Fearless Forecast for the Union's 2016 Season

It's time for another MLS season, which can only one mean thing: It's also time for some predictions sure to go horribly wrong.

Will the Union, who kick off their seventh season Sunday vs. FC Dallas (3 p.m., The Comcast Network), make the playoffs for the first time since 2011 after undergoing an offseason makeover under first-year sporting director Earnie Stewart? Who will be their star? Who will have a breakout season? Who will disappoint?

Once again, CSNPhilly.com soccer writers Dave Zeitlin and Ryan Bright break it all down and offer predictions for a 2016 season the Union insist will be the beginning of a new chapter:

Team MVP
DZ: C.J. Sapong - Sapong's talent has always been undeniable, but his opportunities have sometimes been lacking. Not anymore. In the offseason, the Union gave the 27-year-old security with a long-term deal (and, much to the chagrin of some fans, by not signing an expensive striker) and a lot more weapons around him with a vastly improved midfield. And while there's a lot of competition in other spots, Sapong should be in line to start just about every game as the team's lone striker. If he can avoid some of the injuries and off-field problems that plagued him last year, he'll easily be able to build off his nine-goal season and score well into double digits in 2016.

RB: Tranquillo Barnetta - Despite early knee issues, which are likely to keep him out of the opener, Barnetta is the MVP engine that will make the Union offense go this season. As the center attacking midfielder with a half-year of MLS experience and more talent around him, Barnetta will get more quality touches and assists in 2016. Watch out for his growing partnership with midfielder Roland Alberg. That the duo could be potent.

Top newcomer
DZ: Roland Alberg - This is a tough one since nearly half of the roster consists of new players, many of whom haven't been in the public eye, whether playing in college or overseas. The three biggest offseason acquisitions were probably Chris Pontius, Alberg and Ilsinho, which may very well make up the starting attacking midfield trio behind Sapong on Sunday. Of those three, though, you could argue Alberg has the most upside since he's only 25 and is coming off a few good seasons in the top-tier league in the Netherlands. His signing was also the first big one made by Stewart, who has a great eye for talent and spent the last decade working in the same Dutch league where Alberg plied his craft.

RB: Ilsinho - The 30-year-old playmaking Brazilian will open eyes in the regular season the same way he opened them in preseason -- with high-end attacking skill. There are some big-money guys who enter MLS with talent but are unable to translate it into production. That won't be Ilsinho. The trialist-turned-signing was consistently dangerous this preseason and will have a productive season feeding Sapong, Pontius and Alberg.

Biggest surprise
DZ: Ken Tribbett - Tribbett may not only be the biggest surprise on the Union, but also perhaps one of the biggest ones in the league. Just two years ago, he graduated from Drexel with little fanfare and without a place to play professionally. But after an impressive season with the USL's Harrisburg City Islanders last year, Tribbett was signed by the Union during this preseason and appears poised to now start the season at center back, where he's drawn rave reviews from the coaching staff. It might be an eye-opening experience for Tribbett, 23, to go up against some of the league's world-class strikers, but he'll be up to the challenge.

RB: Fabinho - Most know left back Fabinho as the guy they thought would be let go this offseason during the Union's great roster evolution. Instead, the club re-signed him without a thought. From all reports, the Brazilian had a fantastic preseason on both sides of the ball, which has Union manager Jim Curtin singling him out as a go-to player in 2016.

Biggest disappointment
DZ: Ray Gaddis - One of the team's longest-tenured players, Gaddis has been a starter for most of his first four years in MLS. But there are still areas of his game that are lacking, particularly on offense; he's never scored a goal and only has four assists in over 100 games. And although he's a strong one-on-one defender, he had some rough patches in that department last season. Don't be shocked if highly touted rookie Keegan Rosenberry, who had a strong preseason camp, becomes the full-time starter at right back at some point this season, moving Gaddis to the bench, possibly for good.

RB: Richie Marquez - He was a darling last season as a rookie, starting 20 games and playing admirably next to a cycle of veteran center backs. This year, he's the MLS vet and has the weight of the Union back line on his shoulders. The 6-foot-2, 23-year-old Marquez is the steady hand on a defensive line that could potentially feature MLS rookies Tribbett, Anderson, Joshua Yaro, Taylor Washington and Rosenberry. Five of the Union's eight total back-line players have no MLS games played and Marquez will be asked - and expected - to do too much.

Biggest controversy
DZ: Distributing minutes in the midfield - Things have changed for the better in Union land. No longer are there obvious problems waiting to blow up now that embattled former goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi and CEO Nick Sakiewicz have been kindly asked to leave. And the Union's goalkeeper situation for once seems quite stable with the talented Andre Blake the clear No. 1 and the popular John McCarthy a very solid backup. If you had to pick a potential issue down the road, head coach Jim Curtin has already said finding minutes for everyone in the crowded midfield will be difficult but a "good problem" to have. Could it become a bad problem, though, if veterans like Sebastien Le Toux or Pontius get squeezed out of the rotation or Leo Fernandes, Walter Restrepo and Eric Ayuk end up playing more for the Union's new affiliate in Bethlehem when all are probably deserving of MLS minutes?

RB: Depth at forward - Despite what Curtin says, the Union can't feel comfortable with Sapong and forward Fabian Herbers as the only true forwards on the roster. Will the team add a designated player this summer? It's possible. But until then, it's Sapong or bust for the Union, who are one injury away from being in an undesirable spot.

They'll make the playoffs if…
DZ: Blake saves some points with his remarkable shot-stopping ability, the young backline gels together, Edu and Barnetta return quickly to help the Union avoid a third straight terrible start to the season, and Sapong scores at least 12 goals.

RB: Chemistry hits them just right. With nearly half the club let go from last season, the new group will need to gel from the start to collect points. If players like Barnetta, Alberg and Ilsinho can develop chemistry with Sapong, watch out.

They'll miss the playoffs if…
DZ: Sapong misses an extended period of time, the inexperienced center backs can't handle the league's top forwards, and the Union once again are not able to solve their perennial problem of giving away late leads.

RB: The back line shows its youth and is as ineffective as it is inexperienced. And, despite an improved roster, if chemistry doesn't strike the Union right, between the three new attacking starters, it could be another long season.

Where they'll finish
DZ: This is not an MLS Cup contender but, given the offseason upgrades, this is also not one of the worst teams in the league. The Union will sneak into one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots with the fifth or sixth seed and end their postseason drought. (This is the same prediction I made last season but one of these years, I'm bound to be right.)

RB: Are the Union a better team? Yes. But they're also a team with plenty of new faces, inexperience on the back line and veterans already suffering through nagging knee and ankle injuries. I predict this Union team struggles early, gets better late and sneaks into an Eastern Conference playoff spot, only to be ejected immediately. Still, a step in the right direction.