Atlanta is still on top of my leaderboard, with NYRB and Columbus not far behind. I've got that table sorted by "Starters" average player rating, which is why NY are edging out Columbus. Looking over to the right you see that the Crew have a better bench and more value on the roster.
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NEW YORK RED BULLS
New York has a hole to fill with Tyler Adams getting promoted up to RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga and their bench being slightly thin in the central midfield department. Right now I've got Florian Valot or Alex Muyl trying to fill Adams' shoes, but both are a measurable drop off.
It is entirely possible that this opens the door for 18-year-old Ben Mines, who is with the U19 US National team, to move in and get regular time. The Red Bulls, more than any other MLS team perhaps, are comfortable inserting young players. Particularly regional ones. Mines seems to have a bright future.
As far as the rest of the roster, they are returning a bunch of starters and MLS familiar faces like Robles, Bradley Wright-Phillips, Tim Parker, Aaron Long, and Kemar Lawrence. I think the biggest battle for the team will be whether or not they want to climb the mountain again. They will be a hard out with the defense they have right now. All of them rate above 70, which means good and no weak links.
One final note here: There are a few reports that Kaku might be on the way out. If so, then it's another team in the East that will be missing a number 10. Either way, NYRB seems to find a player that fits in well enough, often even within their own team dev system. This team is a comfortable playoff team.
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