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I’m Minnesotan so you must forgive me; when the Vikings started 5-0, I thought we were going to win the Super Bowl. We didn’t make the playoffs. When the Timberwolves drafted Kris Dunn and hired Tom Thibodeau, I thought we would win the Finals. We have one of the worst records in the Western Conference. However, I truly believe the Wild will win the Stanley Cup this year and that Minnesota United, in their inaugural MLS season, will probably win the Cup.

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.

Football kits bridge performance and lifestyle like no other sporting attire. Without even knowing what they’re wearing, only knowing that it looks fly as hell, you see people walking around in the famed blaugrana stripes of Barcelona, the white sleeves of Arsenal or the historic bianconeri shirt of Juventus. They're really the only sports garments you can wear outside the stadium without looking like a child trapped inside the body of a demented adult. 

The Colorado Rapids began their preseason schedule this past week with a pair of matches against the Ventura County Fusion of the Premier Development League.

The Rapids and Fusion ended the first match in a 1-1 draw. The game didn't hurt for scoring chances, but no goals would be scored until the last 10 minutes. The Fusion found the back of the net first in the 83rd minute with a goal from Diego Castillas. However, it only took three minutes for the Rapids to equalize, as Dominique Badji converted on a lethal cross from Mekeil Williams.

Hope Solo’s soccer future is still up in the air, but fans will be able to see her on an upcoming unscripted TV show. As first reported by Deadline, Solo has signed a deal with INvelop Entertainment to host a season of The Cutting Edge. 

When we read about things like allocation lists, sums of targeted and general allocation money and the processes of discovery and re-entry in MLS, we usually just smile, nod our heads in feigned understanding, and murmur things like “But of course.” In truth, it’s all terribly confusing and best left to the poor sporting directors and player personnel managers who need to assemble an entire roster for $3.845 million.

Remember Julian Green? The 21-year-old American who scored against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup never managed to make much of an impact with Bayern Munich, so he moved to Stuttgart at the beginning of January.

Green scored his first goal for his new club Monday in a 2-0 win over Fortuna Dusseldorf, and showed the type of skill that made him think he would make it at Bayern.

Last Thursday the NWSL announced a landmark television deal for the young league. A partnership with A+E Networks brings them on as a major sponsor of the league in general, and puts a game of the week each Saturday afternoon on their Lifetime network. Besides landing the league on a cable network on a regular basis, the deal brings a many other improvements. 

League Stability

Last season, the Colorado Rapids shocked the world of the MLS by exploding into the playoffs, where they lost in a shootout in the Western Conference semifinals to the eventual MLS Champions, the Seattle Sounders.

The reason no one expected the Rapids to do well last season is since they won the MLS Cup in 2010, the Rapids have a combined record of 54-72-44. However, a few additions for the Rapids helped them in rising back to the top of the league: Dillon Powers, Tim Howard, Shkelzen Gashi, Marlon Hairston, Marco Pappa and Dominique Badji.