The 2014 Major League Soccer season was all about the impressive attackers who took to the pitches across North America. But there were a few defenders who stood out in a year dominated by goalscorers. 

While it may have been a down year for both full-back positions, plenty of center-backs enjoyed successful seasons for their respective clubs.

All five of the players we rank on this list are center-backs who proved to be game changers for playoff-bound clubs. 

Here's a look at the five best defenders from the 2014 MLS season. 

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With less than four months remaining until the start of the 2015 Major League Soccer season, expansion side New York City FC is beginning to mold its roster. 

Before Wednesday's expansion draft, the sister club of Manchester City only had a few players on its roster, including Frank Lampard and David Villa.

Now that Jason Kreis' side has had the chance to bolster its roster through the expansion draft, it is time to take a closer look at how the roster is being formed.

Here is a list of the current players who have been acquired by New York City FC over the last year: 

Goalkeeper

Kreis opted for experience in net over the summer, when he signed Josh Saunders on a free transfer. Before joining up with NYCFC, Saunders spent time with the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. 

Saunders has never been a consistent No. 1 'keeper in the league, but he does bring a good amount of experience with him to the pitch. 

It appears as though Saunders will have a chance to mentor a young player at the position, as the club acquired Ryan Meara on loan from the New York Red Bulls, per Soccer by Ives' Ives Galarcep: 

Meara is a prospect with a high upside, who was not going to get playing time with the Red Bulls due to the presence of Luis Robles. 

Sending Meara out on loan works for both sides, as the player can gain experience while NYCFC does not have to spend a ton on a first-choice goalkeeper. 

The 24-year-old did play in 18 games for the Red Bulls back in 2012. But he hasn't seen much action since, which could concern some fans during the first month or two of the regular season. 

Defense 

In the process of shaping his back four, Kreis called upon two players he is extremely familiar with from his days at Real Salt Lake. 

Kwame Watson-Siriboe was acquired in a trade with RSL over the summer, while Chris Wingert was obtained in the expansion draft. 

Rounding out the current defensive unit are Josh Williams, Jeb Brovsky, George John and Jason Hernandez. On paper, the six players may not form a formidable unit, but there is a foundation being built at the position.

The one guarantee we can make right now about the NYCFC defense is Wingert will be the starting left-back when March rolls around. The 32-year-old has been one of the most consistent full-backs in the league over the last seven years with Real Salt Lake. 

The other three starting positions are still up in the air, but we could see some of the players listed above in the franchise's first starting lineup.

Watson-Siriboe, Williams, Hernandez and John are all natural center-backs, but Williams has been utilized at both full-back positions during his career. 

When healthy, John could become the team's best option at center-back. But he did not play in 2014 due to a right knee injury for which he underwent surgery on in July. 

Brovsky is the club's best right-back at the moment, and there is a high possibility he will be employed at that position to start the season. 

While the play at both full-back positions is not a concern, the performance of the center-backs is something to worry about at the moment. However, NYCFC will have to add more defenders throughout the offseason for depth so do not bank on some of the current players to start in the first match. 

Midfield

The big question hanging over the franchise at the moment is the status of Frank Lampard, who is currently out on loan at Manchester City. 

Director of football operations Claudio Reyna will be in Manchester this week to discuss the status of Lampard among other things, per Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated: 

Beyond Lampard, the midfield is filling out quite nicely so far for the young club. Ned Grabavoy, Mehdi Ballouchy and Tommy McNamara were added to the squad in the expansion draft along with Sal Zizzo, but Zizzo is rumored to be a part of the Meara loan deal. 

Before the expansion draft, Andrew Jacobson and Matt Dunn were the two midfielders not named Lampard on the roster. Jacobson, who has spent time at three different MLS clubs, was on loan at Stabaek in Norway this season. Dunn was acquired in the Chivas USA dispersal draft held in November. 

The key acquisition at the position is Grabavoy, who became one of the most reliable central midfielders in the league during his time at RSL. If Lampard does return in time for the MLS season, Grabavoy will most likely line up next to the English star. 

Jacobson is another reliable player to have in the squad, and he also brings with him the experience of playing with an expansion side. He was a part of Philadelphia's inaugural season in 2010. 

