D.C. United head coach Ben Olsen will face increased pressure in 2014, but what additional storylines will complete your season preview?

In part one of our 19-part series, we will take an in-depth look at the most intriguing plots surrounding the Black and Red this season. The number and player to watch, as well as the match that should immediately be circled on your calendar, will be delved into with great detail.

Read on for your comprehensive guide to 2014.

Note: Unless otherwise mentioned, credit all statistics to Squawka. All data collected is licensed from Opta Sports.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

All of the news during the Major League Soccer offseason has been about the big spenders, but there is one team who haven't made any headlines this offseason and are favored to win the 2014 MLS Cup.

Defending champion Sporting Kansas City have turned into the model of consistency in MLS and are a club that make noise on the pitch, not in the transfer market.

The only major move made by Sporting since their conquest of Real Salt Lake at home on December 7 was a goalkeeping swap that was forced due to the retirement of Jimmy Nielsen.

To replace Nielsen, who was the starting keeper since 2010, Sporting acquired Andy Gruenebaum in a trade with the Columbus Crew. 

The 31-year-old Gruenebaum will be a solid replacement in net for a team that already boast a strong back four. 

Speaking of that back four, Aurelien Collin and Matt Besler are back and better than ever, while Chance Myers, Seth Sinovic and Ike Opara are also back and ready to a second consecutive championship.

Up front, Sporting possess one of the midfield gems of the United States men's national team in Graham Zusi, who is one of the top playmakers in the league despite not getting as much attention as the likes of Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan receive.

Zusi is not the only productive member of the Sporting midfield, as the roster contains plenty of workhorses in Benny Feilhaber, Oriol Rosell and new addition Sal Zizzo. 

The midfield fleet also does not have to worry about overworking themselves in front of goal due to the presence of Claudio Bieler, who was one of the top acquisitions in the league last offseason. 

The 29-year-old from Argentina scored 10 goals in 25 games in 2013 and is expected to put up a similar tally in 2014.

Behind Bieler on the depth chart are a group of capable forwards led by C.J. Sapong and Soony Saad that will be able to take the pressure off the Argentinian if he faces a goalscoring drought. 

On top of all that, Sporting possess one of the most underrated soccer minds in all of America in Peter Vermes. 

While the likes of Bob Bradley and Jason Kreis have received international recognition, and as Mike Petke continues to receive praise with the Red Bulls, Vermes just gets on with things and does his job the right way. 

His name is one that must be brought into consideration the next time the national team comes up because of his superb resume that includes two Eastern Conference championships, a U.S. Open Cup, and of course the 2013 MLS Cup title. 

Vermes is a master at handling his squad, and he has built a deep roster that will see almost everyone on it contribute at some point during the season. 

A winner of the MLS Cup as a player and manager, the 47-year-old is one of the main reasons why Zusi and Besler have turned into consistent first-team players for the United States, while others like Saad and former forward Kei Kamara are regular names on their national-team rosters as well. 

With a lineup that features a plethora of talent, a manager that knows how to get the best out of his players, and a championship pedigree, there is no reason why Sporting Kansas City shouldn't be the favorite to win the 2014 MLS Cup.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

With more offseason moves than most fans can keep track of, Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference will be up for grabs in 2014.

Not only does the conference already have the reigning Supporters’ Shield winners in the New York Red Bulls and the MLS Cup Champions in Sporting KC, but the bottom dwellers from 2013 have made numerous signings that should put them right in the mix this season.

Here’s a breakdown.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

On Wednesday, David Beckham held a press conference in Miami to officially declare his return to MLS—this time, as an owner.

The vague public announcement left many questions unanswered, including where the team would play, what their colours would be and what they will be called. 

Since fellow future MLS side NYCFC recently put up a competition asking fans to design its new crest, we thought we would get similarly creative with the badge for Beckham's new outfit.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

It's official: David Beckham wants to open up a Major League Soccer Franchise in the city of Miami, Florida.

It will force MLS to expand should the former England captain land the requisite planning permission for a stadium, and "Miami Beckham United" will have a series of mini hurdles to clear after that.

