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MLS Mid-Season Review: Most Improved

By on July 14, 2016

Illustrating Major League Soccer’s biggest movers over the past year.

At the halfway point of the 2016 Major League Soccer season, it’s time to take a look back at the biggest movers over the past year. Given the parity in MLS, there has been much change at the top of the table this season (in fact, where each team finished last year statistically has zero correlation to their current position) and the final edition of Football Every Day’s two-part series we take a look at the most improved teams of the year:

Colorado: +17 places

In Part One of our two-part review of the biggest movers in the Major League Soccer table this season, we witnessed some of the downsides of competitive parity in MLS.  Teams like DC United, the Seattle Sounders, Columbus Crew and the Portland Timbers have fallen off of a cliff due to one or two unfortunate moves.

The Colorado Rapids, meanwhile, are one of the clear success stories in MLS this season.  The club limped to a nineteenth placed finish last year but the Rapids hierarchy maintained faith in the project that head coach Pablo Mastroeni was building.  Mastroeni shaved off some of the fringes of his squad (and his famous mustache) to clear salary cap room to make some big-name signings.

The Rapids signed Albanian attacker Shkelzen Gashi on a Designated Player contract and added Guatemalan playmaker Marco Pappa to bolster their anemic attack, which was by far the worst in the league last season. They started the season somewhat patchily, with only two wins in their first five games of the season, but the introduction of Jermaine Jones in the midfield helped stabilize their defense and they’re now on an astounding fourteen game unbeaten streak.

They’ve only lost twice this season, fewer defeats than any other team in the league, largely thanks to their miserly defense.  Mastroeni’s men have only allowed thirteen goals in eighteen games so far this season and are currently sitting three points behind FC Dallas in second place in the Supporters’ Shield standings.  With multiple games in hand on the teams around them, Colorado will almost certainly go top in the near future and especially with the addition of Tim Howard in goal this summer, they’re expected to stay there.

Philly: +15 places

The Philadelphia Union have mirrored Colorado’s rapid rise in the Eastern Conference.  Having finished second-to-bottom in the East last year, they’re now in prime position to take over the top spot in the East with a game in hand.

Their success is down to multiple key additions over the offseason, with coach Jim Curtin turning to the MLS SuperDraft to help patch up their leaky defense.  They signed Joshua Yaro and Keegan Rosenberry second and third overall in the draft, respectively, and both rookies have been instrumental in Philly’s success this season.

Rosenberry is the only rookie to have played every minute so far this season and Yaro also pinned down a starting position before a shoulder injury kept him sidelined.  Yet Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake, another offseason signing, has made up for it and more in goal.  His stellar saves earned him a spot in the MLS All-Star team this summer and have quite literally saved numerous points for the Union.

Up front, new attacking midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta will seek to fire Curtin’s men into the playoffs for the first time since 2011 and they’re looking a safe bet should they be able to keep up their form from the first half of the season.

NYCFC: +10 places

New York City FC have massively improved from their woeful inaugural season last year.  Although the club’s decision to sack young manager Jason Kreis at the end of last year raised many eyebrows, new coach Patrick Vieira has led the team in a bright new direction.

Vieira has steered NYCFC’s misfiring attack back on track, with David Villa currently leading the MLS goalscoring charts.  The club let go of Kwadwo Poku over the offseason and Vieira has trusted the most unlikely of candidates to take over in Villa’s supporting role in Tommy McNamara

McNamara has already made more appearances than he did last season under Kreis and has been on fire, scoring three times and making six assists.  Moreover, all three of his goals have all come at pivotal moments to give NYCFC an extra edge they lacked last season.

Although their early run of form appeared to be on the ropes following an embarrassing 7-0 home spanking at the hands of crosstown rivals NY Red Bulls, Frank Lampard has finally stepped up to lead NYCFC’s revival.  He has scored four goals in his last five games and has picked up the slack left by Mix Diskerud, who NYCFC are looking to offload this summer.

Oddly, the club still have a negative goal difference (mostly down to their 7-0 defeat), but by no means has their rise to the top of the East been any sort of fluke.

RSL: +9 places

Real Salt Lake finished fifth from bottom last season, the first time they missed out on the playoffs since 2007, but an influx of goals from Designated Player signing Yura Movsisyan on loan from Spartak Moscow has given Jeff Cassar’s men the momentum to carry themselves back into the playoffs this season.

FC Dallas: +6 places

FC Dallas have become one of the model MLS teams in the past year due to their investment in building a franchise from the grounds up. Despite sitting seventh overall at this time last season, Oscar Pareja led the club to a first-place finish in the West and they have carried their hot run of form into this year. Their quick, young squad is currently leading the league and although they still have much to learn (an astonishing 5-0 defeat to the Seattle Sounders on Wednesday being a case in point), a world-class academy will ensure their success for years to come.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.