The arrival of expansion teams in New York and Orlando has more of an impact on Sounders FC than one might think.
Chivas USA is no longer in MLS, while both Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo are headed to the Western Conference starting in 2015. This means that nine of the last 10 MLS Cups were won by a team in Seattle’s conference. Head Coach Sigi Schmid views the path to his club’s first MLS Cup as more challenging with Sporting KC and Houston in the mix.
“It just makes the West a little merrier,” Schmid said when conference realignments were announced. “I think it’s going to make it tough in the short term for a West Coast team to win the Supporters’ Shield again, just because it’s going to be so competitive and teams are going to be taking points off each other.”
A team from the Western Conference has also won four of the last five Supporters’ Shields.
2015 Sounders FC Schedule
As opposed to one matchup with each of the two clubs in the past, Sounders FC will face Houston twice and Sporting KC three times in 2015, including visits to both teams in the final weeks of the season. According to MLSSoccer.com, the five most difficult schedules in the league all belong to Western Conference teams.
That’s not to say there won’t be any intriguing matchups with Eastern Conference foes. Sounders FC plays each of the expansion teams once this year, New York City FC on the road and Orlando City SC at home. The club’s season opener is against defending Eastern Conference champion New England Revolution on March 8 at CenturyLink Field.
Seattle has enjoyed an ample amount of success since joining MLS as an expansion team seven years ago, and both of this year’s expansion sides will bring plenty of excitement to the league.
In the first weekend of May, the Sounders will clash with NYCFC at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Their opponent’s squad will feature David Villa, the veteran forward who is Spain’s all-time leading goal scorer in international play. English midfielder Frank Lampard is also expected to join the team this summer.
Orlando City makes its first trip to CenturyLink Field on August 16 for a nationally televised match on ESPN2. One of the Lions’ Designated Players is Brazilian midfielder Kaká, a former FIFA World Player of the Year who has played the majority of his professional career with A.C. Milan and Real Madrid.
In addition to their international stars, either NYCFC or Orlando City will likely feature University of Washington midfielder Cristian Roldan, who is expected to be among the top draft picks after signing a Generation adidas contract. Orlando City and NYCFC occupy the first and second picks in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft, respectively.
The expansion teams, along with a realigned Western Conference, will make for an exciting 2015 in MLS. Opening kick is less than two months away, marking the start of what Sounders FC hopes to be its best season yet.