McNamara and Dunn are young prospects, who like Meara, have a ton of potential waiting to be unlocked by Kreis. How the two former Chivas USA players respond to Kreis will determine how big of a role they play in 2015. 

As for Ballouchy, his selection in the expansion draft was a bit odd considering he has played in 20 games over the last three seasons. How NYCFC utilizes him, if they hold on to him, will be interesting to say the least. 

Forward

The marquee name at the forward position is David Villa, who joined the club after a successful 2013-14 campaign with Atletico Madrid. 

Villa's potential strike partner was obtained Wednesday in the form of Patrick Mullins. The 22-year-old was seen as one of the top picks in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, but he dropped all the way to 11th where New England picked him up. 

In his lone season with the Revolution, Mullins impressed a good amount of people by scoring four goals in 21 games. He also played a major role in the equalizer scored by the Revolution in Sunday's MLS Cup Final. 

By joining NYCFC, Mullins gained a golden opportunity to study under Villa and become a better player for the long run. 

Tony Taylor was the other New England forward taken in Wednesday's expansion draft, but not many people know a lot about the 25-year-old. He does have a bit of European experience, as he played in Portugal and Cyprus before arriving in MLS. But he was not handed much playing time with the Revolution due to the success of Charlie Davies and Mullins. 

What NYCFC gets out of Taylor remains to be seen, but the club must love the potential of a Mullins-Villa partnership heading into 2015. 

Progress Report Grade: B- 

NYCFC made plenty of progress in the expansion draft with the acquisitions of Grabavoy and Mullins. But there still is plenty of work to be done for Kreis and Reyna to put a successful product out on the pitch in March. 

The defense still needs to be worked on, and the Lampard situation needs to be solved sooner rather than later. 

NYCFC also has a third designated-player spot open, which we can assume will be used given the wealth behind the club. 

The B- grade we issue here can certainly be improved upon during the offseason. We also trust that Kreis, who built RSL into what it is today, will use his eye for talent to bring in players who are sure to be successful at the club right away. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

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The 2014 MLS Expansion Draft took place Wednesday, as new franchises Orlando City FC and New York City FC were given the chance to add 10 players each to start finalizing their rosters for the 2015 MLS season.         

Orlando won the right to the first overall pick and selected veteran goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts from the Portland Timbers. New York moved for Real Salt Lake's Ned Grabavoy to add some physicality to its midfield.

Below is the full list of selections:

TSN's Luke Wileman reports Lovitz' tenure with NYCFC was shortlived:

With just three minutes permitted between selections, the pace of this year's draft was furious. Both clubs came in with a clear strategy, and it quickly became clear the mock drafts of numerous pundits were close to spot-on.

Ricketts wasn't a particularly flashy selection for Orlando, but the veteran will add a ton of experience to the squad and compete for the starting position from Day 1, as shared by MLSsoccer.com's Darrell Lovell:

People had been mocking Grabavoy to New York City for weeks, making for arguably the least surprising selection of the entire draft. The 31-year-old midfielder is a smart and reliable player and should combine well with stars Frank Lampard and David Villa.

Salt Lake used the opportunity to move Carlos Salcedo to the protected list, something that somewhat surprised Goal's Ives Galarcep:

New York City also made an intriguing selection with its second pick, going after the New England Revolution's Patrick Mullins. The talented youngster looked very solid throughout the MLS playoffs, and ITV's Kristan Heneage loved the selection:

Orlando added Lewis Neal, who became somewhat of a fan favorite during his one season with Orlando City of the USL Pro. Galarcep wasn't a huge fan of the selection but understood the mechanics behind the pick:

New England became the first team to be taken out of the draft after New York City selected forward Tony Taylor in the fifth round.

New York made the conscious choice of going after high-risk, high-reward type players, including several players who will come with some injury concerns. Galarcep didn't mind, however:

Grabavoy will be a big piece of the team's midfield moving forward, while Mullins has the potential to develop into a very good MLS contributor. Chris Wingert will also be returning home, a move that will no doubt sit well with the fans.

Orlando appears ready to attack the trade market with a bevy of young prospects, and while the selection of Ricketts will not excite the fans as much as someone like Grabavoy would, adding experience is never a bad thing. Houston's Mark Sherrod could turn into the steal of the draft after showing plenty of potential during his rookie season.

