MLS season about to kick off

Freddy Adu might be a household name to 12-year-old soccer players, but don't be mistaken, he isn't the reason D.C. United is seeking back-to-back MLS Cup titles this year.

Yes, Freddy mania is very real, and the 15-year-old soccer phenom has a bright future in Major League Soccer, but players like Alecko Eskandarian, Ben Olsen and Jaime were the main reasons why D.C. beat Kansas City for last year's title.

D.C.'s quest for a record fifth title begins Saturday, at 1 p.m. (MDT) when it hosts expansion CD Chivas USA in a game televised national on ABC. Five other MLS openers highlight MLS First Kick during the league's 10th anniversary season, including Real Salt Lake at the MetroStars.

For the players, this weekend is long overdue, having spent the past two months training for the upcoming season. The long stretch was dotted by several exhibition games, most against other MLS teams. Now the games count, and the intensity level is about to increase significantly.

By expanding from 10 to 12 teams this year, MLS didn't just add a new market in Salt Lake City, it added an entirely new culture. With CD Chivas USA, which will share the Home Depot Center in Los Angeles with the Galaxy, the league added a franchise that's the equivelent to the New York Yankees of Mexican soccer.

CD Guadalajara, nicknamed Chivas, is the most popular club team in Mexico, and by adding a sister club in the United States, Major League Soccer is hoping to broaden its fan base.

In addition to the new faces on the block, fans will notice many other changes from last year. Most noteworthy is Landon Donovan's address.

For the past four MLS season, Donovan was a key cog on the San Jose Earthquakes leading them to titles in 2001 and 2003. At the end of the 2004 season, he returned to Bayern Leverkusen in Germany, a franchise he's been under contract with since he was 17.

In startling events leading up to the start of the 2005 season, Donovan has returned to MLS, and now one of the most popular and talented players in U.S. Soccer is a member of the Los Angeles Galaxy. His move changes the whole complexion of the Western Conference.

Other noticeable changes involve Dallas, a franchise that changed its named from the Dallas Burn to FC Dallas, a move that coincides with the completion of Dallas' soccer-specific stadium. Dallas is also entering uncharted territories with Eddie Johnson being the focal point of the attack. For the past nine seasons, Jason Kreis was the man in Texas, but in a season after becoming the league's all-time leading scorer, Dallas shipped its poster boy to Salt Lake.

Kreis is one of several big-name strikers donning new colors.