What you can expect from Lionel Messi and other important storylines that you should see

Where do you put MLS in the best leagues in the world at the moment?

Twellman: They are neither at the Premier League level, nor should they be. English football has over 100 years of history. If you try to establish yourself in credibility, you must of course do this on the world market. And I would say in the past five to seven years that Major League has grown exponentially.

How quickly do you come when you talk to spoubs around the world, how quickly you get to the USA and Major League Soccer? You get there very quickly. I think Cavan Sullivan is a great example of this when Manchester City holds him as the best 14-year-old in the world. He is now playing for Philadelphia Union before going to MAN City.

Wright Phillips: I love and hate this question because it is so difficult. My personal opinion, which just played in both (MLS and English Premier League) … let’s take the top teams like Inter Miami and Columbus Crew, the teams that were very dominant last year. You would have no problems in the championship, maybe in the premium. That’s how I see it and as I like to see it. It is so difficult to judge.

Lionel Messi had an incredible first full season in MLS. What are your expectations for him this season and how good can Miami be?

Wright Phillips: We weren’t sure how he would react to be in the MLS, but he conquered it in the storm. He is the Messi that we have known and loved over the years.

What I know is that Inter Miami is not seen as a successful site, especially in America, if you win the MLS Cup. So Javier Mascherano, Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets – I think that will be number 1 on your list. Until you win that, I don’t think people will say that it was a great success. But to say that they were a pleasure to watch.

Twellman: He had 36 goal contributions in 19 games last year. Without a terrible ankle injury from a slip attack in Copa America, he would probably have played 25 or 26 games, and he could easily have had 45 goals.

If he is healthy this year and plays 25 games, he could be the first repeat winner of the MLS MVP because he changes the way he changes Luis Suárez, as he all changes around him. I am nervous for Miami because I don’t think they are as deep as last year. You have to find out.

Which players have next to Messi this season?

Wright Phillips: You will always enjoy to see Darlington Nagbe. I think a young striker like Patrick Aggyemang for Charlotte is very exciting and upcoming. Jack McGlynn was going to the Houston Dynamo. It will be good for him, starting every week. When I talk about young players every week, I think of Brian Gutiérrez for Chicago under Gregg Berhalter.

Twellman: On LAFC, Denis Bouanga is one of the best players who has ever seen this league. You don’t have to be a football fan to see his effects and see how he plays. It plays at a high level, 90 minutes only relentless persecution of goals and templates. He had more than 20 goals in two years in a row. An unreal player.

For which other action lines are you looking for?

Twellman: The FIFA Club World Championship is in this country, two MLS teams are part of them. All eyeballs around the world will be in the United States in 2025. It is a perfect preview of what the World Cup will be in 2026.

Major League Soccer now has the infrastructure, the dynamics to really catapult itself with all the eyebards of the world in 2025 and finally in the World Cup. It will be different there than in 1994.

Wright Phillips: I don’t think the casual MLS fan realizes how good a player is with Zaha. I was surprised that his name didn’t give much more noise about his name, how good he is as a player. We had to remember that this guy tore it up in the Crystal Palace in the Premiership. It has not worked for one reason or another, but this is the type of talent that we talk about, that comes into the league. And I very much think that we will see a top player soon after the 1st matchday and you will hear his name a lot throughout the season.

Which team that missed the playoffs last season could take a big step?

Wright Phillips: I’ll go with Chicago. (Gregg Berhalter) has all parts. He has a good boy No. 10 in Brian Gutiérrez and then they brought a really good winger in Jonathan Bamba. He is another player who likes to run with defenders. And if they were worried about their defense, they bring Jack Elliott from the Philadelphia Union, which in my opinion is a really underestimated center in the league.

Twellman: I am interested in seeing Austin this year. They went out and spent $ 10 million for Brandon Vázquez. He comes back from Mexico and is a scorer. There is a new manager (in Nico Estévez). I do not know if the manager makes you win the MLS Cup, but I think he improves Austin to a point that the fan base is now as rejuvenated as it was in the first few years of its existence.

Who is your choice to win the MLS Cup?

Twellman: The transfer window changes everything in summer. The teams that you see on February 22 are not the teams you see MLS Cup Playoffs. A lot can change. But from February 20th I think that people really overlook Atlanta United and Cincinnati. They had the best transmission windows.

Wright Phillips: You have to see Cincinnati. Over the years, Cincinnati has always been a team that doesn’t give many goals. … now you add Evander, one of my favorite players. You put it on one side that is defensive. He now has a striker in front of him in Kévin Denky, who is very efficient before the finish. If you talk about the attack of talents, the addition of Evander and about how well they are defensive, this is a team that is built for the playoffs.