The 2021 MLS season kicks off on Friday night, and the SBI Editorial Staff has come together to make its predictions for the upcoming campaign.

Los Angeles FC and Atlanta United are the favorites to lift silverware this season, and the editorial staff’s predictions for this year’s MLS awards are dominated by players from LAFC and the Five Stripes.

That doesn’t mean there isn’t a wide range of opinions on which players will be among the best this season. None of the awards the SBI staff voted on led to unanimous selections, but there were some clear frontrunners, like Goalkeeper of the Year favorite Matt Turner and Supporters’ Shield favorite Los Angeles FC.

Here are the SBI Editorial Staff’s picks for 2021 MLS Awards, some SBI-specific awards (Young Player of the Year, Surprise Team), Supporters’ Shield winner and MLS Cup champion:

Most Valuable Player

EMMANUEL REYNOSO. After showing off just how talented he was in 2020, particularly doing the Loons’ playoff run, Reynoso will now have a full season to work his magic, and the arrival of Ramon Abila should only make him more dangerous. (Ives Galarcep)

CARLOS VELA. LAFC didn’t finish where they wanted in 2020, but Vela’s playmaking and goalscoring ability will lead the way for Bob Bradley’s side in 2021. (Larry Henry Jr.)

EMMANUEL REYNOSO. Turned lots of heads after arriving to Minnesota in September, racking up two goals and 14 assists in 16 games. Those stats only figure to increase with a full preseason, more time to settle, a 34-game schedule, and a familiar face up front. (Franco Panizo)

CARLOS VELA. What have you seen to present a real threat to his evergreen MVP status? He’s an MVP with MVP-caliber support, and he’s going to feast as he returns to a full schedule. (Tyler Snipes)

CARLOS VELA. after missing most of last season with a knee injury, Vela will back and ready to prove the doubters wrong.  (Matt Singer)

CARLES GIL. Having missed most of last season, Carles Gil returns from injury ready to pull the strings for an ambitious Revolution side. (Cameron Albert)

Defender of the Year

EDDIE SEGURA. There will be stiff competition for this award in 2021 but if LAFC has the kind of season it is capable of having, then Segura will be in the thick of it as the leader of the defense. (Ives Galarcep)

JONATHAN MENSAH. The Columbus Crew will be tough to break down once again this season and last season’s finalist Jonathan Mensah will be at the forefront of Caleb Porter’s set up in 2021. (Larry Henry Jr.)

AARON LONG. While the defender is sure to miss time with the U.S. Men’s National Team, his stellar performances when with the New York Red Bulls should lock up this award for him. (Franco Panizo)

WALKER ZIMMERMAN. 2020 put down the foundation for him to lead Nashville SC and its stingy backline to a new level: Conference contender. (Tyler Snipes)

MILES ROBINSON. Walker Zimmerman is a tempting pick, but Robinson had a down season last year and is due for a rebound. (Matt Singer)

JONATHAN MENSAH. The Crew finished as the second best defensive side in MLS year, largely thanks to a dominant and consistent season from Jonathan Mensah. Expect the same in 2021. (Cameron Albert)

Goalkeeper of the Year

MATT TURNER. After putting together a 2020 season deserving of the award, Turner take another step towards award winner status as he leads the Revs into title contention. (Ives Galarcep)

MATT TURNER. Turner played a major part of the New England Revolution’s playoff run last season and remains one of the top shot stoppers in MLS overall. (Larry Henry Jr.)

MATT TURNER. The New England Revolution netminder will deservedly claim the accolade after another strong season in between the pipes in New England. (Franco Panizo)

ELOY ROOM. People other than Andre Blake exist and if Crew go farther than the Union in 2021, it’ll be in big part to Room’s success. (Tyler Snipes)

TIM MELIA. If the timeless veteran and penalty-saving extraordinaire can lead Sporting KC to the playoffs it would make for a great storyline. (Matt Singer)

MATT TURNER. Arguably snubbed for this award the last two seasons, this is the year Matt Turner will be recognized for his heroics between the sticks. (Cameron Albert)

Newcomer of the Year

RAMON ABILA. The Reynoso-Abila connection is going to be fun to watch in Minnesota, and having a preseason to adapt to the new league should help Abila get off to a strong start on his way to an outstanding season.

LEON FLACH. The Philadelphia Union like having versatile options in midfield and Leon Flach should bring that and more to the table. Flach will work several starters from last season in hopes of continuing his development as a pro player. (Larry Henry Jr.)

ALEXANDRE PATO. Orlando City has long needed a reliable goal-scoring threat at the No. 9 position, and Pato will be just that playing alongside the likes of Nani, Mauricio Pereyra, and Chris Mueller. (Franco Panizo)

BRENNER. The $13-million man will be responsible for the seemingly undoable task of lifting FC Cincinnati off the floor in the East. If he lives up to the advertisements, possibly a lot more. (Tyler Snipes)

BRENNER. The $13-million price tag means he is tasked with being everything Jurgen Locadia is not and then some. FC Cincinnati is in dire need of goals and it will be Brenner or bust this season.  (Matt Singer)

BRENNER. FC Cincinnati have been looking for a hero to take them off the bottom of league table and Brenner will be that guy. (Cameron Albert)

Young Player of the Year (Best Under-21)

