2015 MLS preview: 5 storylines to watch for

Feb 21, 2015; Charleston, SC, USA; New York City FC David Villa F (7) chases the ball as Orlando City FC Cristian Higuita M (7) chases at Blackbaud Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Welcome NYCFC and OCSC

If their preseason match in the Carolina Challenge Cup said anything, this should be an interesting matchup in the season opener in Orlando and throughout the season.

Both New York City FC and Orlando City SC open their MLS campaigns on Sunday, this time for real, and the whole country will be watching how both teams perform in the opener.

Not only do both teams have two of the top players in the world in David Villa (NYCFC) and Kaka (OCSC), both supporters groups have made more than enough noise throughout the offseason, at the draft and even at the Carolina Cup that they could possibly break social media Sunday night.

(In short, if Twitter or Facebook goes down, we know who to blame.)

In New York, their road to March 2015 was filled with hype, headlines and a whole lot of controversy.

To say this team looked good during the preseason really depends on perspective.  Their only two wins (St. Mirren and Charleston) came against teams that were either at the bottom of the table or in a league below MLS, while they struggled to remain consistent against a “better” team in Bronsby and against MLS peers OCSC (1-1 draw) and Houston (2-1 loss).

This could be a good team as the season goes along, however NYCFC could be in for a rough start as they take on Orlando and MLS Cup runner-up New England in their first two matches.

Down the coast in Orlando, OCSC wait to get into the MLS is officially over, and the world is about to hear it, whether they want to or not.  But whether or not they’ll be a solid team is yet to be seen.  They only pulled a draw against NYCFC in the opening round of the Carolina Challenge Cup and ended the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Houston.

It’s possible that NYCFC vs Orlando could be the matchup that the country should watch for this season.

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