The LA Galaxy will begin their MLS Cup title defense without Steven Gerrard and while he won’t join the club until the conclusion of the Premier League season, that hasn’t impacted the team’s odds to repeat as champions again in 2015.
Bruce Arena’s club is once again the outright favorite to win it all this season and it’s no surprise that they are at the top of the Western Conference power rankings heading in to a new year. Here is a quick look at the best bets to win the MLS Western Conference with their championship future odds listed next to them.
LA Galaxy
Odds To Win MLS Cup: +300
Arena has won back-to-back MLS Cups twice in his career already and a chance to do it a third time was too irresistible for him to retire just yet. The Western Conference will get tougher with Sporting Kansas City and the Houston Dynamo both moving over, but that hasn’t changed the Galaxy’s outlook as they retained the majority of their championship roster from a year ago.
The loss of Landon Donovan could be felt early on but LA has several options for the hole he left including academy product Bradford Jamieson IV or fellow homegrown player Raul Mandiola. Reigning MVP Robbie Keane is back to lead the way up front and with Gerrard set to arrive in the summer transfer window, it’s only a matter of time before the Galaxy reach their potential and challenge for another title.
Seattle Sounders FC
Odds To Win MLS Cup: +450
The arrival of general manager Garth Lagerway has increased the level of optimism in Seattle. While they are Sounders are coming off their best season in franchise history, they are still feeling a sense of disappointment following the club’s loss to LA in last year’s Western Conference finals. Tyrone Mears replaces departed fullback DeAndre Yedlin but other than that, this team looks a lot like last year’s group.
Head coach Sigi Shmid talked about putting his team in a position to succeed but admitted that it could come down to getting hot at the right time. The Sounders roster isn’t as talented or deep as the rival Galaxy but there is no doubt they will find a way to stay in contention for a Western Conference title for as long as they can stay healthy. And if LA slips, then Seattle will be right there looking to jump all over the opportunity.
Real Salt Lake
Odds To Win MLS Cup: +1200
Life after Lagerway has opened the door for plenty of question marks surrounding Real Salt Lake as the longtime executive left for the Sounders and created a measure of uncertainty for a team that has been considered a perennial contender in the West. The arrivals of Sporting Kansas City and Houston Dynamo will add more contenders to the conference but RSL deserves to be considered a sleeper pick to contend despite a number of changes. Ned Grabavoy and Sebastian Velasquez left along with Chris Wingert and Kwame Watson-Siriboe but the club brought back a familiar face in Jamison Olave and signed Demar Phillips to fill a hole at left back.
The talent is there for Real Salt Lake to contend once again out of the West but they will need some good fortune with both the Galaxy and Sounders fielding the deeper rosters. If you’re looking for a decent sleeper bet, Real Salt Lake might be the longshot with the best chance to realistically cash in.
Best Bet: LA Galaxy +300
Donovan’s retirement and Gerrard’s arrival will be among the distractions that Arena’s team will have to try and get past, but in terms of pure talent there is no denying this team is the best in all of MLS. LA will be one of the top teams in the league even before Gerrard makes his way over and as long as they can stay relatively healthy, there is no denying the Galaxy deserve to be considered the best bet to win the Western Conference as well as a second consecutive MLS Cup.
