Lean and mean? Minus two teams, MLS will be a stronger league. The trick is getting people to notice - Special section: 2002 MLS preview - Major League Soccer - Brief Article - Statistical Data Included

Soccer Digest, May, 2002 by Michael Lewis

AFTER THE MOST, TUMULTUOUS offseason in MLS's short history, the league's seventh season kicks off in late March. Because of the contraction of the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, the league will be stronger and more competitive, leaving less room for error on all fronts--on and off the field.

With weak links Miami and Tampa Bay now history, attendance is expected to rise. It had better. Without counting those two teams in last year's attendance figures, MLS averaged 15,851 per match, up from the actual total of 14,961. And with more games on weekends this year, a jump beyond 16,000 should not be out of the question. Among this season's major talking points are:

* Controlling interest. Two men control the fortunes of--and seven teams in--the 10-team MLS: billionaire Philip Anschutz, who owns five teams (Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, D.C. United, LA. Galaxy, and MetroStars) and Lamar Hunt (Columbus Crew and Kansas City Wizards). (The only teams not supported by these gentlemen are the New England Revolution, owned by the Super Bowl-winning Kraft family, and the Dallas Burn and San Jose Earthquakes, each of whom are owned by the league, but are searching for investors.)

* May or June swoon? It will be interesting to see which clubs cope better from the end of May to the middle of June, when they'll lose players due to World Cup preparation and matches. Which teams have the most depth? And which teams will be hardest hit?

* New divisions. The new-look league includes two divisions instead of three. The Fire and Crew join D.C. United, MetroStars, and the Revolution in the Eastern Conference, while the Western Conference includes the Colorado Rapids, Burn, Wizards, Galaxy, and Earthquakes.

* Playoff format. This stays the same. The top four teams in each five-team conference will reach the semifinals.

* Soccer on Saturday. Midweek matches are becoming a remnant of the past with only 21 over the 26-week season. In 2002, 80% of matches (112 of 140) will be played on Saturday, with another seven on Friday or Sunday.

* ESPN's "Soccer Saturday." Beginning on April 13 and running through August 24, a Saturday afternoon game at 4 p.m. Eastern time will be shown on ESPN2. The March 23 season opener between Chicago and Columbus will be televised by ABC, as will MLS Cup on October 20 at the newly built CMGI Field in Foxboro. This will be the third time in seven years that the Revs host the match. RFK Stadium, home of United, will host the All-Star Game on August 3.

Here's a look at the contenders and pretenders this year:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

1. New England Revolution

If recent MLS history follows suit, the Revs (7-14-6 last season) should be holding the Alan I. Rothenberg Trophy and enjoying a victory lap on Sunday, October 20. Thanks to the allocation and dispersal drafts, they were handed five regulars on a silver platter.

On the sideline: Fernando Clavijo will be on the hot seat if the Revs don't get off to a quick start. He'll be calling the shots from a new home, CMGI Field, which, unfortunately, isn't soccer-specific.

On the attack: The Revs have enjoyed an absolutely mind-boggling turnaround. The team went from having the third-worst offense in the league to adding the goal-scoring champions of the past two seasons: Mamadou Diallo (26 goals in 2000) and reigning MVP Alex Pineda Chacon (19 goals in 2001). Whether Diallo, who comes off a disastrous nine-goal season, can get his head on straight and not worry about off-field distractions is another matter. Add workhorse midfielders Jim Rooney (six goals, nine assists) and Steve Ralston (seven goals), and you have the best team in the league--at least on paper.

On the defensive: U.S. international Carlos Llamosa, another draftee, will help solidify the back line. Adin Brown, yet another offseason pickup, will be expected to shore up the goal after a disappointing first season in MLS.

Bottom line: Anything less than an appearance in the MLS Cup will be considered a letdown, especially since the team owners, the Kraft family, celebrated their New England Patriots' first-ever Super Bowl victory in February.

2. Chicago Fire

The Fire (16-6-5) might have spoiled themselves and their fans. After reaching the highest peak, the championship, in a fairytale maiden season, the Fire have fallen short for three consecutive years. The Fire will have a new look off the field, playing at Cardinal Stadium on the campus of North Central College in suburban Naperville, Ill., while Soldier Field is being renovated.

On the sideline: Despite salary cap restrictions that forced the release of key players and persistent injuries, coach Bob Bradley manages to have the Fire in the middle of things. He is considered the best coach in the league.

On the attack: Bradley can only hope he has enough healthy bodies from which to choose. At various times last season, he had to play musical midfielders and forwards because of injuries to Bulgarian star Hristo Stoitchkov (six goals, five assists in 17 games), Polish playmaker Peter Nowak (six goals, 10 assists in 18 games), and Josh Wolff (two goals in a mere three games). Eric Wynalda, the team's leading scorer in 2001 (10 goals as a super-sub), is gone, a waiver victim of the salary cap, as is Diego Guiterrez, who was traded in the offseason. Midfielder-forward DaMarcus Beasley is a star on the rise and Dema Kovalenko (eight goals), on loan to St. Pauli of the German Bundesliga in the offseason, produced some key scores.