Major League Soccer’s (MLS) season kicks off in five days! If you’re new to following America’s top division soccer league or have been following since 1996, here’s all you’ll need to know about MLS’ Eastern Conference ahead of 2022.
2022 Eastern Conference Preview
There are 14 teams in the east this year. Charlotte FC is the newcomer to the league; with that, Nashville SC moves back to the west. Who has gotten stronger heading into the 2022 season and who hasn’t? Could we see any surprises? This in-depth preview looks at all 14 teams in MLS’ eastern conference to see how they have prepared for the 2022 season.
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 4th
- El Parcero Philly – 4th
- Justin – 3rd
- Zach – 2nd
- Steve – 1st
Atlanta United is entering its sixth season in MLS. They won it all in just their second year back in 2018, but have not been able to get back to the big game since then. They finished fifth in 2021, and fell short in the first round of the playoffs, can they get past that mark in 2022?
The Doop by the River Pod boys sees Atlanta finishing somewhere in the top four. Their players brought in and those who left should make them a bit better. Are they improved enough to make it back to MLS Cup?
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| D – Andrew Gutman | D – Josh Bauer |
| GK – Dylan Castanheira | GK – Ben Lundgaard |
| M – Osvaldo Alonso | F – Cubo Torres |
| GK – Justin Garces | D – Ronald Hernandez |
| F – Erik Centeno | D – Franco Escobar |
| GK – Bobby Shuttleworth | D – Anton Walkes |
| D – Ronald Hernandez | GK – Alec Kann |
| D – Caleb Wiley | M – Mo Adams |
| M – Thiago Almada | M – Ezequiel Barco |
| D – George Bello |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 13th
- El Parcero Philly – 14th
- Justin – 14th
- Zach – 14th
- Steve – 14th
Charlotte FC is the latest expansion team in MLS. Their inclusion gives the league 28 teams. As is the case with expansion sides, they will likely struggle in their first season. Their coach has already said they’re “screwed” after they lost out on a DP, and transferred out their best-attacking player before a ball was even kicked. This could be a rough start for Charlotte.
All of us at Doop by the River see this team finishing either last or second-to-last in the east. Could they prove us wrong and be a team that pushes for the playoffs?
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| M – Sergio Ruiz | D – Tristan Blackmon |
| M – Riley McGree | F – Ismael Tajouri-Shradi |
| M – Brandt Bronico | M – Riley McGree |
| D – Jan Sobocinski | |
| D – Christian Fuchs | |
| D – Adam Armour | |
| D – Guzman Corujo | |
| M – Jordy Alcivar | |
| D – Jaylin Lindsey | |
| GK – Pablo Sisniega | |
| F – Vinicius Mello | |
| F – McKinzie Gaines | |
| D – Anton Walkes | |
| D – Joseph Mora | |
| D – Tristan Blackmon | |
| F – Ismael Tajouri-Shradi | |
| D – Harrison Afful | |
| F – Yordy Reyna | |
| M – Alan Franco | |
| GK – Kristijan Kahlina | |
| M – Chris Hegardt | |
| D – Christian Makoun | |
| M – Benjamin Bender | |
| GK – Adrian Zendejas | |
| F – Cristian Ortiz | |
| F – Karol Swiderski |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 7th
- El Parcero Philly – 9th
- Justin – 8th
- Zach – 9th
- Steve – 9th
The Chicago Fire has been a basement-dwelling team in the eastern conference for a while now. They have now rebranded twice in the last three seasons, and have moved to the city of Chicago to play their matches at Soldier Field. They have also made big improvements to their attack in 2022, but have not addressed their suspect defense.
This is a team that finished in 12th last season, but the Doop by the River crew sees this team progressing in 2022. We all see the Fire as a fringe side that either just misses the playoffs or sneaks in.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| F – Missael Rodríguez | F – Robert Berić |
| M – Sergio Oregel | D – Francisco Calvo |
| GK – Spencer Richey | D – Elliot Collier |
| F – Victor Bezerra | GK – Kenneth Kronholm |
| D – Rafael Czichos | M – Álvaro Medrán |
| F – Kacper Przybylko | D – Nick Slonina |
| M – Xherdan Shaqiri | M – Luka Stojanović |
| F – Jairo Torres | D – Johan Kappelhof |
| GK – Bobby Shuttleworth | |
| F – Ignacio Aliseda |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 14th
- El Parcero Philly – 13th
- Justin – 13th
- Zach – 13th
- Steve – 13th
FC Cincinnati has had a rough go in their three seasons in MLS, finishing dead last in all of MLS. They’ve won the fictional wooden spoon every year they’ve been in MLS, but now have a GM and a coach who has had success in this league. Could that in-and-of-itself be enough to lift this team out of last place in the entire league?