Here, we take a look at his proposed side and analyse the plan in place, how it might work and how it may look as it comes to fruition.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

World football legend David Beckham has announced the development of a new Major League Soccer franchise in Miami, per MailOnline Sport on Twitter:

Beckham, who exercised an option to purchase an expansion franchise, spoke about his latest venture and answered questions during an hour-long press conference held in Miami on Wednesday, Feb. 5. MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez were also on hand for the event. 

Both men spoke briefly but praised Beckham and his intentions, per CBS4 Miami on Twitter:

There's currently no timetable on when the Miami-based franchise, which will become MLS's 20th club, will officially join the league, per football writer Dan Dickinson:

But as Sports Illustrated senior writer Grant Wahl points out, there are still some significant obstacles Beckham will have to overcome before the new club becomes a reality: 

When asked about the plans for a new stadium, Beckham confirmed that the franchise would not request public assistance, per Philly.com's Jonathan Tannenwald:

Beckham also hinted at the possibility of constructing the new stadium downtown, per Fox Soccer's Inside MLS on Twitter:

ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman addressed one of the major issues Beckham and his partners will have to overcome in regards to getting a new stadium built exactly where they want:

Beckham also expressed his interest in bringing in marquee players to star for the franchise, making comparisons to the two-time defending NBA champion Miami Heat. At the same time, he hopes to develop local talent via a world-class academy, per beIN Sports on Twitter:

While it remains to be seen how long it will take to get a squad on the pitch, Beckham's star power and the allure of Miami have created lofty expectations. But according to Beckham via The FA on Twitter, South Beach is ready to take the next step:

A native of London, Beckham has starred for some of the globe's most recognizable clubs, including Manchester United, Real Madrid and MLS's Los Angeles Galaxy.

The 38-year-old won several titles over the course of his career and has an unparalleled global platform.   

With one of the world's most recognizable faces and iconic footballers in Beckham headlining the project, the franchise will have a lot to live up to and continue to generate plenty of buzz.

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

New York City Football Club, the new MLS franchise co-owned by the New York Yankees and Manchester City, had a simple idea: ask fans on Twitter to design their new club badge.

But as anyone who saw the #AskCarrick event Monday on Twitter can tell, social media doesn't always play nicely.

Accordingly, some of the proposed designs were not exactly likely to find their way onto the club's shirt in the future.

Here, we round up some of the best efforts.

Begin Slideshow

Source: Click Here

By almost any measure, D.C. United’s 2013 Major League Soccer season was a bust. Yes, they did win the U.S. Open Cup, but they also finished dead last in league points (16), scored the least amount of league goals (22), gave up the second most number of goals (59) and, of course, missed the playoffs.

In fact, their 2013 campaign was so bad, they finished with 10 less points than Chivas USA—who suffered through one of the most embarrassing seasons in MLS history—and 13 points behind Toronto FC—who were downright awful.

Considering how bad the Black and Red were in 2013, it might seem like a fantasy to think they could win the league in 2014. But considering their coach, their talent level and their off-season moves, that’s exactly what could be in the cards.

Ben Olsen

The 2013 MLS season was a season for young coaches. Mike Petke took the New York Red Bulls to the Supporters’ Shield and Caleb Porter engineered a remarkable turnaround in Portland that turned the Timbers into one of the most feared teams in the league.

But in 2012, the hot, young coach in MLS was Ben Olsen. Although Olsen had some rough patches as the interim coach for the second half of the 2010 season and only guided the team to a 9-13-12 record in 2011 in his first full season in charge, 2012 was a banner year for Olsen and United. The team finished second in the Eastern Conference and third, overall, in the league.

D.C. United entered the 2012 playoffs on a seven-game unbeaten streak and bested the Red Bulls and their big-name lineup of Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez and Tim Cahill, in the conference semifinals.

While there’s no doubt that 2013 was a nightmare, Olsen proved in 2012 that he can get it done with the right pieces in place. He will have the chance to prove it again in 2014.

