MLS 2024 preview: The four teams that are most improved

The Red Bulls lacked Forsberg's leadership and grit last season and should be buoyed by his arrival. At 32, he's far from the "retirement" signing MLS was once known for. 

The Red Bulls have one of the longest playoff streaks in American sport, but they've never won the Cup. The arrivals of Schwarz and Forsberg prove the team is ready to flip that script.

Chicago Fire

Last season: 13th in Eastern Conference
Poor Chicago. After signing Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri and MLS journeyman Kei Kamara — players practically guaranteed to deliver goals — it still finished at the bottom of the Eastern Conference table, saved from the Wooden Spoon by the ongoing train wreck that is Toronto FC. What was it missing?

The answer is creativity. Shaqiri and Kamara can score, but only when they receive service from forward-thinking midfielders, but Chicago simply didn't invest in any. That's changed dramatically for 2024 with the arrival of Kellyn Acosta and Hugo Cuypers.

Acosta, the beloved American midfielder, enters the Chicago squad after a strong season with runners-up LAFC. He's a true box-to-box player who excels at positioning, and his influence should fundamentally shift the dynamic of Chicago's midfield. 

Cuypers, meanwhile, sits farther up the field and should be capable of replacing the outgoing Kamara. Where Chicago used to hoof the ball up to Kamara and Shaqiri and hope for the best, it should now be able to feed smarter passes through Acosta, Shaqiri and Cuypers to outwit MLS defenses. 

Is it a title-winning team? Not yet, but it's much improved from its 2023 iteration.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Last season: 13th in Western Conference
The days of the galacticos feel awfully far away, don't they? Once the home of David Beckham, Steven Gerrard, Gareth Bale and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the L.A. Galaxy have fallen into disrepair and disrepute. 

New arrival LAFC, which joined MLS in 2018, has monopolized the Los Angeles soccer market and made the Galaxy look quaint and old-fashioned in comparison.

Big changes were needed to bring the Galaxy back into the MLS Cup conversation, and big changes have happened. 

Gone are Galaxy president Chris Klein and coach Greg Vanney after a shocking run of form in 2023, and the new leadership team seems serious about fixing their mistakes. 

High-paid underperformer Chicharito has been sacked; impressive youth prospects such as Brazil's Gabriel Pec and Ghana's Joseph Paintsil were signed. 

The new Galaxy looks more like the Columbus Crew than the galactico Galaxy of old — and it's all the better for it.

Colorado Rapids

Last season: 14th in Western Conference
Colorado's 2023 was so lackluster that even its supporters group felt compelled to look away. Terrible results, a lack of interest from owner Stan Kroenke and the improved fortunes of other Western Conference franchises doomed Colorado to the bottom of the table. 

It won just five of its 34 regular- season games, many in front of empty grandstands.

Clearly, small tweaks weren't going to cut it for Colorado during this offseason. Big, bold statement-making decisions were needed instead. 

Coach Chris Armas, a hyped American coach with spells in assistant roles in England, hasn't shied away from making them. He's made three of the best signings of the entire offseason in Zack Steffen, Djordje Mihailovic and Sam Vines. 

Steffen, a U. S. Men's National Team starting goalkeeper candidate, arrived from Manchester City and should slot right in between the Colorado sticks. Mihailovic, once a top youth prospect in Chicago, arrived from AZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands and should ignite Colorado's midfield. 

Vines, an oft-forgotten and sorely underrated USMNT defender, arrived from Royal Antwerp in Belgium with a point to prove. He could lead the USMNT defense in the future, and this spell at Colorado will determine if he's capable of it.

From the least interesting team in MLS to the most, vastly improved Colorado could finally make some noise this season.