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On Wednesday, Major League Soccer's two expansion teams, New York City FC and Orlando City SC, will partake in MLS' expansion draft.

Each of the current 18 MLS teams were allowed to protect 11 players on their current roster with the remaining players on each team available for selection by either expansion team.

However, picking players in the expansion draft is not as easy as simply selecting the most talented players, as each of the new teams will have to abide by MLS' salary cap rules. The object of the draft is to pick the best players at the lowest price.

Using 2014 salary numbers provided by the MLS Players Union, and the average league salary by position (calculated last season by Liviu Bird for the blog Sounder at Heart), here are the best values available in Wednesday's draft.

Defenders

Looking at back-line players, there are several good choices available. The 2013 league average for defenders was $110,000.

One of the most appealing, despite his above-average $165,000-per-year salary, is the Houston Dynamo's Corey Ashe.

Ashe is an experienced and talented defender, who helped the Dynamo win three conference championships. However, since the arrival of DaMarcus Beasley, Ashe has become surplus to requirements in Houston.

Ashe is also a left-back, not an easy roster position to fill. At 28 years old, he should still have a number of good years left in him and would be a good building block for either expansion team.

Another good option is center-back Austin Berry. While Berry didn't have a spectacular 2014, only starting six games for the Philadelphia Union, he was a regular in 2012 and 2013 with the Chicago Fire and won league Rookie of the Year honors in 2012.

Berry is only 26 years old and, at a yearly salary of only $87,000, could be a steal for either team willing to take a shot on him.

Finally, there is LA Galaxy defender Dan Gargan. While Gargan is an MLS journeyman, and 31 years old, he won many admirers this season while earning 29 starts for the league champions. Best of all, his yearly contract will only cost whichever team selects him $48,500 per year.

Midfielders

There aren't any slam-dunk choices in the midfielder pool, but there are a number of players Orlando and New York should take a long look at.

Dominic Oduro made his name as a striker, and is a bit overpriced at $250,000 (compared to the 2013 league average of $128,000 for midfielders), but Toronto FC proved this year that he can be used very effectively as a winger.

New York and Orlando have both already signed high-profile attacking midfielders who would be able to get Oduro the ball in wide spaces. In those spaces, Oduro's pace makes him a nightmare to defend against.

Another interesting choice would be the New England Revolution's Steve Neumann. Neumann played 23 games for the Revs in his rookie campaign (although only three of them were starts). He came into the league this spring as a highly touted college player and, given the room and time to grow—he is only 23 years old—he could be a great long-term pickup for either expansion squad. Best of all, his $65,000-per-year salary puts him well below the league average.

Also available is the Philadelphia Union's Danny Cruz. Cruz isn't a household name, but he has a ferocious work rate on the pitch and is a true competitor. He played 26 games for the Philadelphia Union this season, is only 24 years old and has a current salary of $125,000 per year—just below the league average.

Forwards

The pickings are slim at forward, especially when it comes to value.

The best choice available is Revolution forward Patrick Mullins. Mullins played 24 games for the Eastern Conference champions this year, starting 14. Best of all, he's only 22 years old and has a low salary at $70,000 per year (the 2013 league average for forwards was $220,000). He tallied four goals in his rookie campaign in 2014 and, given the right opportunity, could flourish.

Another option at forward is Gaston Fernandez. Fernandez—who can also play as an attacking midfielder—scored seven goals for the Portland Timbers in 2014. His salary, at $150,000 per year is very favorable, even if his age, 31, is not.

Orlando and New York could also take a shot at a couple of high-risk/high-reward choices. D.C. United's Eddie Johnson was left unprotected. He's expensive, at $505,000 per year, especially for a player who only scored seven goals in 2014. However, everyone knows EJ is capable of much more, as he scored 15 goals just two years ago in 2012.

The New York Red Bulls also left Peguy Luyindula and Tim Cahill unprotected. Luyindula is 35 years old, but did score eight goals in 2014. He's also a value at $90,000 per year.

Cahill isn't a value at $3.5 million per year, but he is a big name and capable of playing a number of positions. It would also not be a surprise if he's eager to get away from the Red Bulls after being benched late in the 2014 season.

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After taking a look at the top forwards from the 2014 Major League Soccer season on Tuesday, we shift our attention to the league's best midfielders. 

