The Major League Soccer (MLS) 2024 season is around the corner, with the kick-off just weeks away. The Regular Season begins at the end of February, and the fans are gearing up for an exciting year.
The Westen Conference sides will be keen on bringing the trophy back to their side after Los Angeles FC was beaten in the final by Columbus Crew last year. Here, we take a look at the top teams who can make it to the MLS Cup final and go all the way this season:
Los Angeles FC
Without a doubt, Los Angeles FC will be the top side from the Western Conference once again. They were close to retaining the MLS Cup but were beaten 2-1 by Columbus Crew in the final at the Lower.com Field in early December.
While LAFC will be once again seen as the big-guns in the conference, their squad has undergone a drastic change. Carlos Vela, Kellyn Acosta, Diego Palacios and Maxime Crépeau were not offered a new deal by the club, while Giorgio Chiellini retired after the final.
They have added the likes of Omar Campos, Cristian Olivera, and Mario González, while highly rated Jackson Lee has been drafted in from WV Mountaineers. Eddie Segura, Tomas Angel and Hugo Lloris have come in on a free transfer, and Filip Krastev has been signed on loan for the season from Lommel SK.
LAFC finished 3rd in the conference last season but were just 4 points behind the toppers, St Louis City. They will be keen on getting back to the top and also making it a hattrick of appearances in the MLS Cup final.
St Louis City
St Louis City had a dream debut season in the MLS as they finished on top of the Western Conference. They lost just 5 of their 34 matches in the Regular Season but were unable to get past the Round One in the MLS Cup.
This season, they are going in with the same squad and are hoping that they can take the next step in the knockout stage. Bradley Carnell, their manager, will be looking to keep the momentum going from the Regular Season, where his side scored 57 goals and conceded just 39 times to finish with the second-best goal difference in the Western Conference.
The stats show that the debutants overperformed last season, but those have become their standards now, and the fans will be hoping that it was the start of something special and not a one-off season.
As things stand, it is a bold move to go into the season without any new faces added to the squad. However, should things work out, it will be a commendable job as they would have got their long-term goals right with the signings and that itself would be a positive step towards the future.
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LA Galaxy
LA Galaxy are always a force to reckon with, but last season, they finished second last in the Western Conference. Their season was a disaster, mostly down to their dubious injury luck, and Greg Vanney will be hoping to turn things around this season.
Galaxy have let go of their experienced forwards – Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez and Douglas Costa – after last season and are now looking to add in youngsters. They have splashed the cash in the off-season and brought in Gabriel Pec, Novak Micovic, Diego Fagundez, Edwin Cerrillo and Tony Alfaro.
Maya Yoshida, Billy Sharp, John McCarthy, Michael Barrios and Miki Yamane have been signed for free to bring in more experience to the squad. Miguel Berry and Jogn Nelson are the other additions who will be looking to impress.
Overall, LA Galaxy might not have a side ready to top the table in the Regular Season nor win the MLS Cup yet. But, they have found the balance in the off-season and can get back into the playoffs if they get things right on the pitch.
Portland Timbers
Just like the LA Galaxy, Portland Timbers also missed out on the playoff spots last season. They finished a point behind San Jose Earthquakes, who took the last spot in the playoff series, but that should be a motivation for them to get going from the very start this season.
They have appointed Phil Neville as their new coach and will be hoping that the Englishman can replicate what he did at Inter Miami before he was eventually sacked. They have added Antony, Kamal Miller, Bryan Acosta, Maxime Crepeau, and Miguel Araujo in the off-season to bolster the squad.
The current expectation for the Timbers is to finish in the top 6 of the Western Conference. However, a lot depends on his the team adapts to Neville’s plans and how well they do in the pre-season matches this month.
Seattle Sounders
Seattle Sounders have a new logo going into the 2024 season but they will be hoping for more of the same from last season on the pitch. They finished 2nd in the Western Conference Regular Season table – just three points behind St Louis City.
However, in the MLS Cup, they only managed to get past FC Dallas in Round One before they were eliminated by eventual finalists Los Angeles FC in the Conference semifinals. They have signed Pedro de la Vega from Lanus while also adding Nathan after he was released by San Jose Earthquakes.
Brian Schmetzer will be looking to get his side to the top of the table this season, and they have a good set of early fixtures to boost their confidence.
Teams in the Western Conference
| Austin FC |
| Colorado Rapids |
| FC Dallas |
| Houston Dynamos |
| LA Galaxy |
| Los Angeles FC |
| Minnesota United |
| Portland Timbers |
| Real Salt Lake |
| San Jose Earthquake |
| Seattle Sounders |
| Sporting KC |
| St Louis City |
| Vincouver Whitecaps |