GIANLUCA BUSIO. Poised to take on a greater role in 2021, fresh with a new number (10), Busio should thrive in a revamped Sporting KC lineup as he plays himself into a winter transfer to Europe and helps Sporting KC put together a strong campaign. (Ives Galarcep)

CADEN CLARK. The Red Bulls teenager showed last year that he can make an impact in MLS, and he will do more of the same in his first full season in the league. (Franco Panizo)

AIDAN MORRIS. The Columbus Crew will play a lot of games across various competitions in 2021. Morris already established his big-game ability in last year’s MLS Cup, and should be top of mind when Caleb Porter begins rotating. He will settle in nicely and get a starter-level workload to broadcast that he’s a key player in the defending champions’ future. (Tyler Snipes)

CADEN CLARK. The handful of appearances we saw from Caden Clark towards the last season showed that the 17 year-old is ready to compete in MLS. Given the style Gerhard Struber intends his side to play, expect Clark to be a regular in the Red Bulls’ XI. (Cameron Albert)

ALAN PULIDO. After an injury-hit 2020, Pulido heads into a very important year for club and country. He is motivated to return to the Mexican national team, and with an improved Sporting KC side, Pulido should contribute the goals for a team that could be a Supporters’ Shield sleeper.

Matt Turner; Kai Wagner, Aaron Long, Eddie Segura, Richie Laryea; Darlington Nagbe, Emmanuel Reynoso, Carles Gil; Carlos Vela, Alan Pulido, Alejandro Pozuelo. (Ives Galarcep)

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Matt Turner; Kai Wagner, Jonathan Mensah, Walker Zimmerman, Anton Tinnerholm, ; Victor Wanyama, Michael Bradley, Kellyn Acosta; Josef Martinez, Carlos Vela, Gyasi Zardes. (Larry)

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Andre Blake; Ryan Hollingshead, Walker Zimmerman, Jonathan Mensah, Anton Tinnerholm; Alejandro Pozuelo, Darlington Nagbe, Nico Lodeiro; Diego Rossi, Josef Martinez, Carlos Vela. (Tyler Snipes)

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Tim Melia;  Diego Palacios, Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, Nick Lima; Alejandro Pozuelo, Eduard Atuesta, Jonathan Dos Santos; Diego Rossi, Josef Martinez, Carlos Vela. (Matt Singer)

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Matt Turner; Kai Wagner, Jonathan Mensah, Walker Zimmerman, Anton Tinnerholm; Jose Martinez, Lucas Zelarayan, Emanuel Reynoso; Carlos Vela, Josef Martinez, Carles Gil. (Cameron Albert)

LAFC. The Columbus Crew have a stacked team, and deep bench, but the Eastern Conference is loaded and racking up the points won’t be as easy as it will be in the West for LAFC. (Ives Galarcep)

SEATTLE SOUNDERS. The Seattle Sounders remain a top threat in MLS and will capture the Supporters’ Shield by possessing an all-around strong squad. (Larry Henry Jr.)

MINNESOTA UNITED. Being good, deep, and consistent is the name of the game for this trophy, and the Loons will be all of that. They also will not lose many players to international duty over the course of the year, which is a major plus. (Franco Panizo)

LAFC. Bob Bradley’s team has mastered the art of getting points and will once again be in control of the West. The conference will play a part, because the top-heavy East will have all of the contenders taking points from each other. (Tyler Snipes)

LAFC. There’s no roster as deep and talented as LAFC in the Western Confrence which should the club to its second Shield in three years. (Cameron Albert)

Surprise Team

FC DALLAS. Luchi Gonzalez has a revamped roster, with added speed in attack and strength in defense, but FC Dallas isn’t getting much buzz about its 2021 prospects. If Gonzalez can strike the balance between the new foreign additions and the youngsters, Dallas could really have a big year. (Ives Galarcep)

REAL SALT LAKE. RSL struggled in 2020 but should be much improved heading into this season. Freddy Juarez has Bobby Wood and Rubio Rubin to add to his attack while several young Americans will play leading roles (Justen Glad, Aaron Herrera). I expect RSL to contend for a playoff spot this season after a horrid 2020 year. (Larry Henry Jr.)

LA GALAXY. With Greg Vanney leading the way, the Galaxy play a more collectively-sound brand of soccer en route to enjoying a bounce-back season that ends with a playoff appearance. (Franco Panizo)

NASHVILLE SC. An honest seventh place in 2020 was a tremendous start for an expansion team who had an aggravating time trying to get its best attackers on the field at the same time. This year, that will change. Once they get that attacking spark, they will be a complete team who is capable of outlasting those in the CCL/Campeones Cup/USOC field. (Tyler Snipes)

LA GALAXY. On paper the LA Galaxy are a talented group of players with a lot of question marks. The hiring of Greg Vanney is a sign that the Galaxy are trying to turn things around and get back to their winning ways and perhaps things will come together well in year one. (Matt Singer)

INTER MIAMI. It’s easy to predict a wild year from Inter Miami, but lets be positive. Although they struggled last season, individuals on this Inter Miami team like Gonzalo Higuain and Blaise Matuidi could be among the leagues best if they can get going under new leadership. It’s a large task but over a 34 game season, Miami has time to get comfortable before the playoffs. (Cameron Albert)