Most of the star midfielders this season turned in impressive attacking displays week after week, but there were a few players who turned games around with their defensive qualities as well. 

Two of the midfielders ranked in the top five left the league on a high note after announcing they would not return to their respective clubs in 2015. 

Here's a look at the five best midfielders from the 2014 MLS season. 

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Landon Donovan retired a champion after winning the MLS Cup with the LA Galaxy on Sunday, and the club has marked the occasion with a tribute video.

"This is the end of an era," the video begins, and it charts a great career, which saw him join the Galaxy in 2005.

As the MLS champions won their fifth title, it actually marked Donovan's sixth (he picked up two with the San Jose Earthquakes before winning four with LA Galaxy).

A fine way to bow out, and a fine video to pay some respect to the best American player of his generation.

[YouTube, LA Galaxy]

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The MLS will have its first expansion draft since the 2011 season on Wednesday, December 10, with Orlando City SC and New York City FC each having 10 selections to help build their rosters ahead of the 2015 campaign.

The rules for this year's draft don't deviate much from the previous ones, but they remain relatively complicated nonetheless. In this article, we'll provide a layout of the draft schedule and basic rules as provided by the MLS.

All rules are courtesy of the MLS and can be accessed by clicking here.

Date and Start Time

The draft will take place on Wednesday, December 10 and starts at 2 p.m. ET.

Format and Schedule

Each team will have 10 selections and will alternate making picks. Orlando won the right to select first. As a result, the schedule looks simple:

Each of the existing 18 MLS clubs had to submit a list of 11 protected players by Friday, December 8, and the MLS is expected to make the list public before the start of the draft, via Opta's Ben Jata. At the time of writing, the list had not yet been made public:

Orlando and New York will make their 10 selections based on the list of unprotected players. Once one of the current MLS teams has lost two players to the draft, it's automatically eliminated from the rest of the draft.

Rules

Protected Players

Players on both the senior and supplemental rosters will have to be protected. Expiring contracts also count toward the team's roster.

Generation Adidas players who have yet to graduate and Homegrown players on the supplemental roster are automatically protected and don't count toward the list of 11 players.

The protection of international players is tricky. Teams have to protect a minimum of three international players unless they have three or fewer of those players on the roster. They may not make more players available than the total number of internationals they have minus three. This table shows the possibilities:

Any non-domestic U.S. player will count as an international player.

Designated Players are not automatically protected unless they have a no-trade clause in their contract. In that case, they will automatically take up one of the 11 slots on the list of protected players.

If a player is claimed from a club's non-protected roster, that club has the right to move one player to its protected roster.

Contracts

Orlando City and New York City have been given the right to renegotiate a player's contract once they've selected him without said player being placed on waivers or his former club receiving a first right of refusal.

Preview

The right to renegotiate contracts opens up an array of possibilities and only further complicates what will already be a number of difficult decisions. New York head coach Jason Kreis confirmed the process isn't quite straightforward, via the club's official Twitter feed:

While logic would point toward youngsters being the popular choice for high picks, we've seen teams like Vancouver Whitecaps FC build almost instant playoff contenders through the draft.

Veteran players with experience often come with big contracts—but star power attracts fans, something new teams always need, and contracts can always be renegotiated.

Expect to see a nice mix of young and veteran talent to be selected on Wednesday, with the top picks being perhaps a bit older than you might expect.

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One of the reasons why the 2014 Major League Soccer season delivered a ton of excitement was the play of the forwards across the league.

Due to the strength in numbers at the position, the Golden Boot race was one of the fiercest in league history. In the end, it took a record-tying season from Bradley Wright-Phillips to win the scoring title. 

Some of the top scorers this season were also some of the league's biggest names, as Robbie Keane, Clint Dempsey and Obafemi Martins finished as three of the top seven scorers. 

Here's a look at the 10 best forwards from the 2014 MLS season. 

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Walking out on the Bundesliga is probably the last thing on Landon Donovan's mind after retiring as a champion following Los Angeles Galaxy's 2-1 win over the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer's cup final.

What prompted Donovan winning six MLS Cups and culminating in #ThanksLD, a tribute to a legendary career in the United States? 

Unfulfillment in the Bundesliga.

