Tuesday 1 March 2016 07:05, UK
Who is going to win MLS Cup this season?
With every club is under a stringent salary cap and restricted to signing just three players outside the limitations, picking favourites is not easy.
However, as with every season, there are teams who look better prepared to take on the challenge of winning the cup than others.
Here are our five picks for the title...
LA Galaxy
Never write LA Galaxy off. They've lifted the cup four times, making them one of the most decorated clubs in Major League Soccer history. Head coach Bruce Arena has won the cup five times, three times with the Los Angeles club and twice with DC United, and has a great knowledge of how to build a winning team.
Steven Gerrard and Giovani dos Santos both have full pre-seasons under their belts and the club have also recruited experienced players from Europe in the form of Ashley Cole, Nigel de Jong and Belgian defender Jelle van Damme.
If the pieces gel, then Galaxy could well be in with a shot of lifting the cup.
Portland Timbers
Former West Brom and Birmingham defender Liam Ridgewell captained Portland to MLS Cup glory last season - a surprise victory for a team without any major star names.
Striker Fanendo Adi enjoyed a fine season, while USA international Darlington Nagbe also impressed as Portland hit form at the perfect time.
This season, Portland will look to maintain a greater level of consistency throughout the whole of the regular season. At the start of October last year, the last month of the regular season, the Timbers weren't even in a play-off spot with three games left.
Head coach Caleb Porter will want victories across the board throughout the season - and hope his side recapture their winning form in the play-off stages.
New York Red Bulls
The Red Bulls have performed excellently in recent regular seasons, topping the eastern conference in three of the last five seasons.
But in time, despite qualifying for the post-season in each of those years, the Red Bulls have been unable to progress beyond the conference semi-finals.
Head coach Jesse Marsch will hope to improve on that record in 2016, as the Red Bulls bid to win their first-ever MLS Cup, a feat not even Thierry Henry could achieve during his time on the east coast.
During the off-season, there have not been dramatic changes, with the Red Bulls relying on last year's top scorer Bradley Wright-Phillips and chief assist creator Sacha Kljestan.
FC Dallas
Dallas were exciting to watch in 2015, and with their team looking increasingly dangerous by the year under influential coach Oscar Pareja, there is a good chance the club can bring the first MLS Cup to Texas since rivals Houston Dynamo did so in 2007.
Dallas were top of the MLS western conference standings for the majority of last season only to lose out to the New York Red Bulls in the Supporters' Shield race.
Despite their dramatic play-off run, Dallas were knocked out in the conference finals after suffering a 5-3 aggregate loss to eventual winners Portland Timbers, but look well prepared to cause an upset this season.
With the likes of creative midfielder Mauro Diaz, Maximiliano Urruti up front and the pace of Fabian Castillo on the wing, there is a high chance Dallas could be in the cup race should their attacking players stay injury free, and not lose any of their talented young crop to clubs overseas.
Columbus Crew
Columbus Crew were 2015 MLS Cup runners-up - the first time they'd made the final since lifting the trophy in 2008.
Last year, Crew were one of the most formidable attacking teams in the league, despite operating on a far smaller budget than other teams in MLS.
Former Norwich and Middlesbrough striker Kei Kamara was the MLS joint top scorer with Sebastian Giovinco on 22 goals, while winger Ethan Finlay proved hard to stop on the right wing, registering 13 assists. Federico Higuain was also a constant danger from attacking midfield.
There have been few major changes to the team over the off-season, meaning coach Gregg Berhalter's side should feel confident challenging for the cup again.
Who do you think will win MLS Cup? Leave a comment or tweet us @SkyFootball
