Parity is king when it comes to MLS, and that’s no different as the league gets set to kick off the 30th season in 2025.
With 15 teams in each conference, fans will be treated to a balanced table and immense skill, and the LA Galaxy look to defend their MLS Cup and add a seventh title to their illustrious history.
While Inter Miami and Lionel Messi look to hit up the Eastern Conference, the Western Conference has seen massive overhauls and could be in for one of the best MLS Cup Playoff races in recent years.
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Before teams kick off on Feb. 22, here’s a full preview and prediction for everything you need about the Western Conference.
1. LAFC - (1st in 2024)
LAFC needed every minute of 34 games to top the Western Conference in 2024, and there’s little reason they couldn’t go out and do it again in 2025.
While they’ve undergone a massive offseason overhaul, with Timothy Tillman the only returning key midfielder and key players gone in attack, there’s still lots of quality. Denis Bouanga has been outstanding throughout his MLS career and comes off a second straight 20-goal season with little reason to think he could slow down.
Meanwhile, they’ve welcomed Jeremy Ebobisse, who scored six goals on a dismal San Jose Earthquakes team in 2024 and midfielder Yaw Yeboah, who has been critical for Columbus Crew SC. Olivier Giroud also returns for his first entire season and may get used more often, with Mateusz Bogusz moving onto Cruz Azul after scoring 15 goals last season. on,
Steve Cherundolo knows how to get the best out of his squad, and there’s every likelihood that LAFC will add further in the summer transfer window to give them another push. Their winning culture and quality against a mostly lacking Western Conference should make 2025 a fun year at BMO Stadium.
2. Seattle Sounders FC - (4th in 2024)
Seattle Sounders FC were just one game away from playing in MLS Cup last season, and nobody should be surprised if they end up going all the way in 2025. Playing against them topping the conference through 34 games, though, is the busy schedule they’ll have with MLS, Leagues Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup.
They haven’t lost many players and have added immense quality in attacker Jesus Ferreira, who comes as an experienced yet still young MLS goalscorer from FC Dallas. They’ve also welcomed his former Dallas teammate, Paul Arriola, one of the league's best wide defenders/midfielders.
Those two additions could easily elevate Jordan Morris up top, giving him a shot at the Golden Boot after a 12-goal season in 2024. At the same time, Designated Player midfielder Pedro de la Vega has an MLS season under his belt. He could take the next step in his development at 24, while Obed Vargas, 19, remains one of the league's premier young players.
Stefan Frei's continuing dominance in goal will also help, and bringing back Kim Kee Hee from the 2019 MLS Cup-winning team will add another experienced asset to the defense.
There is lots to like for Brian Schemtzer in what will be a busy year for the Sounders.
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3. LA Galaxy - (2nd in 2023)
The LA Galaxy have undergone significant roster retooling after their sixth MLS Cup. Heading into 2025, they’re without midfielder Riqui Puig and attacker Joseph Paintsil, both out with injuries. They also forge forward without striker Dejan Joveljić, who was sold to Sporting Kansas City.
Those three are key missing pieces for the Galaxy, who also said goodbye to MLS Cup MVP midfielder Gaston Brugman, midfielder Mark Delgado and center-back Jalen Neal. Still, though, they’re going to be okay.
Up top, they quickly replaced Joveljić by bringing in LA native and proven MLS striker Christian Ramirez from Columbus Crew SC while expecting more from Borussia Dortmund legend Marco Reus after his entire offseason of recovery. Ramirez scored eight goals in Columbus in 2024, and will join Gabriel Pec in the attacking line, with Pec coming off 16 goals in the MLS Cup winning season.
For head coach Greg Vanney, starting the season will be a learning process. While they dominated games with midfield magic and a potent attack in 2024, 2025 may be more focused on defensive structure and winning close games rather than blowing teams out by large margins.
It will be a very different year without Puig and Painstil to start. Vanney’s longtime partnership with Delgado––which spanned from Toronto FC and the Galaxy––has finally come to an end, but defending MLS Cup is a decisive goal, and third place in the Western Conference might just be their road to that.
4. Minnesota United - (6th in 2024)
Minnesota United aren’t necessarily an MLS Cup contender, but being fourth in the Western Conference makes the most sense compared to the other teams around them.
After finishing 2024 sixth in the conference on 52 points, they enter 2025 with a reasonably consistent roster that looks ready to take the next step. Likely, Canadian No. 1 Dayne St. Clair remains in goal as one of MLS’ top keepers, while Kelvin Yeboah and Robin Lod looked outstanding in the second half of last season.
Yeboah, a recently signed DP striker, only played 12 games in 2024 and scored nine goals, while Lod put up 13 assists. Similarly, they’re a team that can also build from out wide, with Joseph Rosales and Bongi Hlongwane taking steps toward becoming elite wingbacks on either side in 2024.