Playing as if he was the second coming of Bert Patenaude, Donovan had tangible upside to American superstar basketball player Kobe Bryant, according to then-United States U17 manager John Ellinger.

"The level of athleticism is similar," Ellinger said, per Jeff Piasky at Boys' Life.

Kobe ambitiously bypassed college to play in the National Basketball Association, drafted in 1996 by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Three years later, Donovan's elite speed and elusive dribbling enabled him to generate separation at will from opposing markers, which entranced then-Bayer Leverkusen sporting director Michael Reschke.

Leverkusen—the second-best team in the German Bundesliga—prised Donovan away from the United States on a contract valued at around $400,000. 

"We seldom offer a young foreign player such a contract [like the one Donovan received]," Reschke said, per Marc Spiegler at Sports Illustrated. "But in 21 years working with young players, I have rarely seen such strong potential."

A cogent feeling of vindication must have flowed through Reschke while he watched Donovan run rings around his peers at the 1999 FIFA U17 World Cup.

"Landon Donovan (Leverkusen) was one of many talented players already playing as professionals with top overseas clubs," per FIFA.com. "He is a very good athlete, quick, strong and mobile."

Despite a six-figure contract, Donovan felt the strain of the cold and desolate rat-race in attempting to break into the Leverkusen starting XI via the reserves.

"When I got to Leverkusen, calling for the ball, guys would look at me and purposely not pass the ball [to me]... I had been the star player on my high school team. I had been the guy that everyone counted on [back home]," Donovan said, per Grantland.com.

"There is this allure of quote, 'playing in Europe' that is so exciting for people, but if you are not in a situation that is good for you, it can be absolutely miserable."

The grinding, obscure and unglamorous environment of low-level reserve football embedded resentment in Donovan's mind, which is what compatriot Taylor Twellman related to.

Twellman, the Bronze Shoe recipient at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championships, who made "his mark as a dangerous striker," per FIFA.com, hit a brick wall.

"I did the exact same thing at 1860 Munich," Twellman said, per MLSsoccer.com. "It's not easy."

Donovan wanted to feel like he was a valued member of Leverkusen and demanded playing time with the first team, but management viewed him as a disappointment. 

"I went back to Germany and said, 'Look, I was the best player at the [U17 World Cup] tournament; I should definitely get a chance'," Donovan said, per Joe Posnanski at Sports Illustrated. "[Leverkusen] said—not unreasonably, I should add—'Well, you haven't done anything here'."

Mounting a defence for Donovan's struggles abroad, Ellinger referenced Kobe.

"Kobe didn't leave family and friends," Ellinger said, per Jeff Piasky at Boys' Life. "Landon left for a place [Germany] where he didn't speak the language ... it was, 'See ya later. You're on your own'."

Ellinger was presumably speaking off the cuff, thinking about the Kobe from Lower Merion, a McDonald's All-American, who transitioned into the future of the NBA.

Unbeknownst to Ellinger, Kobe had an abnormal childhood, living in Europe (father, Joe, played pro basketball in Italy) and then being forced to re-adjust culturally and linguistically once his family settled in Philadelphia.

"I barely spoke English ... [and] combine that with blacks having their own way of talking, I really had to learn two languages," Kobe said, per Allison Samuels at Newsweek. "Kids are cruel. It's always been hard."

The alienation Donovan experienced at Leverkusen was a feeling Kobe felt at the Lakers, according to then-teammate Shaquille O'Neal.

"Every time Kobe started with his one-on-one nonsense, we were tired of hearing 'He's just a kid, let it go'," Shaq said, per his autobiography. "One guy after another stood up and said they were tired of the golden child."

Kobe's coping mechanisms of having lived in Europe and then surviving the emotional ordeal of being a foreigner in his own country braced him for the politicking he faced trying to make it at the Lakers. 

Fight or flight: Kobe fought while Donovan fled.

Even after four seasons on loan at San Jose Earthquakes where he rebuilt his confidence, once Donovan returned to Leverkusen, he flopped, most notably in a 3-1 UEFA Champions League defeat to Liverpool.

"Donovan gets teed up in the Liverpool box, only to take an unmerciful swipe at the ball and hit a comical fresh-air shot," per Barry Glendenning at the Guardian. "His confidence is so shot to pieces."

