MLS: 3 new MLS Cup contenders based on first two weeks
With a hiatus due to the coronavirus providing time to reflect, here are three new MLS Cup contenders based on the first two weeks of the season.
The Major League Soccer season is two weeks. It is a far too small a sample size to draw meaningful conclusions from, but with the entire sporting world currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, there is plenty of time to reflect on the limited action we have seen.
And there are several teams that have impressed in their early outings. Four teams still have a 100% record, while others have shown surprising signs of improvement from last year. With the eventual goal to win MLS Cup, however, which teams have proven themselves to be unexpected contenders at this early stage?
Here are the top three teams to have thrust themself in the MLS Cup race.
3. Colorado Rapids
There was tentative hope for the Colorado Rapids in 2020. Robin Fraser’s side ended the 2019 campaign in superb form, almost sneaking into the postseason thanks to their promising run. And after some intelligent acquisitions in the offseason, including signing three centre-halves and their lone Designed Player, that hope was only built upon.
When a team enters a season riding on hype from the previous year and the work they have conducted in the offseason, there is always a tentative nervousness that it might all come crashing down, especially when it is team like the Rapids who have routinely struggled to build truly competitive teams.
However, on this occasion, Colorado have translated off-pitch hope to success on it. They have won both of their first two games, the defence has improved markedly from last season, while Younes Namli, who will be the crucial figure of the team, has already notched his first goal of the campaign. The Rapids, then, might just be for real.