We at the Doop by the River pod, are split on this question. One of us has them finishing last in the east, while three of us see them moving just above last place. Hey, progress is progress, right?
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| GK – Alec Kann | D – Edgar Castillo |
| D – Alvas Powell | D – Chris Duvall |
| F – Dominique Badji | M – Jonas Fjeldberg |
| D – Raymon Gaddis | D – Avionne Flanagan |
| D – John Nelson | D – Joe Gyau |
| GK – Roman Celentano | D – Nick Hagglund |
| D – Nick Hagglund | GK – Ben Lundt |
| M – Haris Medunjanin | M – Caleb Stanko |
| GK – Przemyslaw Tytoń | |
| M – Haris Medunjanin | |
| M – Florian Valot | |
| D – Maikel van der Werff | |
| M – Kamohelo Mokotjo | |
| M – Kyle Scott |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 10th
- El Parcero Philly – 6th
- Justin – 7th
- Zach – 8th
- Steve – 7th
Columbus won it all in 2020 but fell way off in 2021. After their glorious win in MLS Cup, they came in 9th last season. Their fall down the standings was puzzling as they had a promising roster. Can they climb back up the standings in 2022?
The boys from Doop by the River don’t think so. We all see Columbus rising a bit, but this still looks like a fringe playoff side that could sneak in, but might not make noise.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| F – Yaw Yeboah | GK – Eric Dick |
| GK – Evan Bush | D – Waylon Francis |
| GK – Patrick Schulte | D – Saad Abdul-Salaam |
| M – Sean Zawadzki | D – Vito Wormgoor |
| GK – Brady Scott | F – Erik Hurtado |
| D – Jalil Anibaba | F – Bradley Wright-Phillips |
| D – Jake Morris | M – Liam Fraser |
| D – Will Sands | GK – Evan Bush |
| D – Milos Degenek | D – Harrison Afful |
| M – James Igbekeme | D – Grant Lillard |
| F – Erik Hurtado | D – Aboubacar Keita |
| D – Milton Valenzuela | |
| M – Sebastian Berhalter |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 12th
- El Parcero Philly – 11th
- Justin – 12th
- Zach – 11th
- Steve – 11th
DC United just missed the playoffs in 2021, but their approach was unorthodox, to say the least. Their manager said they would rather win 3-2 instead of 1-0, and that showed in how they played. They missed out on the playoffs by one point, can they get better in 2022, and make the playoffs?
The Doop by the River Pod doesn’t think so, we all see DC dropping further away from the playoffs in 2022. That’s what happens when they lose major pieces to what made their team click last year.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| D – Gaoussou Samake | M – Yamil Asad |
| D – Brendan Hines-Ike | GK – Jon Kempin |
| M – Ted Ku-DiPietro | M – Felipe Martins |
| D – Hayden Sargis | F – Ramón Ábila |
| D – Brad Smith | F – Jovanny Bolívar |
| GK – Jon Kempin | D – Michael DeShields |
| F – Michael Estrada | D – Joseph Mora |
| M – Yordy Reyna | |
| GK – Chris Seitz | |
| F – Jovanny Bolívar | |
| F – Erik Sorga | |
| D – Frédéric Brillant | |
| F – Paul Arriola | |
| D – Kevin Paredes |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 11th
- El Parcero Philly – 12th
- Justin – 11th
- Zach – 12th
- Steve – 12th
Inter Miami had no real identity in their first two seasons in MLS. In those years they finished 10th and 11th. In 2022, they are going through a complete roster rebuild. 20 players from last year’s roster are no longer with the team; it’s as if they need to hit the reset button in order to push for the playoffs.
