th-15th are reserved for spectacular disasters, while the rest are for teams that really could be speci ..read more

Seattle: A Tale of Two Emerald Cities by Harrison Crow “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” - Brian Schmetzer, presumably. I’m not here to be all sunshine and roses. Last year was bad. But, also, it was awesome. Being the first MLS team to win the CONCACAF Champions League has come with a purse bulging with bragging rights. It’s not a small thing. It was a remarkable accomplishment. The initial Champions League trophy felt great for fans, but such a huge accomplishment also compounded the “feels bad” moment that would arrive six months later in the Sounders missing out on ..read more

We’re rolling out 2023 MLS Season previews ahead of the regular season that kicks off on Saturday, February 25 (TOMORROW!). You can find all of them here! New York Red Bulls: Red Bull Gives You Wins by Alex Xenopoulos Since the more than two million dollar signing of coach Gerhard Struber in October 2020, RB Global has continued to spend on the squad after a long fallow period. This off-season is no different with the club record signing of striker Dante Vanzeir. Struber has overseen a dramatic overhaul of the squad, and RBNY improved dramatically in his first season, posting a 10.37 xGD, whic ..read more

We’re rolling out 2023 MLS Season previews ahead of the regular season that kicks off on Saturday, February 25. You can find all of them here! FC Cincinnati: the Skyline is the limit by Nate Gilman What a difference a year makes. Coming into 2022, if you were in charge of an MLS expansion franchise and faced with a team-building question, a sound strategy could’ve been asking yourself, “What did FC Cincinnati do?” and then doing the opposite. But all that has changed since the arrival of General Manager Chris Albright and manager Pat Noonan. Clearly, 2022 was a different year in Cincinnati.&nb ..read more

Nashville: I Wyke it. I Lovitz. I Want some Moore of it. by Ben Wright “You can run on for a long time, Run on for a long time Run on for a long time Sooner or later your reliance on a single player for essentially all of your attacking output’s gonna cut you down.” - Johnny Cash, probably 2022 was a mixed year for Nashville SC. Shuffled over to the Western Conference for a single season, the ‘Yotes (yes, it’s short for ‘coyotes’, no I won’t stop calling them that) started the season with an eight-game road trip, never quite figured out how to win consistently at Geodis Park once they got hom ..read more

DC United: Wayne’s World by Nate Gilman 2022 didn’t go very well for D.C. United, to put it mildly. The club enters 2023 as Wooden Spoon holders after picking up just 27 points from 34 games. 2023 will be manager Wayne Rooney’s first full season in charge at Audi Field and he’s seemingly been given the opportunity to influence team building decisions.  After the departure of General Manager Lucy Rushton at the end of the 2022 season, DCU’s owners said, “We are focused on bringing leadership that will work closely with head coach Wayne Rooney and our management team to build a squad that o ..read more