The Vancouver Whitecaps managed to retain the bulk of the squad that excited many observers of Major League Soccer last season, adding some key defensive pieces in Pa-Modou Kah and Diego Rodriguez, both of whom are expected to compete for a spot alongside Kendall Waston in the heart of Vancouver's back four.

But it's up front where the key addition was made for the Whitecaps.

Head coach Carl Robinson made no secret of his desire to bring in a proven goal scorer in the off-season, and he appears to have found his man in Uruguayan hitman Octavio Rivero.

The 23-year old striker looked sharp in pre-season action, finding the back of the net on a number of occasions and linking well with countryman Nicolas Mezquida. That relationship will give Robinson even more flexibility in midfield if Mezquida can carry on his excellent pre-season form; watch for last season's MVP, Pedro Morales, to take up a deeper role in midfield at times with Mezquida coming in as a number 10 if a more attacking lineup is required.

2015 is going to be a breakout year for 20-year old Kekuta Manneh. The speedster worked his socks off in the off-season and looks even sharper than he was last year. Defenders across the league will dread getting exposed 1-v-1 against Manneh this year, and fans should look forward to seeing 'Scooter' tearing it up in MLS in 2015.