In 2017, for the second straight year, the Seattle Sounders stumbled through the regular season and still emerged out of the Western Conference in the playoffs, only to be sacrificed at the altar of Toronto FC.
Two consecutive trips to the MLS Cup final makes them the team to beat by default, but a perplexing offseason may see them left behind the rest of the crowd. Jordan Morris will be absent for the season with an ACL tear, leaving most of the scoring load on Clint Dempsy and Will Bruin.
While Seattle stood pat, the LA Galaxy retooled to come back bigger and stronger than ever by shaking up their lineup, bringing in Ola Kamara, David Bingham, Perry Kitchen and more.