We at Doop by the River see Miami being at or near the same place they have been in their first two seasons. All the change may be what is needed, but it looks like it may take another year to show their competitiveness.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| M – Jean Mota | M – George Acosta |
| F – Ariel Lassiter | D – Ventura Alvarado |
| M – Mo Adams | GK – Dylan Castanheira |
| M – Bryce Duke | M – Jay Chapman |
| GK – Clement Diop | D – Sami Guediri |
| M – George Acosta | GK – John McCarthy |
| D – Aimé Mabika | M – Josh Penn |
| D – Christopher McVey | D – Patrick Seagrist |
| D – Damion Lowe | M – Victor Ulloa |
| F – Emerson Rodríguez | M – Federico Higuaín |
| M – Brek Shea | M – Brek Shea |
| F – Leonardo Campana | F – Indiana Vassilev |
| D – DeAndre Yedlin | F – Lewis Morgan |
| F – Robert Taylor | F – Julian Carranza |
| GK – CJ dos Santos | M – Rodolfo Pizarro |
| D – Kelvin Leerdam | |
| D – Leandro Gonzalez Pirez | |
| D – Christian Makoun | |
| D – Ryan Shawcross | |
| D – Nicolas Figal |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 9th
- El Parcero Philly – 8th
- Justin – 10th
- Zach – 4th
- Steve – 6th
Montreal had it rough in 2021. Thiery Henry left the manager’s position before their season started, and this team had to play a part of their season’s home games in Florida due to the pandemic. They still almost made the playoffs, and now in 2022, this team could be one that makes noise in the east.
The Doop by the River gang sees this team anywhere between 10th and 4th. If they can get things figured out, they can definitely be a playoff team, but if they falter a bit like last season, then they could miss out yet again.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| M – Ahmed Hamdi | GK – Sebastian Breza |
| M – Joaquin Torres | M – Jean-Yves Ballou Tabla |
| M – Lassi Lappalainen | M – Clément Bayiha |
| D – Gabriele Corbo | M – Tomas Giraldo |
| D – Alistair Johnston | D – Mustafa Kizza |
| GK – Sebastian Breza | D – Aljaz “Kiki” Struna |
| D – Rudy Camacho | M – Emanuel Maciel |
| GK – Logan Ketterer | D – Rudy Camacho |
| F – Kei Kamara |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 3rd
- El Parcero Philly – 3rd
- Justin – 2nd
- Zach – 5th
- Steve – 10th
New England Revolution won the east and the Supporters Shield last season. They were the best team throughout the MLS season breaking the record for points gained. Will they be able to duplicate this in 2022? They are going to lose star goalkeeper Matt Turner in the summer, and possibly more of their stars as well.
The Doop by the River boys sees a regression in 2022. Two of us see them still finishing top four, one of us sees them falling to fifth, and another sees them falling way off after losing their key players. Will this happen to Bruce Arena’s team?
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| M – Sebastian Lletget | D – Collin Verfurth |
| D – Omar Gonzalez | M – Tajon Buchanan |
| M – Noel Buck | M – Luis Caicedo |
| F – Jozy Altidore | M – Scott Caldwell |
| GK – Jacob Jackson | GK – Brad Knighton |
| D – Ryan Spaulding | F – Teal Bunbury |
| D – Christian Mafla | |
| GK – Matt Turner (Summer 2022) |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 1st
- El Parcero Philly – 1st
- Justin – 4th
- Zach – 3rd
- Steve – 3rd
NYCFC won MLS Cup in 2022. They are the defending champs and have gone rather unscathed in the winter transfer window. Is this team that plays in a baseball stadium about to start their camping to repeat in 2022?
The Doop by the River Pod sees this team as a perennial force in the east. All of us see them finishing in the top four. They should be a force to be reckoned with in 2022 as they were in 2021.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| D – Christian McFarlane | M – Jesus Medina |
| F – Jonathan Jimenez | M – Juan Pablo Torres |
| D – Nicholas Benalcazar | M – Gudi Thórarinsson |
| D – Samuel Owusu | M – Tony Rocha |
| D – Thiago Martins | F – Ismael Tajouri-Shradi |
| M – James Sands |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 8th
- El Parcero Philly – 10th
- Justin – 9th
- Zach – 10th
- Steve – 8th
The New York Red Bulls were such an up and down team in 2021. They won 13 games but lost 12. Every time this young team took a step forward, they took two backward. The Red Bull system is still the star of this team, as they almost won the playoff game they were in but were downed by a 120-minute winner.
