Good Friday morning, Caps fans, hope you all are having a lovely week and that you are gearing up for an enjoyable weekend.

The first competitive match of the year didn’t quite end up the way the Whitecaps would have hoped, as they slugged it out in a 0-0 draw against Cartagines. It was a vintage CONCACAF fixture, with a well-drilled opponent content to frustrate the Caps by pulling out all of the gamesmanship stops.

Vancouver was certainly the better side, but the home team did well to limit the number of dangerous chances the Caps were able to create. Some sloppy play and a lack of incisiveness from the attacking players meant the Caps also limited the number of dangerous chances the Caps were able to create.

I’m not hitting the panic button, as this was similar to how things went against Saprissa last year. The Caps showed growing pains in that one and yet were easily able to turn things around at BC Place. A win of any kind will ensure they advance next week; if they can’t do that, they weren’t likely going to do much damage in this competition anyway.

There were some positives ahead of Saturday’s MLS opener. Jeevan Badwal and Kenji Cabrera looked good, and the defense limited Caratagines to only one real half chance. But there’s lots for Jesper Sorensen to work on here, as this team still looks like they’re figuring some things out from the preseason.

Be on the lookout for more Caps-specific preview content that will be rolling out in the next 24 hours or so. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I will continue my tradition of publishing my MLS predictions so that everyone can look back on them in eight months and laugh at how wrong I was. 

This year was tough, in large part because the West is one big question mark outside of the top four teams. Add in the fact that good teams from last year changed dramatically (Minnesota, Philadelphia, etc.), no bad team from last year feels like they really took a big step forward this offseason (unless you count Chicago), the uncertainty about the World Cup, the schedule change, and about 50 other factors and you wind up with a particularly MLS-y year that will probably wind up with like, San Jose, winning it all. Feel free to lay down your own predictions/picks in the comments — if you feel bold.

Eastern Conference

1. Inter Miami
2. FC Cincinnati
3. Nashville SC
4. Chicago Fire
5. Philadelphia Union
6. NYCFC
7. Orlando City
8. Columbus
9. New England
10. Charlotte FC
11. Toronto FC
12. Atlanta United
13. New York Red Bulls
14. Montreal CF
15. DC United

Western Conference

1. LAFC
2. Vancouver Whitecaps
3. Seattle Sounders
4. San Diego FC
5. FC Dallas
6. LA Galaxy
7. Portland Timbers
8. Minnesota United
9. St Louis City SC
10. San Jose Earthquakes
11. Austin FC
12. Houston Dynamo
13. Colorado Rapids
14. Real Salt Lake
15. Sporting KC

Supporters Shield: Inter Miami

Sometimes the obvious choice is the correct one.

MLS Cup: Nashville

This team feels like they might need some time to iron out the Cristian Espinoza of it all in the attack, but they also feel like a team that will be firing on all cylinders by the time the playoffs roll around. Plus, Miami can’t win everything, right?

MVP: Denis Bouanga, LAFC

I’m skeptical how much Messi will play around the World Cup, and while I don’t doubt the voters will give him this award anyway, I feel like Bouanga (if he doesn’t get sold/pout about his contract) will cook in a full season next to Son.

Golden Boot: Denis Bouanga, LAFC

See above.

Defender of the Year: Micael, Inter Miami

Given that this award is now basically “best defender on one of the best teams,” this feels like the obvious take.

Goalkeeper of the Year: Matt Turner, New England

If New England makes the playoffs (as I predicted they would), I think it will largely be because Matt Turner regained his form as an elite GK. But there are like five other names I was tempted to go with here as well.

Young Player of the Year: Owen Wolff, Austin

I think Austin is gonna be in for a rough time this year, but Wolff is awesome and is basically their only real creative force.

Shameless Self Promotion

We break down match one in Costa Rica with the first post-match and report card of the season. The podcast previews the season ahead.

Best of the Rest

Jesper Sorensen has inked a two-year extension, keeping him with the Caps for the foreseeable future in a huge win.

A look at how clubs are trying to exploit the looming calendar change.

Toronto is set to (finally) complete the signing of Josh Sargent, meaning my prediction for them might wind up looking a bit silly.

Nashville outlasted Atletico Ottawa, with a 2-0 away win likely spelling trouble for the CPL side’s CCC hopes.