Is predicting MLS pretty much impossible? You bet. Am I going to do it anyway? You bet, part two. Am I a glutton for punishment? You bet, part three.
Every new year here at Backheeled, we take a crack at predicting the American soccer landscape. Today, I’m going to decode MLS. Later in the week, we’ll have John Morrissey sharing his predictions for the USL in 2026 and Sanjay Sujanthakumar doing the same for the U.S. men’s national team. Buckle up, folks, it’s prediction week.
Onwards, to my 10 big MLS predictions for this new year.
At least one MLS coach gets a notable European job
Me hyping up an MLS coach taking a major job overseas might be a death sentence at this point, given what I wrote about Wilfried Nancy and how things are going for the guy at Celtic.
But that’s not going to slow me down here. I firmly believe that the quality of coaching in MLS is better now than it’s been at any point during any of the league’s previous three decades. Most every team has a defined style of play. There are loads of young coaches with intriguing ideas. And more leagues around the world are paying attention to what’s happening in MLS than ever before. Add all of that together and you get stories like Minnesota United manager Eric Ramsay being considered for the Strasbourg job in Ligue 1, according to a report from The Guardian.
