'How do they redeem themselves?' - Apple TV's Taylor Twellman on Lionel Messi's Inter Miami 'laying an egg' in MLS playoffs, Cavan Sullivan, and why Cincinnati are a threat

GOAL: What are you most looking forward to about MLS this year?

TWELLMAN: I think Miami naturally will take the headlines, as they should. You set the record for most points in a regular season, and then you absolutely lay an egg in the playoffs. How do they redeem themselves? How do they deal with the congestion of the Club World Cup and the showcase of all of that, while Suarez and Messi and Busquets and Alba are one year older? What does the roster look like? How does [Javier] Mascherano in his first first team professional gig, how does he handle that? So naturally that becomes a huge talking point.

The fact that the Portland Timbers get rid of their MVP candidate in Evander - and the fact that FC Cincinnati goes out and spends $12 million to go get him. Lucho Acosta moves to Dallas. All of a sudden the dominoes fall on one player being unhappy. All of a sudden it turns, I would argue, three teams into interesting storylines. I think Cincinnati with [Kevin] Denkey and Evander, if they click, and click fairly early, I think you're looking at arguably the best team in MLS. Matt Miazga comes back healthy, Miles Robinson is there. I just think Denkey gives them a completely different animal at forward, a poacher that they've never had.

Brandon Vasquez was good. Brenner was good. But they're nowhere near Denkey's quality from what I've seen and from what I've gathered from scouts in Europe. So if Evander plays the way he does last year, and Denkey comes in and bangs in 15-plus goals - as long as they stay healthy, which was an issue last year - you're going to be hard pressed to give me a better argument on who's the better team.

GOAL: Denkey seems a proper player, what do you expect from him?

TWELLMAN: If you look at the pedigree of the player, he's banged in goals everywhere he's been. It's not like he's had a one-off year and they're trying to monetize it. He bangs in goals for fun. So that becomes an interesting player, someone that's still young, that's hungry, that wants to further their career

GOAL: Who else are you looking out for?

TWELLMAN: You look at Atlanta and the way they've spent money - the way they've gone out and spent money throughout their entire history - but they did this in a much more calculated way. Chris Henderson comes over from Miami, and is arguably one of the best technical directors in all of MLS. Look at what he did with the salary and the problems, and the penalties in Miami to still build something out of that. And now he comes to Atlanta, they go out and get [Miguel] Almiron, and they go out and get [Latte] Lath. And now, all of a sudden, you're looking at a team that wants to return to where they are now. I'm so intrigued to see if the balance is right that team. But if it is, that's another one where you're looking at and saying, "Hang on a minute, Atlanta may be back to where Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron were a couple years ago."

GOAL: How about out west? Can LA Galaxy repeat?

TWELLMAN: What happens in MLS with your salary cap and how it works is when you're successful, more often than not, your players have bonuses that roll into the salary cap, and it makes it a little difficult to navigate that. And you've seen some of those moves with [Dejan] Joveljic and [Gaston] Brugman - I think that's going to be interesting... [Joseph] Paintsill's injured now for six to eight weeks. Ricky Puig, more than likely, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in the playoffs.

I think it's going to be very difficult for the Galaxy to repeat. Saying that, it depends on what happens in the summer, and how they find ways to rebuild that roster. But at the beginning of the year, I think they're going to be hard pressed to have the same kind of success that they had last season... Now, Christian Ramirez gives them a bonafide nine to score goals. But Paintsill being out doesn't help. The first eight to 10 weeks of the year they're missing their attack.

I think LAFC is going to be a very interesting one. I think the Galaxy winning motivates the hell out of them. I think they also are being very pragmatic in the winter window, understanding that the summertime comes around, that maybe that's their bigger move. Is that Antoine Griezmann? Is that someone else? But LAFC under Steve Cherundalo have shown the propensity to be a winner no matter who's on that roster. And I expect the same. Olivier Giroud's got to be better than what we saw in those 8-10, games last year, so that's obviously an X factor for them.

Seattle goes out and makes a couple good moves. I still think they're a superstar or two away from being a real contender, but Brian Schmetzer is always going to have that team prepped. He's always going to get the most out of that group. But Jesus Ferreira, Paul Arriola, those are legit MLS players. But are they good enough and strong enough to make that team a title contender? When you look at what Cincinnati's done, what Atlanta's done, I don't know if that's the answer.

