Previewing the competition for 2015: San Antonio Scorpions

After a slow start to the 2014 season, the San Antonio Scorpions had a great fall season in which they secured a home playoff match against the New York Cosmos. They'd win that match late, and evetuay wind up taking home the 2014 NASL title by defeating the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

The Scorpions were a thorn in the side of the Cosmos last season, making a lot of noise about the boys in green throwing money at Hans Denissen, before defeating the Cosmos in all four matches that the two clubs played in 2014. While the first of those four appeared to be a fluke in which the Cosmos outplayed the Scorpions, the final three matches showed that the eventual champions were every bit as good as the 2013 title winners.

Notable additions: Nana Attakora (DC United), Marvin Chávez (Chivas USA), Pablo Cruz (Atlanta Silverbacks), Omar Cummings (Houston Dynamo), John Kempin (Sporting KC), Cristian Palomenque (Atlético Nacional), Zurab Tsiskaridze (Bangkok Glass), Eduard Zea (Deportes Quindío)

Key departures: Josh Saunders, Jonathan Borrajo, Greg Janicki, Walter Restrepo, Giuseppe Gentile, Leone Cruz

2015 outlook: Scorpions fans might have been celebrating at the start of the offseason, but I'l be interested to see just how much of that excitement carries over into the new season. The club have real depth concerns after losing four key parts this offseason in Saunders, Borrajo, Janicki, and Restrepo, and while they made some nice signings very recently like Cummings and Attakora that should help on that front, that pair haven't had a full preseason to settle.

At the moment, the Scorpions only have four defenders and two goalkeepers under contract, meaning that more signings are almost certainly coming in the very near future. Who those signings are and how they settle will go a long way toward determining just how successful the cub are in 2015.

Personally, I don't think the Scorpions have done nearly enough (yet) to push the Cosmos or Minnesota United over the course of a full season, and I believe they'll find themselves in a serious fight for a playoff spot which lasts deep into the fall. Whether they manage to gain that spot or not likely comes down to their luck with injuries, and how soon the new signings acclimate.