View from Couch: A 2016 MLS Christmas Wish List

<strong>A Hot Start</strong>

The offseason splashes have been spectacular, but it's ultimately going to be about the action on the field, and an ambitious effort will carry the salivating fanbase to tremendous heights if the on-pitch product pays dividends.

<strong>Them DPs Tho</strong>

With two open Designated Player slots, and an apparent readiness to spend, the Fire are clearly looking to find complementary pieces in support of <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/david-accam">David Accam</a> as they eye a finish out of the Eastern Conference basement.

<strong>The Final Touch</strong>

After refashioning themselves into a defensive powerhouse, Colorado must not only replace the culture-defining light of US national team midfielder <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/jermaine-jones">Jermaine Jones</a>, but also find someone to polish off the opportunities that arise. <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/shkelzen-gashi">Shkelzen Gashi</a> showed hints of that during his MLS debut – sometimes spectacularly – but consistency is called for.

<strong>A Return to Form</strong>

After just about everything broke their way in 2015, this season was a 34-week reckoning from the jump. Now that the roster's settled and they've identified a few pieces (SEE: <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/ola-kamara">Kamara, Ola</a>; SEE ALSO: <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/nicolai-naess">Naess, Nicolai</a>) it's up to stalwarts <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/ethan-finlay">Ethan Finlay</a>, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/federico-higuain">Federico Higuain</a>, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/justin-meram">Justin Meram</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/wil-trapp">Wil Trapp</a> to erase this one from the database.

<strong>MORE-Mentum</strong>

Y'all know the story by now – D.C. acquired <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/patrick-mullins">Patrick Mullins</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/lloyd-sam">Lloyd Sam</a> while turning <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/luciano-acosta">Luciano Acosta</a> loose and rocketed up the Eastern Conference table. With Acosta now a permanent member of the squad – reportedly for a club-record transfer fee – they're going to have to prove they can keep it up amidst altered expectations.

<strong><strike>MAWR HOMGRONZ</strike> Healthy Mauro</strong>

Seriously. Their pipeline runs deep, and continues to impress, but after winning the USOC/Shield double is there any question that Dallas enters next season as the prohibitive MLS Cup favorites? If <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/mauro-diaz">Mauro Diaz</a> manages to recover from his torn Achilles' tendon in time for the 2017 postseason, Dallas could be turning it on at the right time.

<strong>A Clear Direction</strong>

Having transitioned from Owen Coyle to Wade Barrett and now Wilmer Cabrera, the Dynamo have begun to lay the foundation under owner Gabriel Brener. With <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/mauro-manotas">Mauro Manotas</a> looking like a crucial building block, and playing time opened for other young'uns, if they can set a stamp early, Houston might sneak up on a few teams still figuring it out.

<strong>Good Match for GDS</strong>

With <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/robbie-keane">Robbie Keane</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/steven-gerrard">Steven Gerrard</a> on the move, and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/landon-donovan">Landon Donovan</a> again riding into the sunset, it's officially <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/giovani-dos-santos">Giovani dos Santos</a> time in LA. Now that there are two DP slots open, expect new execs Peter Vagenas and Curt Onalfo to make a mark with savvy signings that complement the Mexico national teamer while still retaining that Hollywood sheen.

<strong>Everything</strong>

Having spent their 2016 fielding an active squad while transitioning toward MLS expansion, Minnesota has slow-played the roster build, and it'll be up to Adrian Heath and Manny Lagos to make a quick turn coming out of the calendar year. They've identified a few local pieces as the center of the effort, but many open spots remain.

<strong>A Depth Charge</strong>

<a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/didier-drogba">Didier Drogba</a>'s gone, but <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/matteo-mancosu">Matteo Mancosu</a> showed that won't be the worst. The biggest question for the Impact is whether they can work the rotation such that young players are getting the crucial minutes and the 35-plus midfield vets the crucial rest they'll need for season-long success. Keep an eye on <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/harry-shipp">Harry Shipp</a>'s PT – it'll likely be a bellwether for Mauro Biello's trust down the roster.

<strong>Sharpening the Diamond</strong>

With Jay Heaps late switch to the 4-4-2 diamond, the Revs found some semblance of a run, nearly sneaking into the postseason after a season spent muddling about. With <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/kei-kamara">Kei Kamara</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/lee-nguyen">Lee Nguyen</a> on top of their games, along with a revitalized <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/juan-aguedelo">Juan Agudelo</a>, entering the season with a full sense of the system could prove dangerous for the rest of the East.

