Opinion

For the first time in his career, it appears Thomas Muller is off of his game. The Bayern attacker has only been able to contribute one goal in 16 Bundesliga appearances for the team. Muller has contributed at least 13 goals in each of his past four Bundesliga seasons (with 20 last year), and has been praised as an vital piece for Bayern.

The only time Müller found the back of the net this season was against Wolfsburg on December 10. He also got an assist in that game.

I know, I know. It's way too early to say anyone has a better chance to win the 2017 MLS Cup. The season is only in its preseason stages. But predicting is fun, so why not?

Every new season for MLS is a possibility for previously bad teams to rise to top and snag the coveted MLS Cup.

Could it be the defending champion Seattle Sounders? Maybe we could possibly see a brand-new team surprise the world of MLS and nab the title.

Here are the top five teams we think could win the 2017 MLS Cup.

The 2015-16 Premier League season was dominated by two stories: the remarkable rise of Leicester City and the shambolic title defense of Chelsea. This season, the roles have been reversed. As a barometer of the contrasting performances, one needs to look no further than the play of wingers Eden Hazard and Riyad Mahrez.

Borussia Dortmund sit a disappointing fourth in the Bundesliga with an overall record of nine wins, seven draws and three losses. When it comes to the Bundesliga, there’s almost no standing up to 26-time champions Bayern Munich. However, since 2010, Dortmund have been able to win the title twice and finish runners-up on three occasions. But this season, they already trail Bayern by 12 points. What could explain this disappointing start? 

Inconsistency

It may be only the beginning of February, but Chelsea are already looking set to run away with the Premier League title this season.

In the span of four days, Arsenal let slip any hopes they had of overtaking Chelsea for the Premier League title, and in typical Arsenal fashion. Despite being eight points behind Chelsea before the midweek fixtures, Arsenal had a chance to put some pressure on the Blues at the top. The Gunners were taking on mid-table side Watford at the Emirates Stadium while Chelsea traveled to Anfield to face top-four contenders Liverpool.

Week 24 of the Premier League yielded a familiar set of storylines for the division: Chelsea are probably going to win the title, Arsenal’s challenge has collapsed and they’re now in fourth, Liverpool find themselves on the outside looking in and Jose Mourinho is talking about double standards.

For years now, the top dog of the Bundesliga has been FC Bayern Munich. Apart from winning the Bundesliga championship 26 times on a consistent basis ever since the 1968-69 season, Bayern has been able to establish themselves as a powerhouse of Germany football.

The holier-than-thou footballing mentality of the English came to the fore when Frank Lampard announced his retirement Thursday. Lampard, who was slated by all of England during the 2006 World Cup and booed at Wembley during their disastrous Euro 2008 qualifying campaign, is a living legend, but he didn’t die on Tuesday, he just won’t be playing for NYCFC anymore.