Major League Soccer Betting Primer

MLS Season Primer: Five Questions
Now entering its 14th year, Major League Soccer looks to be as entertaining as ever with a slew of new names and faces

April 11, 2008

By Mike Halford
Bodog Nation Contributing Writer

The who, what, when, where and why of the 2008 Major League Soccer season makes for an interesting tale. With many pundits suggesting that the 2007 offseason was the most productive in the history of the league, we take a look at the five burning questions to get you ready for MLS action.

Who's worth paying attention to?

Thanks in no small part to the Designated Player Rule, there are plenty of international stars worth watching this year.

While the rule is directly responsible for David Beckham's participation with the Los Angeles Galaxy (so much so that the rule is also known as the "Beckham Exception"), there are a number of other quality prized players making their marks on MLS:

* Juan Pablo Angel, New York – Angel signed with the Red Bulls in April of last season and proceeded to tear through the competition, scoring 19 goals in 24 games. The Colombian sniper has gotten off to another fine start this season, adding an assist in New York's 2-0 victory over Columbus in the season opener.

* Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Chicago – A finalist for MLS MVP a season ago, Blanco might be the best attacking midfielder in the league. The legendary Mexican international led the Fire to the Eastern Conference final and this season, looks to have found some symmetry with new Polish striker Tomasz Frankowski. The pair combined for three goals in the Fire's 4-0 home opener against New England last week.

* Marcelo Gallardo, D.C. – A former star with River Plate, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, Gallardo comes to Washington with a wealth of international experience, including 44 international caps with Argentina. His MLS career got off to a dream start as he scored in his second start, a 4-1 victory over Toronto FC.

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