Talent

D.C. United has made a number of big moves this off-season, but before those moves even began, they had a number of important pieces in-house.

In the back, they have talented young goalkeeper Bill Hamid and center-back/holding midfielder Perry Kitchen. Hamid is still prone to the occasional mistake, but his shot-stopping ability is undeniable. Kitchen fell off the radar a bit in 2013, but he is a former U.S. youth international and, at only 21 years of age, already has three full seasons of MLS play under his belt.

In the midfield, D.C. has Chris Pontius, Nick DeLeon and Luis Silva, three very talented attack-minded players. Pontius was so good in 2012 that many were calling for him to receive a United States men’s national team call-up and DeLeon finished 2012 with six goals and four assists as a rookie. Silva picked up three goals and two assists in 2013 for United, despite only playing 13 games for the team.

Last summer, the team also picked up former U.S. youth internationals Jared Jeffrey and Conor Doyle midseason.

With those pieces already in place, D.C. United’s off-season moves may put the team over the top in 2014.

New Blood

This off-season, D.C. United has been one of the most active teams in MLS. They picked up American international Eddie Johnson, who has 26 goals in his last two MLS seasons. They nabbed Bobby Boswell, an experienced center-back with 10 years of MLS experience, who helped lead the Houston Dynamo to back-to-back MLS Cup finals. They signed right-back Sean Franklin, who helped the LA Galaxy to back-to-back MLS Cups. They traded for Jeff Parke, who was twice named the Seattle Sounders’ Defender of the Year, and Davy Arnaud, an experienced MLS veteran.

Finally, they picked up forward Fabian Espindola, who has scored 28 goals in his last three MLS seasons.

When you add all these new signings to a coach eager to prove himself and a solid foundation of talent already in place, D.C. United have to be considered one of the favorites for 2014.

Follow me on Twitter @JohnDHalloran

Follow me on Facebook www.facebook.com/AmericanTouchline

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

This Major League Soccer offseason, three U.S. internationals have made moves into or within MLS. Eddie Johnson, after a long, public spat with the Seattle Sounders over his pay, left for D.C. United. Maurice Edu and Michael Parkhurst, both healthy, but receiving zero playing time with their clubs abroad, came home.

Now the question is, how will these moves affect those players' chances of making the United States men’s national team roster for the 2014 World Cup?

Eddie Johnson

Eddie Johnson was the highest-profile USMNT World Cup hopeful to make an MLS transfer this offseason (Michael Bradley is a lock for the U.S. squad and, therefore, cannot be considered a “hopeful”).

After months of grumbling on Twitter about his relatively low pay (his 2013 compensation was $156,000 compared to Clint Dempsey’s $5 million), Eddie Johnson celebrated a goal in early September against the Columbus Crew with a “pay me” gesture to the crowd.

With the Sounders’ stable of forwards already more than adequate with Dempsey, Obafemi Martins and Lamar Neagle and Seattle unwilling to pay Johnson designated-player money, he was traded to D.C. United in December for allocation money.

With several strong performances in World Cup qualifying and this summer’s Gold Cup, many pundits would project Johnson as a near-lock for the World Cup roster. However, the competition at forward is intense with Jozy Altidore, Aron Johannsson, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Terrence Boyd clearly in the mix and Herculez Gomez, Mike Magee, Chris Wondolowski and possibly even Juan Agudelo waiting for their chance.

In 2013, D.C. United was the worst team in the league, amassing a pathetic 16 points from 34 games, 10 less than Chivas USA and 13 less than Toronto FC.

While D.C. has made a number of strong off-season moves (bringing in Davy Arnaud, Sean Franklin, Bobby Boswell, Fabian Espindola and Jeff Parke, just to name a few) that should help them re-establish themselves as one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, a disastrous start for either the Black and Red, or Johnson himself, could seriously undermine his World Cup hopes.

There will be 12 weeks of MLS competition before the USMNT will convene for the World Cup training camp. Johnson needs to put in at least a mediocre performance with D.C. in those three months to make the squad.