<strong>Players to Play the System</strong>

They've got the range on offense, with MLS MVP <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/david-villa">David Villa</a> leading the way, but now that Patrick Vieira has done such a fine job establishing their system, the key is to find players to play the system – forgoing high-ceiling talent for best formational fit when necessary. <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/sean-johnson">Sean Johnson</a> should prove a better shot-stopper than <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/josh-saunders">Josh Saunders</a>, but shoring up the starting XI should solve those problems before they reach the goalmouth.

<strong>MLS Cup</strong>

After a long-capricious MLS existence, the Red Bulls have stabilized into a model franchise, lacking that final piece of hardware during this recent run of regular-season success. The band is back together, with reinforcements on the way, and any trophy is likely to be the first in a series.

<strong>Foundation for the Future</strong>

Jason Kreis spent the end of the season testing the personnel waters, and while he's got strong attacking pieces in <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/kaka">Kaká</a>, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/cyle-larin">Cyle Larin</a>, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/kevin-molino">Kevin Molino</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/matias-perez-garcia">Matias Perez Garcia</a>, the defense is going to determine whether they can find that first playoff spot in season three. They've made <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/jose-aja">Jose Aja</a> the first marker on the board.

<strong>No Muddle in the Middle</strong>

Now that they'll enter the year with <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/alejandro-bedoya">Alejandro Bedoya</a> and a (hopefully) healthy <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/maurice-edu">Maurice Edu</a>, the trick becomes melding the midfielders in a way that works to everyone's effectiveness, most notably with the hefty hold-up play of forward <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/cj-sapong">C.J. Sapong</a>.

<strong>A healthy backline</strong>

<a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/nat-borchers">Nat Borchers</a> went down, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/liam-ridgewell">Liam Ridgewell</a> followed and the inconsistency on the rest of the roster (<a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/darlington-nagbe">Darlington Nagbe</a>, where you at?) didn't leave much leeway for the 2015 champs. If they can firm up the center, and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/Vytas-Andriuskevicius">Vytas Andriuskevicius</a> shows improvement in his first full season, Portland could be right back in the MLS Cup mix.

<strong>The New Dawn</strong>

With <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/javier-morales">Javier Morales</a> moving on, it's finally time to Believe in a new crop of RSL talent. <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/sunday-stephen">Sunday Stephen</a> proved a strong find, and if <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/joao-plata">Joao Plata</a>, <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/yura-movsisyan">Yura Movsisyan</a> and Co. can figure out a way to stretch their first-half success into a full-season strike-force, that fourth-place finish out West might be RSL's floor.

<strong>Action Up Top</strong>

With a blasé season behind them, San Jose needs to figure out ways to keep things lively in the attacking half. Bringing in <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/darwin-ceren">Darwin Ceren</a> to play alongside <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/fatai-alashe">Fatai Alashe</a> and <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/anibal-godoy">Anibal Godoy</a> leaves a lot of room for error up front, and whoever signs on for that GM gig should feel free to take flyers on high-ceiling talent.

<strong>All Set</strong>

You might have heard they won MLS Cup. <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/clint-dempsey">Clint Dempsey</a> is expected back. Good talk; see you out there.

<strong>A Second Scorer</strong>

<a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/dom-dwyer">Dom Dwyer</a> has proven he's no fluke, but the lack of a Krisztian Nemeth-type threat kept the SKC offense in relative check. Another option along those lines, and Dwyer could join the one-man MLS ranks of two-time 20-goal scorers.

<strong>Health</strong>

Toronto, with three DPs playing at their peaks, a slew of supporting talent and a raucous home field that's fully operational from the opening kick for the first time in three seasons, enters 2017 as the Eastern Conference favorite. Health is likely the only obstacle barring a deep playoff run.

<strong>The Finisher</strong>

This has been a 'Caps bugaboo for years, and they continue to explore options, most recently bringing in <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/giles-barnes">Giles Barnes</a> from Houston. Maybe this is the year <a href="http://mlssoccer.com/players/kekuta-manneh">Kekuta Manneh</a> makes the leap.