Fansided

10 potential breakout players for the 2018 MLS season

By Harrison Hamm

FRISCO, TX - JUNE 27: FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon (22) looks to pass the ball during the game between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids on June 27, 2017, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FRISCO, TX - JUNE 27: FC Dallas defender Reggie Cannon (22) looks to pass the ball during the game between FC Dallas and Colorado Rapids on June 27, 2017, at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, TX. (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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The 2018 MLS season kicks off on Saturday, March 3. Here are10 players poised for a breakout year.

Roster turnover is a fact of existence in MLS. Options get declined and teams move on, especially on the back end, where cheap depth can be found in SuperDraft selections and Homegrown signings. This kind of turnover results in fierce competition for spots, from starting jobs to USL contracts.

Oftentimes players take a team or two to find their best spot and the right fit. Starting XIs change constantly, with managers always trying to integrate talent and figure out the most effective concoction of players. Once found, players can improve quickly.

We see it every year in MLS. Ike Opara, last season’s Defender of the Year for Sporting KC, is a prominent example, as he avoided long-term injury for the first time in his career in 2017 and performed at a high-level for a team that suited his strengths.

To help preview the 2018 MLS season, we take a look at 10 players that could be considered breakout players by the end of the year, excluding rookies and players who haven’t played in MLS before.

11 December 2015: Akron’s Adam Najem (10) and Stanford’s Corey Baird (10). The Akron University Zips played the Stanford University Cardinal at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas in a 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup Semifinal match. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after overtime. Stanford advanced to the Final by winning the penalty kick shootout 8-7. (Photograph by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images)
11 December 2015: Akron’s Adam Najem (10) and Stanford’s Corey Baird (10). The Akron University Zips played the Stanford University Cardinal at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas in a 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s College Cup Semifinal match. The game ended in a 0-0 tie after overtime. Stanford advanced to the Final by winning the penalty kick shootout 8-7. (Photograph by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire) (Photo by Andy Mead/YCJ/Icon Sportswire/Corbis via Getty Images) /

10. Adam Najem, Philadelphia Union

Aside from sending Chicago $1.2 million for David Accam, Philly had another quiet offseason, keeping their acquisition list to Homegrown and USL signings. That leaves them with a familiar hole in the number 10 position. 

They will likely rely on 23-year-old Adam Najem, a former Red Bulls Homegrown that the Union traded a second-round pick for last February, to step into the role. He would play between speedy wingers Accam and Fafa Picault, and behind holdup No. 9 CJ Sapong, who scored 16 goals last season. Najem played 153 MLS minutes in 2017, with one start and zero goals or assists.

It’s a risk to trust an experienced player in such a big position, given the fanbase’s (understandable) dissatisfaction and the presumably hot seats of Jim Curtain and Ernie Stewart. Philly needs to start winning, and fast. Their international signings have been duds across the board over the past couple of years, and in a TAM-infused MLS, they can easily be left in the dust.

At the same time, creative Americans and Canadians are vastly undervalued in this country. The prototype central attacking midfielder desired by every team is always from outside the country, and outside of a select group of veterans, every MLS club uses an international player as their primary “creator.” The Union deserve credit for trusting Najem, even if it is a gamble.

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