Michael Parkhurst

After starring with Nordsjaelland in Denmark for several years, Michael Parkhurst had put himself firmly in contention for a World Cup roster spot. He won multiple trophies with Nordsjaelland and even played in the Europa League and the Champions League.

Then he made his ill-fated move to the Bundesliga and managed to play only two league matches in an entire year.

Still, Parkhurst has remained in contention for a World Cup roster spot. His versatility (he can play every position along the back line) as well as the mess the U.S. faces at right-back (where nearly a dozen candidates are vying for the starting role) have been key factors.

Over the past year, Parkhurst has continued to receive semi-regular call-ups from head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, was a starter in the Gold Cup and started at left-back in the team’s friendly against South Korea on Saturday.

At Augsburg, Parkhurst’s lack of playing time put him at a serious disadvantage in the battle for a World Cup roster spot. But now that he’s moved back to MLS, as well as a promise by the Columbus Crew head coach Gregg Berhalter to play him at right-back until the World Cup, Parkhurst will have a chance to play regularly and right in front of the American coaching staff.

Still, it won’t be easy for Parkhurst to make the squad. So much competition at his position, as well as the distinct possibility that the Crew won’t be much better than their eighth-place Eastern Conference finish in 2013, still make him a long shot.

Maurice Edu

Finally, there is Maurice Edu. After winning the 2007 MLS Rookie of the Year award with Toronto FC, Edu made a move abroad to the Glasgow Rangers. He became a regular for the Scottish legends, but was forced to move in the fall of 2012 due to the squad’s financial issues and relegation to the fourth tier of Scottish football.

Edu went to the English Premier League’s Stoke City, but in a year and a half, managed only one, ten-minute league appearance. For awhile, Edu stayed in the USMNT picture, but his lack of club playing time, injuries and a less-than-impressive performance against Mexico in March during World Cup qualifying saw him fall quickly off Klinsmann’s radar.

The competition at center midfield on the USMNT is tight, with Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley locks to make the squad and Kyle Beckerman, Mix Diskerud and Sacha Kljestan all strongly in the mix.

Now back in MLS with the Philadelphia Union, Edu would have to edge out a resurgent Danny Williams, a recovering Stuart Holden and likely Kljestan or Beckerman to make the squad.

The Union have the potential to be a contender in the Eastern Conference with a mix of talented youngsters and MLS veterans and they barely missed the playoffs in 2013. However, the Eastern Conference is likely to be vastly improved in 2014 and both the Union and Edu will need a very strong start for Edu to get back in the mix for the USMNT.

Follow me on Twitter @JohnDHalloran

Follow me on Facebook www.facebook.com/AmericanTouchline

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here

Ever since Sporting Kansas City hoisted the MLS Cup on their home pitch in early December, the clubs of Major League Soccer have been involved in some interesting offseason business, to say the least. 

There have been plenty of eye-popping transfers as well as some progress in the expansion of the league. 

So, the question is how do you make sense of everything that has occurred over the last two months in MLS in one piece? That is what I try to answer here as the top offseason storylines are analyzed. 

Transfers 

The easiest starting point here is the hardest part of the offseason to understand: the transfer market. 

The biggest splash was made earlier this month by Toronto FC, who brought in United States international Michael Bradley and former Tottenham star Jermain Defoe, as well as a third designated player in Gilberto. 

While the marquee transfers involving the Reds caused plenty of celebration, another Canadian team faced a ton of frustration over the departure of their star from a season ago.

The Camilo saga enraged many in Vancouver and across the league as the Brazilian outdid Peter Odemwingie's drive up to the QPR offices last January by having a picture taken of him in a Queretaro kit before a transfer was ever close to being announced. 

No one minced words when the 2013 Golden Boot winner was officially moved south of the border to Liga MX. 

Camilo wasn't the only MLS player to make a move to Mexico that caught us by surprise, as a trio of players (Rafael Baca, Michael Farfan and Jose Villarreal) all signed for Cruz Azul just before Christmas. 

