With the tournament set to begin on Wednesday, Goal breaks down each team's chances of making a run in Orlando
MLS26FD Dallas (Withdrew)
FC Dallas would have been a team to follow closely in Orlando, but the club announced on Monday that it will not partake in the tournament as a result of a series of positive coronavirus tests.
What that means for the regular season remains to be seen, and its unfortunate news for the likes of Reggie Cannon and Paxton Pomykal, who would have hoped to attack European suitors this summer.
AdvertisementGetty25Nashville SC
They may not have gotten the results they've wanted, but you can't fault what Nashville has done so far.
After falling 2-1 to Atlanta in the opener, Nashville settled for a 1-0 defeat against the Timbers in their second-ever MLS match. Two tough losses against two tough, playoff-experienced teams? That's nothing to be ashamed of.
The issue is that this club is very much in need of a No. 9. Hany Mukhtar and Randall Leal should create chances and, at the moment, it looks like it will be up to Daniel Rios to be the one to finish them. The 25-year-old shined at the USL level, but has never banged in goals in a league this good. If he somehow can, then Nashville have the spine to compete. If he doesn't, it could be a frustrating tournament.
Getty24Vancouver Whitecaps
The Whitecaps would not have fallen all the way down here if it weren't for a number of key absences.
On Tuesday, the Whitecaps announced that Lucas Cavallini, Fredy Montero, Georges Mukumbilwa, Tosaint Ricketts and Andy Rose will not be participating in the tournament. That takes an already-weak roster into bottom-of-the-league-level bad territory.
Those losses will likely be a bit too many for this team to overcome, especially those in the attacking third of the field.
Getty23Chicago Fire
At this point, the Fire have basically built an entirely new team and, when you build an entirely new team, things take time.
The Fire brought in a new head coach in Raphael Wicky and new big-money signings Robert Beric, Alvaro Medran, Gaston Gimenez and Ignacio Aliseda as the club moved on with a new logo and a new stadium situation. The issue is that no one really knows how this will all work out, as the Fire are starting essentially from scratch at a number of key positions.
Could this be the foundation that brings the Fire back towards the top of MLS? Possibly. Will that happen in Orlando? Most likely not.