MLS is Back: Top 5 teams to win tournament

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VANCOUVER, BC – FEBRUARY 29: Alan Pulido #9 of Sporting Kansas City celebrates with teammates Ilie Sanchez #6 and Khiry Shelton #11 after scoring a goal on the Vancouver Whitecaps during MLS soccer action at BC Place on February 29, 2020, in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /

4. Sporting KC

The three Western Conference teams that started the season 2-0 are in the same group: the Colorado Rapids, Minnesota United, and Sporting Kansas City. Of the three, it is Peter Vermes and Sporting KC that are the most reliable.

While 2019 was a disastrous year for SKC as their team was ravaged by injuries, missing out on the playoffs and slipping to second-bottom in the West, after welcoming back many of their star players and finally adding an elite striker in Alan Pulido to the mix, they looked like a well-coached, cohesive, dangerous unit in the opening period of the 2020 season.

In fact, their plus-six goal difference is the best in the league. Only Minnesota have scored more than their seven goals, while no one has conceded fewer. It is a small sample size, admittedly, but SKC have been elite in 2020 thus far, and while Felipe Gutierrez’s season-ending injury is worrying, they have more than enough talent to field a high-level team.

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