Can Red Bulls progress in2022? The Doop by the River boys doesn’t think so. All of us see this team fall back to a fringe team that misses out on the playoffs.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| GK – Carlos Coronel | GK – Luca Lewis |
| F – Lewis Morgan | D – Mandela Egbo |
| D – Dylan Nealis | D – Andrew Gutman |
| M – Daniel Edelman | D – Issiar Dramé |
| F – Zach Ryan | F – Fábio |
| M – Jesús Castellano | F – Mathias Jørgensen |
| F – Jake LaCava | D – Kyle Duncan |
| M – Caden Clark | M – Daniel Royer |
| M – Luquinhas | D – Tom Edwards |
| D – Tom Edwards | M – Youba Diarra |
| F – Serge Ngoma | M – Sean Davis |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 5th
- El Parcero Philly – 5th
- Justin – 5th
- Zach – 7th
- Steve – 4th
Orlando City had a good but not great 2021 season. In what would prove to be the final season of Nani, Mueller, and Dike all together up top, they were only able to get sixth place. In 2022, they have had to revamp their attack. Will their incoming players be enough to help them progress this year?
We at the Doop by the River Pod are split on this. Three of us see Orlando getting one or two places ahead of where they were last season, and one of us sees them falling one place. Either way, this should be a playoff team in 2022.
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| M – Cesar Araujo | M – Raul Aguilera |
| F – Alexandre Pato | M – Jordan Bender |
| F – Facundo Torres | F – Derek Dodson |
| F – Ercan Kara | D – Rio Hope-Gund |
| D – Alex Freeman | F – David Loera |
| D – Emmanuel Mas | |
| F – Nani | |
| F – Chris Mueller | |
| F – Alexandre Pato | |
| M – Uri Rosell | |
| F – Daryl Dike | |
| F – Alexander Alvarado |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 2nd
- El Parcero Philly – 2nd
- Justin – 1st
- Zach – 1st
- Steve – 2nd
The Union is now a consistent contender in MLS. Their meteoric rise over the last five years is nothing short of genius. Now the club’s intention is to win MLS Cup, after falling just one game short of playing for the cup last season. Has this team done enough to get to that point?
The Doop by the River gang sees this Union tea either winning the east or finishing second. The move to bring in two DP forwards shows the intent to upgrade the one position that was lacking. Is this team ready for the marathon that is the MLS Season and playoffs?
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| F – Julian Carranza | F – Matheus Davo |
| D – Anton Sorenson | D – Aurelien Collin |
| F – Mikael Uhre | M – Ilsinho |
| D – Alvas Powell | |
| F – Kacper Przybylko | |
| M – Jamiro Monteiro |
Doop by the River Gang’s 2022 Predictions
- Tim – 6th
- El Parcero Philly – 7th
- Justin – 6th
- Zach – 6th
- Steve – 5th
Toronto FC were victims of a hard slip in 2021. They are used to be a club that is competing for trophies, but last season was in the basement of the east for the whole season. They finished 13th, and this year they are looking to re-build. Their new coach Bob Bradley can provide that stability, and the incoming Italian superstar will be the guy for them in the Summer when he gets to Toronto.
The Doop by the River Gang sees Toronto making the jump back to the playoffs in 2022. We all see them finishing either fifth or sixth this year. Can they make noise in the playoffs? We’ll have to wait to see!
| PLAYERS IN | PLAYERS OUT |
|---|---|
| D – Shane O’Neill | F – Patrick Mullins |
| F – Lorenzo Insigne | D – Rocco Romeo |
| D – Luca Petrasso | GK – Kevin Silva |
| F – Ayo Akinola | D – Eriq Zavaleta |
| F – Deandre Kerr | F – Ayo Akinola |
| GK – Greg Ranjitsingh | D – Julian Dunn |
| D – Lukas MacNaughton | M – Nick DeLeon |
| D – Carlos Salcedo | M – Tsubasa Endoh |
| F – Jesus Jimenez | M – Liam Fraser |
| F – Erickson Gallardo | |
| D – Justin Morrow | |
| D – Omar Gonzalez | |
| D – Richie Laryea | |
| F – Dom Dwyer | |
| M – Mark Delgado | |
| F – Yeferson Soteldo | |
| F – Jozy Altidore | |
| D – Auro |
The East has true contenders for MLS Cup
The eastern conference has a few teams that have proven to be at or near the top of the conference year in and year out. This season is no different. Teams like New England, NYCFC, and Philly all have a legit shot at winning the conference and MLS Cup this year.
Will any of these three win it all? Will any teams who are in the four-10 range in the standings have what it takes to climb up and break into this group? Could teams 11-14 surprise us all and move into a playoff spot by the end of 2022? We’ll have to watch to find out!
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Mandatory Credit: Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire
