Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots will open their 2019 regular season with a Sunday night matchup at home against Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports.

The Patriots' schedule also features a rematch of last season's AFC championship game, as New England will host Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 14, according to reports.

Some other highlights on New England's schedule reportedly include a Week 8 home game against the Cleveland Browns, a Week 9 game on Sunday night in Baltimore against the Ravens, a Week 11 game in Philadelphia against the Eagles and a Week 12 game at home against the Dallas Cowboys.

The NFL will announce its entire 2019 schedule Wednesday night.

Multiple other team schedules were reported early Wednesday, including that of the New York Jets, who will host Baker Mayfield, Odell Beckham Jr. and the Browns in Week 2 on Monday Night Football.

The Jets will play their first road game of the season in Week 3, when they visit the rival Patriots.

WHEN THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS interview candidates for head coach this week, how to manage LeBron James will be a major topic. It always is.

It's a challenging, complicated, stressful, public and often embarrassing experience. It's also enriching, fulfilling and an often wonderful experience.

It can be hard to get your arms around it. It can be even harder to define. It's one of the reasons the early candidates -- Ty Lue, Monty Williams and Juwan Howard -- all have histories of coaching James. Lue and Howard in the NBA, Williams with Team USA.

So based on the past 16 years, here's the best we have. The handbook for coaching LeBron James:

Understand the art of influence without ownership

Often it seems observers of James want to classify his acts in clear-cut terms. He traded this player. He got that coach fired. He signed this other guy. It gave rise to the concept, for example, that James was the "GM" in Cleveland.

Oh, how often this is so far from the truth. In perfect irony, despite what the world assumes, sometimes James' teams wish he would be so declarative. It's that frequently he isn't willing to make clear requests that can often be a problem. Sometimes teams would love a black-and-white answer while James usually operates in a world of gray.

James has mastered the art of influencing decisions without taking ownership of them. If he were to issue a hard-and-fast edict, then the team would know he was fully willing to stand behind it and take blame, or credit, when it works or fails.

James doesn't want to do this. He has long operated where his teammates, coaches and strategies change massively from opening night to the last game of any season. He has changed entire franchises three times.

This isn't to say he has never given a strong opinion. Or said he wanted to sign or trade for a certain player. Or even led recruitment efforts and closed the deal on an acquisition. But don't ever count on him doing so; be prepared for him to take a position but not marry it.

This is a man who enjoys flexibility and whose greatness allows him to have great power along with it. He's not giving it up. And, frankly, why should he? In a player-driven league, why not have it both ways? Any coach who takes the job needs to understand this at all times.

Have his respect when you walk in the room

This is absolutely vital. Although it's possible to win James' respect, it's much harder that way than if you carry it with you from the start. If you don't have James' respect, you have no chance.

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra earned it, but it was an all-encompassing multiyear battle. David Blatt, who arrived in Cleveland as one of the most respected coaches in Europe, never did. They both had limited currency when James started playing for them, and it created a much tougher task.

It was a struggle for Luke Walton, too, to say the least.

Meanwhile Ty Lue, who played against James, and Paul Silas, his first NBA coach and a legendary tough guy who had won multiple championships, were able to win over James much quicker. That doesn't mean they didn't butt heads -- James cursed Lue to his face and walked out of the locker room after an argument at halftime of Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals -- but they held James' respect.

James' first summer playing for Mike Krzyzewski with Team USA was rocky, but they got through it because of James' immense respect for the Duke legend. Now James considers him a mentor.

You don't have to be a Hall of Famer to get James' respect, but for you to have a decent chance, you need to have that respect before you take the job.

Have a game plan

Over the years, perhaps the best compliment James has paid coaches is that they gave his team a good game plan. He has said it over and over after quality wins, whether it was November or June.

He has often talked about the importance of having high-IQ players, and he feels this way about his coaches, too. He knows a great deal about the game and the tendencies of opposing teams and players. If you want to impress him, teach him when you prepare him. Tell him something he doesn't know about the game he knows best.

And this isn't just for the pregame meeting and film session. This also means in the heat of the battle. When the team needs a stop or needs two points, James wants there to be a play ready on the grease board. He'd like it to be better than he could come up with himself.

It doesn't always have to work, but James has to believe in it.

Hold him accountable, and be ready for him to push back

Those who know James the best all say the same thing: He wants to be coached. He will accept being corrected. He will adapt and try to improve. He will accept blame for mistakes and genuinely promise to adjust. Sometimes.

For obvious reasons over the years, people within organizations walk on eggshells around James. Some appear to be downright afraid of him. He's such a star and can be loud, which has a way of intimidating those around him whether he means to or not.

This is because James has zero qualms about going rogue. If he doesn't like the playcall, he'll blow it off. If he doesn't like the game plan, he'll change it. If he doesn't like how you present him a coaching point, he'll come right back at you. He'll do it in front of teammates; he'll do it in front of cameras.

You might say to yourself, and plenty have: How does James want to have great coaching but also want to have the right to cast it aside without consequence?

Welcome to the exceptionalism of being one of the greatest players in the history of the game. He can do it because he delivers. He can want it all because the returns are so fabulous.

Be ready for passive-aggressive behavior

James has many admirable character traits. He's a tireless worker. His discipline is world famous. He's a caring mentor. He uses his voice and money to affect social and societal change. He's generous. He's often hilarious.

Like anyone, he has character flaws, too. His tendency to be passive-aggressive is one that can really challenge his coaches.

James' moods tend to be fluid, and when he's in a foul one, he can snipe at his coaches. Sometimes it's with body language. Sometimes it's with the mass media. Sometimes it's on social media. It happens, and it not only makes the job harder but can be personally deflating.

Being mentally prepared for it and being able to handle it -- even if that means learning to ignore it or to pretend to ignore it -- can be important for the toolbox. This isn't unusual among NBA players, all of them have things that require a certain touch to manage. But not every NBA player has nearly 50 million Instagram followers and the power to halt SportsCenter with a tweet.

To coach James is to understand all of this and not just accept it but thrive with it. If you do, you will get diamonds, money and fame. If you don't, you won't be around long. And now that he's aging, it only magnifies all of the challenges.

FOURTEEN MILLION DOLLARS. That's what Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell, stars of the LA Clippers' comeback in Golden State on Monday night, are on the books for combined next season. Add Landry Shamet and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and it's $20 million total for those four core players.

That is why the Clippers have one of the most promising futures of any team in the league. Not just because of their cap space -- creating cap space isn't all that difficult if you're willing to lose -- but because of the quality players they have under contract along with that space.

Building a true team through free agency requires role players under reasonable deals and/or rookie contracts so a team doesn't have to totally clear the decks. As the people in the Clippers' front office geared toward a summer of chasing the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Kevin Durant, they worked incrementally to put themselves in this position while not bottoming out.

While the in-town rival Lakers were celebrating landing James last year, the Clippers were getting tremendous value in keeping Harrell. When there was a frenzy at the 2018 trade deadline, they kept Williams by getting him into a favorable contract extension. The previous season, when Chris Paul approached the front office saying he planned to leave, the trade the team made with Houston landed it Williams, Harrell and a first-round pick the Clippers flopped in a deal to get Danilo Gallinari.

None of these deals seemed impactful, but together they incrementally brought the Clippers to this advantageous situation. This is what rebuilding while competing looks like, and it's harder than it looks. There's no question the Clippers need to land a bona fide star to move from a team of potential to a team of expectation.

That's usually the hardest piece to find, but they're working on it.

THE VOTES FOR Executive of the Year are in. Unlike the other major awards, it is not voted on by the media but instead by the teams themselves. Each team gets one vote, and you can't vote for yourself. It's a bit of a complicated award as often it's a product of moves over multiple seasons that typically earn peer recognition.

Milwaukee Bucks GM Jon Horst, who is in only his second season, and Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri are expected to be two of the top candidates. Both oversaw wide-ranging changes to upgrade their teams, changing coaches and core players.

Ujiri made perhaps the most gutty trade of the year, landing Leonard, and made a controversial coaching change when he fired Coach of the Year Dwane Casey and replaced him with first-time coach Nick Nurse. Horst hired Mike Budenholzer, who has a strong chance to earn Coach of the Year honors, and revamped the roster around star Giannis Antetokounmpo. They finished with the top records in the league.

Other top candidates include Brooklyn's Sean Marks, whose roster upgrades without the use of high draft picks got the team back in the playoffs; Houston's Daryl Morey, last season's winner who retrofit his roster on the fly during this season; and Denver's Tim Connelly, whose team moved from outside the playoffs to the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.

Cameron Norrie recovered from three games down to beat Marton Fucsovics and reach the Monte Carlo Masters last 16.

British number two Norrie, 23, beat Hungary's Fucsovics 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 in one hour and 46 minutes.

He will play Italian world number 96 Lorenzo Sonego in the next round.

Defending champion Rafael Nadal, who had a bye for the first round, made light work of beating fellow Spaniard Roberto Bautista Agut 6-1 6-1.

Earlier, Briton Jamie Murray and Brazilian partner Bruno Soares reached the quarter-finals in Monte Carlo, defeating Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France and Bosnian Ivan Dodig.

The third seeds won 7-6 (7-5) 6-7 (4-7) 10-8 and will play the winners of the tie between John Peers and Henri Kontinen, and Diego Schwartzman and Joao Sousa.

INDIANAPOLIS –  Marco Andretti has added associate partner Trion Solutions to the rostrum of sponsors on his No. 98 Dallara-Honda for four NTT IndyCar Series races this year.

The Trion logo will be featured on the side cockpit of Andretti’s entry at the IndyCar Grand Prix and 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, as well as both races comprising the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park.

“All of us at Trion Solutions couldn’t be more thrilled to be associated on the same team as such a famous name in all of sports,” said Trion President and co-founder David L. Stone, Esq. “The Andretti name represents the same traits for which we strive at Trion, including integrity, passion, precision, speed, quality and winning.”

“We’re always excited to bring new partnerships into our NTT IndyCar Series program and we are thrilled to add Trion Solutions to the Andretti Autosport family of partners,” added Andretti Autosport Chief Marketing Officer Doug Bresnahan. “We strive in making our team the best both on and off the track, and with the values of Trion Solutions and Andretti Autosport strongly aligned, I have no doubt we will have a successful partnership for four of the biggest races of the season.”

Trion Solutions is an HR-administration company that works with more than 600 client companies across the United States to manage payroll and taxes, benefits administration, workers’ compensation and regulatory compliance.

“We know the No. 98 car driven by Marco Andretti will be seen by millions and the storyline of Mario’s grandson seeking to win on the 50th anniversary of his grandfather’s Indy 500 victory will be followed closely by the media and during the NBC broadcast of the race,” said Trion Chief Operating Officer Craig Vanderburg. “Trion Solutions considers many sponsorship and advertising opportunities, but we felt this one was really special.

“We jumped at the chance for Trion Solutions to be showcased on the car and we look forward to the other three races as well – especially the two Detroit Grand Prix races in our backyard.”

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Southwestern Trucking has teamed up with Front Row Motorsports and Matt Tifft for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekend at Kentucky Speedway on July 12-13.

Southwestern Trucking will be featured as the primary sponsor on Tifft’s No. 36 Ford Mustang during the Quaker State 400 presented by Walmart, the 19th race of the season.

Based in Griffin, Ga., Southwestern Trucking has become known for its quality and service in the specialized heavy haul industry, with a focus on the transport of paper machine rolls.

For more than 40 years, the company has been transporting heavy machinery and goods, while also providing quality service and timely delivery.

“We couldn’t be happier to partner with Front Row Motorsports and Matt Tifft at Kentucky,” said Bob Hinkle, CEO of Southwestern Trucking. “NASCAR fans are passionate and loyal, which are values that we strive to uphold as a company. We’re excited to support Matt and share our message with a larger NASCAR audience.”

“I’m looking forward to our partnership with Southwestern Trucking at Kentucky Speedway,” added Tifft. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to bring on a new partner and really look forward to showcasing their company and rewarding their employees for safe driving. We couldn’t do what we do without the kind of services Southwestern provides.”

Through the first nine races of the Cup Series season, Tifft has a season-best finish of 20th, which came at Arizona’s ISM Raceway in March.

Tifft has several positive memories at Kentucky Speedway, including his first-career Xfinity Series top-five finish, a fifth-place run at the 1.5-mile Sparta facility in 2016. In all, he has three top-10 results in five Kentucky appearances.

INDIANAPOLIS – Chart-topping country artist Carly Pearce and Clayton Anderson have been added to a star-studded lineup for the Firestone Legends Day Concert on May 25 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Fan favorites at IMS, Pearce and Anderson will each perform sets one day before the 103rd Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge.

Multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning Zac Brown Band will headline the concert, which starts at 3:30 p.m. on the Firestone Stage inside turn four of the IMS oval.

“It’s always great to welcome back Carly Pearce and Clayton Anderson to IMS,” IMS President J. Douglas Boles said. “They have thrilled our fans with their talent and magnetic performances, whether it’s singing the national anthem or performing on our infield concert stages. They will put on a great show, along with Zac Brown Band, during the Firestone Legends Day Concert.”

Born into the bluegrass brawn of Kentucky, Pearce has never known a moment that country music wasn’t her destined path. At the age of 11, she began touring with a local band, at 16 quit high school for a job performing at Dollywood while being homeschooled and learned humility working odd jobs upon moving to Nashville.

Now, she’s defying odds with her No. 1 debut “Every Little Thing,” which steered a chart-topping trifecta on SiriusXM’s “The Highway” that also includes “If My Name Was Whiskey” and “Hide The Wine.”

With the gold-certified title track from her highly acclaimed debut album, “Every Little Thing,” Pearce became the highest-charting solo female debut since July 2015 and one of only three to accomplish the feat in over a decade.

In 2018, Pearce earned her first CMT Music Award Breakthrough Video of the Year for Every Little Thing, as well as a Radio Disney Music Award for The Freshest! – Radio Disney Country Best New Artist.

She has been nominated for 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards Best New Country Artist and ACM Awards New Female Artist of the Year, where she also presented during the live broadcast.

Pearce performed the national anthem before the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard in 2017 and 2018 at IMS. She recently wrapped her co-headline tour with Russell Dickerson and will join Jason Aldean’s Ride All Night Tour this summer.

Southern Indiana native Anderson has released three albums, including his latest record, “Only To Borrow.”

Recorded in Los Angeles and Nashville, this six-song EP was written and produced by Anderson and some of music’s most talented writers, musicians and producers. The album’s first single, “In the Dark,” earned immediate streaming activity online and captured the attention of influential music playlist programmers.

In college, Anderson decided to learn guitar because he thought it would impress the ladies. Next thing he knew, he and his friends were playing local parties and bars.

After he graduated, Anderson won Kenny Chesney’s Next Big Star Competition. It was the boost of confidence he needed to leave his job at a mortgage company and move to Nashville.

Anderson’s first record, “Torn Jeans & Tailgates,” was released in 2011 and climbed to No. 12 on the iTunes Country Chart, situating itself next to household names like Zac Brown Band, Brad Paisley and Blake Shelton.

Anderson has traveled across the country playing backrooms, side stages and honky tonks from Michigan to Florida, each time gaining a few more fans and a better foothold on areas that aren’t traditional country strongholds.

He’s opened for some of country’s biggest stars, including the likes of Shelton, Jason Aldean, Eric Church, Darius Rucker and even Mr. Party himself, Jimmy Buffett.

Anderson performed the national anthem before the Red Bull Air Race in 2017 and 2018 at IMS, and his performance during the Firestone Legends Day Concert featuring Keith Urban in 2017 was a hit with fans.

When you think of Brad Marchand, you think of the winger's earned nickname, which President Barack Obama used when the Boston Bruins visited the White House after their 2011 Stanley Cup win.

"Brad Marchand went into the season playing on the fourth line," Obama said. "But the Little Ball of Hate shrugged off the rookie jitters and -- what's up with that nickname, man? -- scored five goals in the last five games of the final series."

You also think of Marchand's relentless chirping. "In [the] 2013 [Final], I remember was were lining up and going back and forth at each other pretty hard," Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane says. "I think it's all over the Stanley Cup DVD. What were we saying? Honestly it was just stupid stuff."

You think of Marchand's six suspensions in seven years, including for slew footing, elbowing, clipping and spearing. You think of last year's playoffs, where Marchand stuck his tongue out and licked not one but two opponents. "When he kissed [Ryan] Callahan," says Chris Kunitz, then with the Lightning. "We all just thought it was awkward, kind of a weird thing to do, in the moment of a physical battle."

But there's more to Marchand than that, and this season, the Bruins -- and Marchand himself -- felt a commitment to showcase his other side.

"He's an unbelievable dad, he's a great husband, a great teammate and an awesome friend," teammate Torey Krug says. "I think this season he's made a conscious effort to display that side of him. People don't always see that. They just see a pro athlete who has a reputation on the ice. Being his friend, you hate seeing some of the messages and some of the things displayed out there, because that's not the whole story."

Krug went on: "The other part is his natural maturation into a leader in this room. We know the weapon that he is on the ice to win hockey games. He's not doing anything to hurt the team, and that's become something we rely on. We need him to win hockey games, so he can't be doing some crazy things on the ice to hurt the team. He's realized that, and he's done a good job growing up."

Marchand, now 30, balances two worlds. On one side, he is the NHL's biggest troll. On the other, he is an MVP candidate. On Boston's usually dynamite first line, Marchand became the Bruins' first player to reach 100 points since Joe Thornton in 2003. Over the past three seasons, no other left wing -- not even Alex Ovechkin -- has more points than Marchand's 270.

"I think Brad Marchand is one of the most effective guys in the league," says Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele, who played with Marchand for Team Canada at the 2016 world championship.

"Everyone sees he has great hands, a great shot, great vision, but a lot of people don't see about his game is how well he takes pucks off the boards, how good he is in traffic, how good he is getting on the right side of guys, taking contact on the right side of them so he can get to the offensive side of it. He understands how to take that contact, and use it to his advantage. That's something he does better than probably than anyone in the league other than [Sidney] Crosby."

After last year's playoffs marred by "Lickgate," with the Department of Player Safety privately and publicly asking him to tone things down, Marchand made a commitment to stay out of trouble. He realized the antics he once thought he needed to survive at the league as a 5-foot-9 winger were no longer necessary. He could thrive without them.

"I've got to cut that s--- out," Marchand said after the Bruins were eliminated by the Lightning last spring. "After having a couple days, kind of looking back on the year and seeing what's happened the last few days with all the media and everything, I think the biggest thing for me now is to really take a pretty hard look in the mirror and realize the actions, some of the things that I'm doing have much bigger consequences. I've always been a pretty easygoing guy and there's not a whole lot that fazes me at all. I think it's kind of gotten to the point where the last thing I ever want to do is bring the embarrassment to my teammates and the organization that it did."

Marchand went the entire 2018-19 regular season without any discipline from the Department of Player Safety.

Boston coach Bruce Cassidy had several talks with Marchand over the season, and continually asked his star winger: How do you want to be remembered? Marchand made it his goal, entering this season, to better manage his emotions.

"I think his reputation should be that of a player who is a game-changer," teammate Charlie McAvoy says. "I mean, he had 100 points this season. That's no small feat. Maybe that's clouded up because of some of his antics his first few years in the league, but he's really cleaned that up this season."

"For sure he's misunderstood," Scheifele says. "If you just watch him on TV, you don't get the full respect, because you see some antic that he does. But if you watch a full game of Brad Marchand, you see some pretty special plays."

If you talk to players around the league, Marchand isn't as much of a pest on the ice as you'd think -- at least not these days.

"I mean, he's always been tough to play against," Kunitz says. "Earlier in his career, he was a bit more chatty. But lately, he's had his play back it up."

Says Kane: "He's not a trash-talker. Even the last couple years I've played him, he hasn't really said much at all; and if anything, he's saying nice things to you. It's surprising. It's a pretty impressive transformation from the way he played to how he plays now."

Toronto Maple Leafs center Nazem Kadri says if you engage Marchand verbally, he's not going to back down.

"But I don't think he goes out of his way and just starts chirping everybody," Kadri says. "I think it's he's the type of guy that, if he's not engaging physically or verbally on the ice, you just want to leave him alone. Because you don't want to get him too revved up."

Kadri made these comments before he was suspended for the rest of the Leafs' first-round series against the Bruins. In many ways, Kadri is trending on the track Marchand was on a few years ago. Kadri must realize he's too talented a player to let his emotions get the best of him. Or, he can take a page from Marchand's book and find a new outlet to express himself. Although Marchand kept out of trouble on the ice, he was stirring up chatter off it.

Marchand honed his social media presence in 2018-19. When his peers named him both the best and worst trash-talker in the union's annual player poll, Marchand accepted the honor, kindly, with a tweet reminiscent of an award show acceptance speech. "Feeling so honored right now all those years of hard work has paid off!!" he wrote. "Want to thank everyone who has supported me in this journey to best and worst trash talker and all my work colleagues around the NHL couldnt have done it without you!"

He trolled the rival Maple Leafs in March by suggesting Mitch Marner deserves to be paid $12 million per year on his next contract -- which would, of course, strap Toronto financially. The chirp even required a response from Toronto GM Kyle Dubas, who said: "I think it was a master troll job, to say the least. You have to respect that element of it."

And then there's the back and forth on Twitter, where Marchand and his good friend Krug have playfully ribbed each other, usually over who is shorter.

"It's a sign of times changing," Krug says. "We have a platform on social media where we can give fans a glimpse into the type of people that we are. That we actually do have fun. In our interviews to the media, we're displayed as these robots. We give the same answers over and over. We don't want to give too much insight on what's going on in our locker room. From a team perspective, we do want to keep a lot of things private. But when it comes to our own individual personalities, this is our way to show we're a close-knit group and that we're going to be friends for our entire lives, and that's something Marchy and I have enjoyed."

Krug also enjoys the public chirping because he feels he's providing a service for some NHL players who have felt wronged by his teammate along the way.

"Because of his history, people like seeing a guy like him get chirped," Krug says. "People like to give me a pat on the back -- thanks for doing that."

And now Marchand is entering a new narrative: a guy teammates look up to.

Says 23-year-old rookie Karson Kuhlman: "I always looked up to him, as an undersized guy, and the way he worked his way up. He was a so-called grinder when he got into the league, and now he's scoring 100 points. Obviously he's very emotional. He's done some things that you can look back on [and question]. Does he regret them? I don't know; I've never really talked to him about it. But I can say he's really fun to be around."

Argentine side Union de Santa Fe will use Viagra to combat altitude when they face Independiente del Valle in the Ecuadorian capital of Quito on Wednesday.

The match will take place at the Estadio Olimpico Atahualpa, which lies 2,850 metres above sea level.

Altitude has had an adverse effect on several teams in recent times -- with Argentina losing 6-1 away to Bolivia in a 2010 World Cup qualifier. But Union have prepared ahead, and will use the drug "Sildenafil" -- more commonly known as Viagra.

"There are two reasons high altitude leaves players lacking air," club doctor Santiago Calvo told local radio station Sol 91.5. "On the one side, there is less oxygen.

"For this, we have oxygen tubes to be used before the match, at half-time and after the game. The other side is the pressure from the atmosphere. This increased pressure creates a vasoconstriction; the arteries become smaller around the lungs.

"This decreases the interchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide -- and that is where the Viagra comes in. It widens the blood vessels around the lungs."

Calvo added: "No player is obligated to take [the drug] -- but it is not a banned medication."

Union won the first round first leg 2-0.

The first month and a half of the MLS season is in the books, and as you'd expect, there are some wild disparities in terms of form. LAFC has been on fire. Last year's MLS Cup finalists, champions Atlanta United and the Portland Timbers, not so much.

Some teams have played seven league games already, while others have just five. Minnesota United, the Montreal Impact, and the Portland Timbers have played a combined two home games among them.

Yet looked at another way, seven weeks means that the regular season is 20 percent over already for some teams: in short, long enough for a few performances to catch the eye. That is especially true in the case of the MVP conversation. Here's how the field is faring so far, from front-runner to chasing the pack.

The favorites so far

Star power and prolific production -- what's not to like?

1. Carlos Vela, FW, LAFC

The Mexico international has been humiliating opponents in LAFC's first seven games to the tune of eight goals and five assists. About the only thing he's done wrong is miss a penalty back on April 6 against D.C. United. What's crazy is that by this point, the entire league knows how lethal Vela's left foot is, and opponents still seem powerless to stop it. And last weekend, Vela even managed to score with his right foot.

Perhaps most endearing of all is that Vela hasn't played like a luxury player who just hangs out in the attacking half. In the 5-0 hammering of San Jose, he was seen putting in the work on the defensive end as well, tracking back on the right wing. Yes it's early, but if Vela keeps this up and if LAFC keeps winning, he may just have the MVP award sealed by midseason.

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, FW, LA Galaxy

Ibrahimovic predicted he would "break every single record" in MLS this season. As he has so often during his career, he's proving to be a man of his word, scoring at an even more prolific rate than Vela with six goals in just four league games. Aiding the Swede's quest is the fact that the Galaxy look to be a much more organized outfit this season under new manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto, winning five of its first six games.

The only thing that could derail his quest is his health. Ibrahimovic missed two league contests with an Achilles strain, and while he did play a match against Vancouver on artificial turf, his health will be monitored closely.

3. Diego Rossi, FW, LAFC

If not for Vela's stellar play, Rossi would be the one getting the MVP hype, having scored six goals to help spark LAFC's unbeaten start. The Uruguayan will have to content himself with being the second-best player on his team, although his hat trick in the 4-0 demolition of D.C. United did plenty to get garner some attention.

Great teams have more than one attacking option, and Rossi's continued success will prevent opponents from focusing on Vela. Rossi scored 12 goals in his inaugural MLS season, but his start has him poised to exceed that total by some distance.

4. Wayne Rooney, FW, D.C. United

Rooney's performances in the second half of 2018 were MVP-worthy, and he would have made a stronger run at the award had he been in D.C. for the whole campaign. This season, he's been almost as good -- his red card against LAFC notwithstanding -- with the former England captain delivering four goals and three assists. Oddly, Rooney's MVP credentials were burnished during his one-game suspension, a 0-0 tie with the Montreal Impact in which D.C.'s attack struggled mightily without him.

Rooney has been spared much of the travel wear and tear so far, which could reduce his impact on the MVP race: last weekend's match in Colorado marked the first time he's played a match multiple time zones away from Audi Field. How Rooney recovers from such travels will bear watching down the line.

5. Nicolas Lodeiro, MF, Seattle Sounders

LAFC's brilliant start has overshadowed another unbeaten team out west, and while Jordan Morris attracted some of the early accolades for the impressive Sounders, Lodeiro continues to be the player that makes their attack go, with two goals and four assists. Lodeiro has also shown a knack for the spectacular, with his volley while drifting backwards providing the game's only goal in the 1-0 win over Real Salt Lake back on April 6.

Seattle has had to deal with injuries to Raul Ruidiaz and Will Bruin, but Lodeiro is the one player the Sounders can't afford to lose.

6. "Jozandro Altijuelo," MF/FW, Toronto FC

If it was possible to fuse Alejandro Pozuelo and Jozy Altidore, you would have a fantastic player. But this entry is more about just how special both performers, along with their almost telepathic connection, have been for Toronto FC this season. Pozuelo has shredded the idea that newcomers to MLS need time to adapt, scoring twice and assisting on four goals in just three matches. Every single one of his assists has set up an Altidore goal, helping the U.S. international move up to five on the season.

Altidore's return after an injury-hit 2018 has helped TFC in other ways as well in terms of his holdup and link play. If Toronto continues its bright start to the season, picking between Pozuelo and Altidore for MVP will be difficult indeed.

On the bubble

The rest of the field is full of question marks but also players who deserve recognition for simply being at the top of their game.

7. Zack Steffen, GK, Columbus Crew

Let's get one item out of the way. Steffen isn't winning this award. Just one goalkeeper, Kansas City's Tony Meola in 2000, has ever been voted league MVP. Only one other keeper -- Colorado Rapids Joe Cannon in 2004 -- has so much as been a finalist. Then there's the fact that as soon as the Gold Cup is over in July, Steffen is headed to Manchester City, although he's likely to then be loaned out.

All that said, Steffen has been delivering an MVP-caliber season. His save percentage is a ridiculous 91.3 percent. The league record for keepers with more than 20 appearances in a season is Matt Reis, with 81.4 percent for the New England Revolution in 2009. There have been quality stops in there as well. Just ask Atlanta United.

It will be fascinating to see how Columbus fares when Steffen leaves.

8. Alberth Elis, MF, Houston Dynamo

It's a sign of the Dynamo's strength as a team that there are many candidates who could be put forward. Memo Rodriguez got some early publicity with four goals, and Mauro Manotas remains one of the more dangerous forwards in MLS after his breakout 2018 campaign, but Elis continues to be the Dynamo's most award-worthy attacking option. His strength, power and persistence in the final third make him borderline unplayable at times, including last weekend's win over the San Jose Earthquakes.

The only question against his MVP candidacy: Will he stick around for the long term? There was plenty of transfer chatter surrounding Elis in preseason,and that could heat up again this summer.

9. Johnny Russell, MF, Sporting Kansas City

The MVP award hasn't been kind to wingers either. While both Landon Donovan and Mike Magee logged heavy minutes out wide in their respective MVP seasons in 2009 and 2013, they spent considerable time as forwards in those campaigns as well. The rest of the winners (aside from the aforementioned Meola) were primarily forwards and attacking midfielders. That said, Russell has been so important to the SKC attack that if he continues his hot start to the season (four goals and two assists), he may yet get some consideration.

10. Josef Martinez, FW, Atlanta United

Martinez is on this list for what he did in 2018 and what he hasn't done in 2019. Last year's MVP has just one goal in five games, and he's been starved of the ball in the opposition penalty area, with just 3.6 touches/game in the box compared to 4.46 a year ago. He hasn't been hitting the target with the same regularity either, with just 40 percent of his attempts on frame compared to 61.6 percent in 2018.

No doubt, much of this is down to the team getting used to new manager Frank de Boer's way of doing things, and there is still time for Martinez to rebound. But with the Dutchman's more conservative style of play, it's not a given that things will really change for Martinez over the course of the season.