GOAL: I wanted to ask about a different talent - someone a lot younger. How good is Cavan Sullivan?

TWELLMAN: Well when Manchester City's scouting department - arguably the best in the world - calls him the best 14-year-old in the world, then he's obviously got to be doing something right. I've seen Cavan Sullivan play at his level, and two or three levels above him. He's got something. I coached him in the All Star game for MLS NEXT last year. My favorite part about coaching him and seeing him up close is he wants to win, he wants to compete. He wants to just do anything and everything he can to help his team. In the moment he's being asked to do a lot of media, and up to this point, it hasn't really gotten to him.

I think that's a real tip of the cap to his family. I think his small group around him is doing a good job of keeping him hungry. But when Man City moves mountains to get you under their umbrella, for lack of a better word, and allows you to stay home playing MLS and all that? He's special. Now, he's got a long way to go, and I think he would even tell you that. But at this moment, I like the hunger that I see in him, I like the humility that I see in him, while also being confident in what he wants to do. There is a fine line between cocky and confident. And I say he's still hungry and confident, and he's trying to prove something, and I think Philadelphia may want to use him more than they thought they would at the end of last year.

GOAL: What do you make of his decision then to stick around in Philly? Because he could have ended up in the City academy.

TWELLMAN: You got to remember, Man City owns New York City. So they know first-hand that it's much more beneficial for him to be playing in MLS first team football, playing with men than going to the academy. He'll have plenty of time to get acclimated to the City way, but he gets to finish his school. He gets to be home. He gets to mature a little bit, but also while playing at a higher level than Manchester City's Academy. Man City knows that. They obviously understood that. I think Cavan pushing hard for that really works. But Man City understand that playing for Philadelphia's first team is going to be more beneficial to him being over in Manchester, being loaned out or playing Academy games.

GOAL: I wanted to touch on quite a landmark announcement, with USL saying it's going division one. What do you make of it? Is it a threat to MLS? Is it the start of this idea that MLS might absorb it?

TWELLMAN: I think it's a product of this country and this continent be being very, very excited and proactive about the World Cup coming here, and all of the eyeballs that are going to be on this continent, this country, this summer, with the Club World Cup. But more importantly, with the largest World Cup that's ever going to happen. I saw the same announcement that everybody else saw. I'm as interested as everybody else is. There seem to be a lot of questions still remaining.

But listen, Major League Soccer is all about the growth of the game. Everything they've done about the growth of the game has come through their academy and developing their youth and whatnot. So I think that's where Major League Soccer stands. That's where I stand. But of course, anyone that loves this country as much as I do, I'm as interested as everyone else on what U.S. Soccer has planned with growing this sport off the heels of the World Cup in '26.

GOAL: It struck me as interesting timing, with everyone trying to tap into that excitement.

TWELLMAN: Yeah, absolutely. But on the other hand, the real question is, how many other countries around the world have competing first divisions?

GOAL: San Diego FC - are they going to struggle? Are they going to compete for playoffs? What do you what do you make of this expansion team?

TWELLMAN: That's a great question. I don't know. It's interesting about expansion teams. Listen, this is going to be my 15th year doing this, and St Louis CITY surprised the hell out of me. I think if, before the season started, I would have said St Louis barely makes the playoffs in that first year, and they won the West. So yeah, it becomes intriguing to me. There were teams that came in that naturally, and just look at it. Cincinnati literally were the wooden spoon for three straight years. Yet Atlanta, LAFC, they come in and they blow the doors off of it. So there's so many different ways to go about this.

I don't see San Diego in the same light as LAFC or Atlanta, but I also don't see them in Cincinnati's way. Also, I have more questions about the West. I think that plays into the hands of San Diego, because if they do grind their way into results early on the season, they can ride that confidence into a playoff spot. And so it becomes interesting. I think Chucky Lozano is going to be Carlos Vela 2.0, if not better. But I think I'm being dismissive of LAFC and Carlos Vela with what they did. They had Diego Rossi, they had Bob Bradley. They had these players around Vela that allowed him to flourish. I don't feel the same way about San Diego's roster in the moment. Now, if Kevin De Bruyne shows up July 1, that becomes a way different kettle of fish.