With their diverse attacking and transition options, Minnesota has a lot to like as they continue in the post-Adrian Heath era. That’s without even mentioning Tani Oluwaseyi, who put himself in the Canada national team picture after scoring eight goals in 1,077 minutes last season.
5. Sporting Kansas City - (13th in 2024)
Finishing 13th in the Western Conference was one of the worst seasons of Sporting Kansas City’s MLS history, but 2025 looks like it will be a much better season for longtime head coach Peter Vermes.
The club has brought in several key players while jettisoning much of the old guard. Out are midfielder Johnny Russel, struggling striker Alan Pulido and veteran goalkeeper Tim Melia, replaced by fresh faces in striker Dejan Joveljić, Designated Player midfielder Manu Garcia and Russian winger Shapi Suleymanov.
Joveljić comes in after scoring 15 goals and six assists in a critical role with the MLS Cup champion LA Galaxy. He will be a refreshing restart after Pulido, who only scored 10+ goals in one of his five MLS seasons.
Garcia, meanwhile, has played in the top divisions of England, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Greece and will likely play the creative No. 10 role in Vermes’s iconic 4-3-3.
Goalkeeping will be a question, with John Pulskamp likely to be the starter, but 2025’s SKC is far younger and more talented, so they should be in for a much more enjoyable season.
6. St. Louis CITY SC - (12th in 2024)
St. Louis CITY weren’t the most active in the offseason but proved that some of their midseason additions could be essential players in the final games of 2024. Marcel Hartel and Cedric Teuchert scored three goals and five, respectively, in 10 games, while German center-back Timo Baumgartl should help the backline after joining this winter.
After dismissing Bradley Carnell in the summer and introducing their new attackers, the St. Louis team's core identity changed, paving the way for Olof Mellberg, the new head coach, to take over.
It’s tough to gauge how well things will start under a new coach, but if Mellberg’s record, combined with Teuchert and Hartel’s 2024 form, gel, this could be a very good team in 2025. In the preseason, they won twice in five games.
7. FC Dallas - (11th in 2024)
FC Dallas looked very poor before they brought in Luciano Acosta late in the preseason. Despite a miserable 11th-place finish in 2024, this is, at the very least, a midtable team.
Acosta comes in off a 14-goal and 17-assist season with FC Cincinnati and will instantly link up with designated player forward Petar Musa, who netted 16 goals last season without a setup player anywhere near Acosta’s pedigree.
While they lost key young forward and USMNT attacker Jesus Ferreira and wingback Paul Arriola, adding Acosta helps correct those losses in other areas of the pitch.
The defense will be an issue for a group that conceded 56 goals in 2024, as will getting up to speed under new head coach Eric Quill. However, even if things start poorly, Acosta is good enough to carry a team to mediocrity.
8. Austin FC - (10th in 2024)
Austin FC made significant changes in the offseason, bringing in Mytro Uzuni and Brandon Vazquez to replace Sebastian Driussi and Gyasi Zardes.
Los Verdes are getting a proven MLS star in Vazquez, who scored 26 goals in 62 games with FC Cincinnati from 2022-23 before a brief stint in Liga MX. They are also adding Uzuni, who scored 49 goals in 106 all-competition appearances for Granada CF, including 14 in 18 La Liga 2 games this season.
While two outright goal-scorers without a defined provider could be problematic, Austin still has strong midfielders like Diego Rubio and Dani Pereira. The two attackers will also be able to complement each other in their goalscoring efforts.
Osman Bukari, who was signed for a reported $7.5 million in the summer, will also hope the new attacking talent can help him score more goals than his one in nine games in 2024.
After looking listless as an attacking team last season, new head coach Nico Estévez will lead a dangerous Austin side in 2025, with two strikers that could significantly damage Western Conference backlines.
9. Vancouver Whitecaps FC - (8th in 2024)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC enters 2025 as a very similar yet different team from the one that put in a strong but ultimately futile performance against LAFC in the MLS Cup Playoffs. Vanni Sartini is out, and Jesper Sorenson is in. The club aimed to build around midfielder Stuart Armstrong but lost him in the final few days of the winter transfer window.
With Sorenson, the Caps will have to play in a similar style to the one that brought them success under Sartini. During the preseason, they’ve continued with the 4-3-2-1 formation, which benefits Scottish international midfielder Ryan Gauld and USMNT striker Brian White, who have been one of the best-attacking duos in the last three seasons.
Gauld comes off 15 goals and 12 assists in the 2024 season, which saw White hit 16 goals in 34 games after he scored the same in 2023.
Losing Armstrong left the club with a massive void in its attacking midfielder role. The club is also lighter without Alessandro Schopf and Fafa Picault, the latter of whom scored nine goals before joining Inter Miami in the offseason.
To aid the losses, they’ve added Canadian youngster Jayden Nelson to fill a similar role to Picault and American striker Emmanuel Sabbi, who comes to MLS after scoring five goals in 49 appearances in France.
