Five things to look out for on the opening weekend of the MLS season

The 20th MLS season gets underway this weekend, with two games live on Sky Sports.

Ahead of kick-off, we look at five of the biggest stories to look out for from the opening round of fixtures…

Orlando City SC v NYCFC – which expansion team will come out on top?

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In what is undoubtedly the biggest game of week one, Orlando City face New York City FC in front of an expected crowd of 60,000 – the second-highest MLS attendance since the league’s inception in 1996.

This is the first MLS game for both teams and will pit two of the league’s biggest stars against each other: Kaka and David Villa.

Both clubs have managers with plenty of experience. Englishman Adrian Heath has led Orlando to two titles in the third tier of US Soccer in just three seasons and NYCFC manager Jason Kreis is greatly respected for his management of previous side Real Salt Lake.

Neither will want to lose their franchise’s MLS opener and it will also be interesting to see how the two brand new sides fare, given they have compiled their squads from scratch.

Will Bradley Wright-Phillips keep scoring without strike partner Thierry Henry?

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Thierry Henry was a major contributor to New York Red Bulls’ MLS play-off run, with 10 goals and 14 assists last season. His partnership with Bradley Wright-Phillips helped the Englishman reach 27 goals, the joint highest single-season scoring record in league history.

Now that Henry has retired and taken up a punditry role at Sky Sports, there is likely to be a greater reliance on Wright-Phillips to score and create chances for his team-mates.

With new head coach Jesse Marsch now in charge, Red Bulls are likely to play a more free-flowing, expansive game with the hope BWP will receive greater service from midfield.

Sporting Kansas City is up first – and live on Sky Sports 3 HD from 11pm on Sunday – meaning a battle between two English strikers.

Dom Dwyer – who made headlines with his ‘selfie’ goal celebration in 2014 – was the second-highest scorer behind Wright-Phillips last season with 22 strikes. Both will be desperate to get on the scoring charts right from the off this weekend.

Can Owen Coyle get his first win in MLS?

The appointment of Owen Coyle at Houston Dynamo caught many off-guard on both sides of the pond, yet the former Bolton manager is bullish about his first year in Texas.

The squad has been revamped and Coyle’s aim is to transform Houston from a physical 4-4-2 side to one that plays a high-energy pressing game.

He will be looking to maximise the potential of Englishman and former Derby County starlet Giles Barnes and also tighten the team up defensively; Houston conceded 58 goals last season – the worst in franchise history.

Coyle’s first challenge will be at home against Columbus Crew who reached the Eastern Conference semi-finals last season. It should be an evenly matched affair but in the searing heat at the BBVA Compass Stadium, Coyle will want to start his campaign – which he believes to be one of “longevity” – with an opening win.

Will champions LA Galaxy start strongly?

Five-time MLS Cup winners LA Galaxy are renowned for being slow starters and not hitting top form until midway through the MLS regular season, before cementing their traditional play-off place.

A loss to California rivals San Jose Earthquakes in their final pre-season game could suggest a repeat and they kick-off the 2015 MLS season on Friday night against Shaun Maloney’s Chicago Fire, who have enjoyed an immensely successful winter, which included a win over QPR.

With LA legend Landon Donovan retired and Steven Gerrard not joining the Galaxy until the summer, it will be up to the likes of Robbie Keane and Gyasi Zardes to get the Bruce Arena’s men off to a good start.

How will Toronto fare with their big-name signings?

Jozy Altidore, Sebastian Giovinco, Benoit Cheyrou and Damien Perquis all traded their respective top-tier European for Toronto this winter.

The foursome is expected to help form a strong spine to a team which slumped out of play-off contention in the Eastern Conference last season, following a post-World Cup lull.

US international Michael Bradley and Steven Caldwell are also on Toronto’s roster and will help form one of the strongest teams – on paper – in the MLS this year. How all the pieces play together is another question.

Their first test comes against fellow Canadians Vancouver Whitecaps, managed by former Wolves, Sunderland and Norwich midfielder Carl Robinson. 

Striker Octavio Rivero has been highly touted after joining from Chilean side O’Higgins on a young designated player contract, so Toronto, with all their new attacking talent, will need to be strong defensively if they want to start the campaign with three points.

Watch Orlando City v New York City, followed by Sporting Kansas City v New York Red Bulls, live on Sky Sports 3 from 9pm on Sunday