All of these deals were announced by the Mexican clubs before transfer fees were agreed upon with MLS, who controls the rights of players, and it left plenty of questions out there for how contract situations must be resolved in the future.

A few other big names came back to MLS during the offseason as well, with Maurice Edu being loaned from Stoke City to Philadelphia and Michael Parkhurst joining the Columbus Crew.

Both players are on the outside looking in at the moment when it comes to the United States World Cup roster, but they could do enough during the first part of the 2014 season to impress Jurgen Klinsmann enough and earn a trip to Brazil. 

Lest we forget the December move of Eddie Johnson, who was upset with his pay in Seattle, to D.C. United, where he will be the main man on a revamped United side. 

One failed transfer that made some noise last week was the denial of a bid from Sporting Kansas City over a potential move to Juventus for 16-year-old Erik Palmer-Brown, who is a United States under-18 international. 

Amidst all the madness back home, Clint Dempsey was on the move on a loan basis to Fulham from the Sounders to get in match form for the upcoming season, which in any other year would be a major offseason story. 

By bringing back some of the top American talent and adding some nice foreign players as well, the league should easily take another step up in quality during the 2014 season.

There was also a mini-goalkeeping carousel and the first-ever in-league loan of a player. All of the transactions by the 19 clubs are listed here by the league website.

Expansion 

Speculation has been rampant since the summer, when commissioner Don Garber announced an expansion to 24 teams by 2020, about who the new franchises in MLS would be. 

We already know that New York City FC and Orlando City FC will be joining the league in 2015 and the former has already made progress in the coaching department as they named Jason Kreis their first head coach. 

Orlando City may be getting an in-state rival soon as the David Beckham partnership in Miami is close to announcing their new franchise, something Garber stated during the MLS SuperDraft that would happen in early February. 

If and when Miami enters the fray, the league would be at 22 teams with two new teams still to be announced. 

Where those two teams will be based is still a mystery right now, but cities like Atlanta and San Antonio seem to be in the running.

Another team to keep an eye on is the New York Cosmos, who were overlooked when NYCFC came in with big backers in Manchester City and the New York Yankees.

Bringing in a third New York team would seem far from ideal, but stranger things have happened in the past. 

Coaching Carousel 

When the 2014 season begins during the weekend of March 8 and 9, nine teams will take to the pitch with a new manager overseeing them from the touchline. 

Four of those nine coaches were in charge of a MLS club at some point during the 2013 season, but only one, Mark Watson in San Jose, remains with that club. Watson had the interim tag removed for the 2014 campaign. 

Oscar Pareja moved from Colorado to FC Dallas, Frank Klopas took over in Montreal after leaving Chicago and Frank Yallop replaced Klopas in the Windy City after being axed during the season in San Jose last year. 

Gregg Berhalter (Columbus), Carl Robinson (Vancouver), Wilmer Cabrera (Chivas USA) and Jeff Cassar (Real Salt Lake) are the four other new faces to be handed the title of head coach this offseason.

One team, the Colorado Rapids, remains without an official manager as the preseason begins. 

Most of the new managers have familiarity with the league, which is something that is welcome to fans, as less foreign managers are put in charge of MLS clubs and more domestic-based coaches are hired. 

Business

At the SuperDraft in Philadelphia on January 16, Garber revealed that the league was losing between $75 and $100 million per season. 

That number may put you in shock at first, but you have to remember there are 19 clubs in the league currently, and that total roughly averages out a little more than $5 million lost per year per club, which isn't bad, but it isn't good either. 

The good news for the league is that they will be signing a new television contract for the 2015 season and it looks to be a lucrative one, according to Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com. 

The rumored deal will see ESPN and FOX become the main providers of television coverage and it would yield around $70 million per year for the league. 

Having the rights packaged with the United States men's national team helped this deal as well and if it becomes final, it could be a massive step forward for the league if the money is used in the correct manner. 

Now that most of the dust has settled on the offseason ongoings, it is about time to start talking about the actual play on the pitch. The 2014 regular season begins on March 8 when Seattle hosts Sporting Kansas City at CenturyLink Field.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.  

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here