The Whitecaps have always struggled with taking that “next step” to become a true MLS Cup contender, and 2025 might be another year of that. There will be days they look fantastic and others where they struggle to excite, making ninth place the most likely for them.
10. Colorado Rapids - (7th in 2024)
After an immense 2024, the Colorado Rapids will fall back to earth in 2025 under head coach Chris Armas. After starting 2024 as one of the best defensive teams in MLS, they struggled mightily after losing center-back Moise Bombito to Nice of Ligue 1.
Since then, they’ve not had the same solid backline, and their transition progression has not been as sharp. Djordje Mihailovic remains an elite MLS midfielder but has significantly less help in all areas of the pitch this season.
There’s reason to hope defensive addition Chidozie Awaziem can help the team as he comes over from FC Cincinnati. Still, there’s not much-contending talent on the roster heading into this season.
11. Portland Timbers - (9th in 2024)
The Portland Timbers are selling high on Evander, with the talismanic midfielder joining FC Cincinnati for a reported $12 million cash-for-player transfer. However, it leaves them with a gaping hole in a potent attack.
Jonathan Rodrquguez and Felipe Mora combined for 30 goals last season, but 34 of Portland’s 65 goals had direct contributions from Evander. Without him, this is a very different team. Even when the heavily reported David da Costa signing crosses the finish line, it will take him a few weeks to settle in, and we’ve also seen plenty of players struggle to adjust to the rigors of MLS.
Additionally, the Timbers struggled defensively last season. Head coach Phil Neville couldn’t decide between Canadians Maxime Crepeau and James Pantemis for the starting goalkeeper and had a struggling Canadian defender in Kamal Miller.
Without Evander, it’s all questions in Portland. And what happens if Neville has another falling out with an important player? Could it all come crashing down before his project even reached its potential?
12. San Jose Earthquakes - (14th in 2024)
It’s been a massive offseason for the San Jose Earthquakes under new head coach Bruce Arena, who will look to add to his tally as the winningest coach in MLS history. With an aging coach, the team has quickly become a “win-now” team, focusing on returning to the MLS Cup Playoffs in 2025.
Amid their big moves, they added striker Cristian Arango from Real Salt Lake, who hoped to be an MLS MVP in early 2024, and former Golden Boot winner Josef Martínez, who just finished an 11-goal season with CF Montréal.
Other intriguing additions include Emmanuel Boateng and Mark Anthony Kaye, but neither are massive difference makers in 2025. While not a new face, club record signing Hernán López will also hope for an improved year after scoring eight goal contributions in 22 appearances.
It will be an interesting project, but it is one that I can’t see working out too well, let alone ending in an MLS Cup.
13. Houston Dynamo - (5th in 2024)
Ben Olsen’s Houston Dynamo have undergone a massive shift heading into 2025. After a few outbursts, including a notable one in the MLS Cup Playoffs, which led to a red card, Hector Herrera is out of the club. Additionally, Panama international Adalberto Carrasquilla has also departed.
That’s instantly significant goal contributions gone from the team and two key players who were critical to Houston’s identity under Olsen. Making matters worse, their top center-back, Micael, has been linked to a move to Palmeiras, per MLS insider Tom Bogert.
The Dynamo did address the Carrasquilla void by adding Jack McGlynn in a cash-for-player transfer from the Philadephia Union, but plugging him right into the Dyanmo system may not work, and the adaptation period may take longer than expected for all parties.
14. Real Salt Lake - (13th in 2025)
Diego Luna can’t do everything himself. Despite scoring eight goals and eight assists and winning the 2024 MLS Young Player of the Year award, the 21-year-old American international isn’t at a point where he can carry a team to success.
After losing Arango to the San Jose Earthquakes, there’s immense pressure on Luna. Meanwhile, the club hasn’t added much significance through the offseason. Starting what’s bound to be a challenging campaign with tough Concacaf Champions Cup games won’t likely help either for head coach Pablo Mastroeni’s group.
15. San Diego FC - (Expansion season)
LOOK AT THIS TOUCH BY LDLT 🤩🤩🤩
— San Diego FC (@sandiegofc) February 15, 2025
San Diego’s own, if you will. pic.twitter.com/vtnJr1If5s
It’s always tough to gauge how an expansion team will do in its initial season. San Diego FC has uniquely approached roster building, but there’s just not enough talent in the squad to make a difference.
Chucky Lozano comes in as the face of the club, and Andres Reyes comes in as a key defensive player off a successful year with the New York Red Bulls. In midfield, they're looking to USMNT man Luca de la Torre too, as he comes over on loan from Europe. However, other than that, there are a lot of experienced MLS players and some questions surrounding new stars.
Longtime MLS veteran Anibal Godoy may return to the outstanding levels he achieved with San Jose and Nashville SC, and Danish winger Anders Dreyer may be dangerous to start. Still, it will be a tough test, especially with rookie head coach Mikey Varas.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLS 2025 Western Conference Preview: Detailing All 15 Teams.
