Sounders look like the class of the USL again

The USL kicks off its season April 12. Here's a capsule look at how the teams stack up at this stage (with last year's finish in parentheses):

1. Seattle Sounders (first)

The story of the Seattle Sounders could almost be mistaken for that of the English Premier League relegation and promotion battle: The top USL team gets turned into an MLS team. Except not quite. The Sounders did have an excellent season, but relegation and promotion in the U.S. is still a distant thought, and Seattle was most likely granted the MLS franchise due to the viability of a team there. In all likelihood, the MLS team that will play there in 2009 will not contain many members of the USL team. That said, the Sounders have many great aspects to their current team, including prolific scorer Frenchman Sebastian Le Toux. Expect these players to have another great season with the thought in the backs of their minds that good team and individual performances could lead to lucrative MLS contracts.

2. Portland Timbers (second)

One game -- three points -- was all that separated the Portland Timbers from winning their second league title last year. Buoyed by USL-1 Coach of the Year and former player Gavin Wilkinson, and new Japanese international signing Takayuki Suzuki, the Timbers could have another good season ahead of them. One hitch in the Timbers' gitty-up, though, could be the loss of USL-1 Goalkeeper of the Year Josh Wicks, who joined the L.A. Galaxy. The Timbers have one of the best defensive records in the USL-1, conceding only 18 goals last year. Replacement goalie Jordan James, most recently with the Houston Dynamo reserves, will have big shoes to fill.

3. Montreal Impact (third)

One of the oldest clubs in the USL, the Impact have dominated the league in recent years. Montreal won the league every year between 2003 and 2006, coming in third last year by only a very slim four points. One of the biggest keys to their success is Charles Gbeke, the second-highest USL-1 scoring leader last year with 10 goals. New signing and current member of the Canada U-20 national team Christian Nunez should add depth to the midfield, with former Victory player, Luis Aguilar, continuing to hold down one of the best back lines in the USL-1.

4. Vancouver Whitecaps (seventh)

The Caps had a fairly poor season last year, with their lowest finish in the league ever at 7th place and scoring the third-fewest number of goals (27). Behind the woes of the Whitecaps was the injury of veteran striker Eduardo Sebrango. Although he missed 12 league games, Sebrango still managed to scored seven goals in the 16 games he did play. Sebrango signed a new one-year contract with the Caps in March. That and the signing of Japanese World Cup midfielder Takashi Hirano should help the Caps get back to winning ways. New coach Teitur Thordarson will bring international experience to the Caps -- he's a former coach of the Estonia national team.

5. Atlanta Silverbacks (fourth)

The Silverbacks had an impressive season last year, with their highest finish in the league since 2002, and coming in at runner-up in the Championship game -- something they had never achieved. Atlanta took a big hit, though, as the USL-1's leader in assists last season, Daniel Antoniuk, left the Silverbacks for his fifth club in five seasons, the Carolina RailHawks. In return, the Silverbacks have brought in four new signings, including striker Nathan Knox, previously with the Seattle Sounders.

6. Rochester Rhinos (fifth)

The Rhinos have had several ups and downs recently with their insolvency crisis earlier this year and the subsequent buyout and introduction of new management. However, Rochester has traditionally done fairly well in the league and has never failed to reach the championship playoffs. Although only eight of last season's 23 players are returning, the Rhinos have hung on to Hamed Diallo, one of the league's top scorers with 10 goals last season.

7. Charleston Battery (10th)

The Battery had a rough season last year, with a leaky defense as the main culprit. After conceding 39 goals, the Battery has taken steps to strengthen the defense by bringing in former MLS defenders Marco Reda and Jack Stewart. Veteran defender John Wilson, who began his career with the Battery in 1999, also joins the back line from D.C. United. The Battery looks good on the scoring front as well. New signing striker Lester More is the all-time scoring leader for Cuba in international competitions and has earned over 60 caps.

8. Miami FC Blues (ninth)

Although the Blues have been peppered with big-name stars like Romario and Zinho since their inception in 2006, Miami has not yet made a big dent in the USL-1 scene. Since Zinho was named head coach in October of last year, he has pulled in several top midfielders and strikers, including fellow Brazilian Alex Afonso, one of the top five leading goal scorers in the Brazilian First Division Sao Paulo Championship. Although Miami should certainly benefit from increased firepower, the team's biggest downfall last year was its back line. The Blues leaked 41 goals last year, second to the California Victory. If they can fix the defense, they might have a shot at finishing in the top five this year.

9. Puerto Rico Islanders (sixth)

The Islanders are team of nearly all equal parts: Last year, they had almost as many goals for (35) as they did against (34). They won as many games as they lost (10) and tied almost an equal number as well (eight). As such, Puerto Rico has continued to finish right in the middle of the league at sixth or seventh place for the past three years. Will the scales finally tip for the Islanders this year? Possibly. Much has been made of Colin Clarke, a former Northern Ireland international player who became the Islanders' coach last year and helped them get to the semifinals of the CFU Club Championship. This year, Clarke has brought in several new midfielders and defenders, which may also help tip the scales.

10. Carolina RailHawks (eighth)

Despite finishing eighth in the league last year, the RailHawks had a fairly decent inaugural season, most notably winning the Southern Derby Cup. The RailHawks also managed to make it to the quarterfinals in the playoffs and semifinals of the Open Cup. Although Carolina lacked depth in scoring power last year -- second to the California Victory in lowest number of goals scored -- that should change this season with the addition of Daniel Antoniuk, one of USL-1's top offensive players.

11. Minnesota Thunder (11th)

Minnesota has had a dismal run of form the past couple of years, usually occupying one of the bottom three slots in the league table. Last season, the Thunder managed just five wins out of a possible 28, conceding 35 goals in the process. Those numbers should hopefully look a bit better with the addition of defender Tighe Dombrowski and possibly with midfielder Ricardo Sanchez, formerly of the California Victory. Sanchez showed considerable set-piece skills with the Vics, but also a penchant for red cards.

Anne Ramzy is a freelance sports writer based near San Francisco, Calif. She is also a frequent guest on the weekly www.theoffside.com soccer podcast and can be reached at anneramzy@gmail.com.