One being world class and six being "son, you are out of your depth," Donovan was tied with Franca as Leverkusen's worst-rated player of the match (5.5), per Kicker.

Showing maturity, Donovan accepted culpability on the biggest stage in club football.

"I am very disappointed. Nothing seemed to go right for me today," Donovan said, per Mark Bennett at UEFA.com.

"I didn't play the passes I can play, I missed a good chance to give us the lead and I can only hope that the coach [Klaus Augenthaler] won't judge me on today's performance."

Augenthaler, who won the Bundesliga seven times as a player for Bayern Munich, opted not to lambast Donovan in front of the media.

"We still believe in Landon," Augenthaler said, per Mark Bennett at UEFA.com. "When the time comes he will be given another chance."

Behind closed doors, it was a different story.

"Just sub me at half-time if you [Augenthaler] think I'm playing poorly," Donovan said, per Grant Wahl's book The Beckham Experiment.

"Don't bring me off five minutes in [...] At that point, I just said, 'I don't want to deal with this'."

Donovan had a salient point because the fastest hat-trick in the Champions League at the time was nine minutes from then-Blackburn Rovers centre-forward Mike Newell during a 4-1 win over Rosenborg in 1995.

"If you make him [Donovan] unhappy, he will not play well," Reschke said, per Jill Lieber at USA Today. "We opened the door and said, 'OK, the time has come for you to go home'."

Four seasons, 52 goals and 40 assists later for the Los Angeles Galaxy, Donovan attempted another comeback in Germany, this time for Bayern Munich.

Initially seen as a handy short-term loan option, Donovan's unconvincing stint contributed to then-Bayern Munich manager Jurgen Klinsmann losing face, per Raphael Honigstein at Sports Illustrated:

"[Vice-president Karl-Heinz] Rummenigge and [president Uli] Hoeness couldn't understand why Klinsmann had desperately wanted to sign Donovan back in the summer in the first place," a club insider said.

[...]

He was advertised as 'world class' by the manager but obviously couldn't quite cut it at this level. Both the club and the players lost faith in Klinsmann's judgement." 

[...]

After the club dismissed the 45-year-old Klinsmann in April 2009, Donovan, without much fault of his own, quickly became a byword for the Swabian's perceived incompetence.

Given Donovan's flashes of brilliance on loan at Everton (he is a professed Evertonian), what if he lowered his standards and played for smaller European teams than Leverkusen and Bayern Munich?

The career of Tim Howard comes to mind. 

Howard recalled being victimised by then-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for not including an extra man in a wall, per the goalkeeper's memoir (h/t ESPN FC):

You've got to think—he [Ferguson] jabbed both index fingers at his forehead—when you play this game.

If you cannot handle the [expletive] stage—his Scottish accent was coming through loud and clear—I'll send you right back to the MLS.

The disdain in his voice when he said MLS was palpable.

Howard's grave error in the Champions League against Porto was a pivotal turning point in Jose Mourinho's life.

Rather than return to MLS, Howard soldiered on and has gone on to play 368 games for Everton.

Donovan's inability to assert himself in Germany or seek an alternative European career path was a big win for MLS.

"People know the game because of what Landon has done," National Soccer Hall of Fame member and ESPN analyst Julie Foudy said, per FOX Sports. "He has helped transform the sport in this country to what it is today."

If Donovan has compartmentalised his incomplete Bundesliga career, it is to be expected because his achievements in MLS are comparable to Kobe's impact on the NBA.

But in reality, Donovan is more alike to Juan Carlos Navarro—a Spanish shooting guard who prematurely quit the NBA to dominate at a lower level—than Kobe, who willed himself to success at the highest level.

"If I lived my life based on what others wanted, I'd probably have a pretty miserable life," Donovan said, per Andrew Wiebe at MLSsoccer.com. "I'm happy with the decisions I've made."

@allanjianga          

+allanjiang

When not specified, statistics via WhoScored.com 

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Thierry Henry says he has played his last game for the New York Red Bulls, and after an MVP campaign, Robbie Keane is likely to receive offers from a number of clubs.

So what is next for these two MLS stars?

Bleacher Report's Janusz Michallik joins Ryan Bailey to discuss what the next step will be for these two strikers.

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