MLS Schedule 2014: Breaking Down Key Dates to Know for Upcoming Season

The English Premier League and other prominent football leagues around the globe may be heading toward a dramatic conclusion, but football in the U.S. is just about to get underway.  Major League Soccer will return in March 2014 as 19 clubs begin the journey to what they hope will be a championship. Sporting Kansas City enter 2014 as the defending MLS champions, but they are set to face a stiff challenge from the rest of the league, starting on opening day in Seattle.  With the recent announcement of an expansion franchise in Miami, things are clearly looking up for the underrated league. But as commissioner Don Garber points out, the MLS hasn't yet reached its destination, per MLSSoccer.com: "I think the league is poised for more teams in time, but we're going to be careful about ensuring that we get them into the league at the right time and when the league can handle it from a player perspective and from a resource perspective." Below, we'll highlight the key dates to remember ahead of the start of the 2014-15 season.    *Click here to view the complete 2014-15 MLS season schedule via MLSSoccer.com.    March 8: Season Kicks Off  After months of anticipation, the 2014-15 MLS season will kick off on ...

MLS Predictions 2014: Stars Who Will Make Biggest Impact on New Teams

In perhaps no other season has Major League Soccer seen so many talented players flood into the league during the winter. Both Michael Bradley and Jermain Defoe decided that playing regularly for Toronto FC was better in a World Cup year than starting sporadically for Roma and Tottenham Hotspur, respectively. Michael Parkhurst and Maurice Edu returned to MLS after spending years abroad. And who knows what's going to happen after the World Cup, when aging players may feel more welcome in taking the perceived step down? Of course, not every big-name offseason move works out. For every David Beckham, Robbie Keane, Cuauhtemoc Blanco or Marco Di Vaio, there's a Rafael Marquez, Mista, Blaise Nkufo or Kris Boyd. Looking at the list of transactions heading into the new season, these four stand out in terms of how well they should work out for their respective clubs.   Michael Parkhurst, Columbus Crew Out goes Chad Marshall, in comes Michael Parkhurst. Marshall will go down as one of the best centre-backs in Columbus Crew history, but it was probably the right time for him to go. Gregg Berhalter stamped his authority on the team by trading him to the Seattle Sounders, and the trade helped to open up some cap space for ...