GOAL: And then it becomes interesting?

TWELLMAN: Right. I'm as intrigued as anyone to see what they look like, because I'm as unsure of the rosters I've ever been of any expansion. Often times that turns into they're going to be battling for points week in and week out. St Louis is the one team that I think debunked all those theories and all of that because of what they did that first season. Now, was the second season more of what everyone expected from that roster? Yeah.

So when it comes to San Diego, I don't know, do I think they're going to compete for the top three seeds in the West? I do not. But I also wouldn't be surprised if they're in the thick of a playoff chase, and actually in the thick of a five-six-seven seed because that's kind of what history has shown us, in MLS, is expect the unexpected. The one thing St Louis did that no one else did is they brought six to eight players over eight months before that season started, and they tried MLS Next Pro. So at least they got rid of all of those early things that people have coming with the franchise, coming in the league, foreign players.

That's why I expect a more of a struggle for San Diego, just because they didn't do that. St. Louis was proactive in trying to get their roster ready. I'm more in line with no one has really any idea what to expect from them.

Feb. 18 - Taylor Twellman - Apple TV analyst on USMNT World Cup aspirations, Mauricio Pochettino, and team's signature wins - or lack thereof

Feb. 11 - Maurice Edu: Apple TV analyst on national team's potential, Cavan Sullivan's 'borderline arrogance' and 'global shop window' of MLS

Jan. 30 - Keith Costigan: Apple TV commentator on Mo Salah and Liverpool, the Olivier Giroud experiment at LAFC and more

Jan 28 - Nigel Reo-Coker: CBS Sports Golazo Network analyst on the new Champions League format, state of American soccer and Aston Villa

Jan 20 - Kate Scott: CBS Sports host on the American soccer psyche, USMNT's 'statement' hire in Mauricio Pochettino, 'enormous' 2026 World Cup and why Liverpool will win Champions League

Jan 13 - DaMarcus Beasley: USMNT legend on Lionel Messi's mindset, the 'good groove' for MLS and why Mauricio Pochettino is the 'right man for the job'

Jan. 9 - Callum Williams: Soccer analyst on Lionel Messi and 2025 Club World Cup, 'naivety towards' South American soccer, 'preposterous' that Jack Grealish has 'lost it'

Jan. 2 - Jenny Chiu: CBS reporter on 'big changes' by Emma Hayes, Mauricio Pochettino's 'pedigree' and possible UCL glory for Inter

Dec. 17 - Stu Holden: FOX Sports analyst on the evolution of the American game, why Christian Pulisic will be 'best U.S. Soccer player of all-time'

Dec. 12 - Brian Dunseth: Turner, Apple TV analyst on Ricardo Pepi, Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna and USMNT's future under Mauricio Pochettino

Dec. 5 - Jalil Anibaba: Apple TV analyst on MLS Cup predictions, Inter Miami hiring Javier Mascherano and MLS's 'disheartening' coaching diversity issue

Nov. 21 - Andres Cantor: Telemundo legend on Mauricio Pochettino's Argentine mindset, the USMNT and having a front-row seat for the rise of the American game

Nov. 16 - Matt Doyle: Apple TV analyst assesses Inter Miami's defensive 'insanity,' whether Neymar could join Lionel Messi, MLS Cup favorite

Nov. 7 - Gary Neville: Veteran analyst talks USMNT World Cup hopes, 'hell of a player' Christian Pulisic, 'relentless' David Beckham, and Cristiano Ronaldo to MLS

Oct. 31 - Herculez Gomez: ESPN FC analyst on Mauricio Pochettino's impact, the USMNT's 'wide-open' striker race, and a player pool 'that lacks accountability'

Oct. 29 - Rebecca Lowe: NBC host on the growth of soccer, the 'incredible' Emma Hayes and 'profile-raising' Mauricio Pochettino

Oct. 24 - Andrew Wiebe: Apple TV analyst on MLS playoffs, Lionel Messi's 'nuclear form' and how Inter Miami can become league's 'greatest team of all time

Oct. 17 - Jamie Carragher: Veteran analyst talks USMNT, slams Man City over legal case, questions Mauricio Pochettino despite 'great' hire