You know that extremely long Major League Soccer pre-season? The one Jurgen Klinsmann complains about and the one that leaves players looking for off-season training stints to fill their time? Well, that pre-season has come and gone and all 19 MLS teams have begun preparations for the 2012 season.

Last week marked the beginning of training camp for several MLS teams, with the remainder kicking things off this week. There is still plenty of work to be done between now and the start of the season in early March, but it isn’t too early to start projecting which teams look the strongest heading into the new season.

We won’t fully know just how teams are build heading into the new campaign because the MLS transfer window is open until April, and clubs are likely to keep adding talent right up to the close of that window, but the list of title contenders heading into the season looks the same as it did a year ago.

Here is a look at how we see the 19 MLS teams stacking up as pre-season gets underway:

RSL lost Andy Williams, Robbie Russell and Collen Warner in the off-season, but having a healthy Javier Morales, a more mature Luis Gil and a promising newcomer in Enzo Martinez should help RSL keep playing the attractive soccer that pushed them to the bring of the MLS Cup Final in 2011.

The Real Salt Lake defense will be once again, with Tony Beltran (pictured) sliding into the starting lineup. With Chris Schuler providing depth, RSL’s back-line should be one of the league’s best and a run at the Supporters Shield seems a safe bet.

The Sounders were a powerhouse in 2011, only to see playmaker Mauro Rosales injured before the playoffs. Seattle’s impressive campaign came despite missing Steve Zakuani (pictured) for much of the season. With Zakuani projected to return, the Sounders could be even stronger in 2012.

Seattle’s big loss was Kasey Keller to retirement, but Michael Gspurning is considered a quality replacement. Fredy Montero remains the focal point of the attack, but Alvaro Fernandez is coming off a stellar season and could bolt for Europe. If he stays, and if Zakuani can regain his pre-injury form, the Sounders will be in the title mix.

With Omar Gonzalez (pictured) sidelined until at least August, and Juninho back in Brazil, the Galaxy will have a hard time repeating the astounding success they enjoyed in 2011. It doesn’t mean they can’t. With Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane set to return, and with Beckham back on a two-year deal, LA still has enough weapons to win games.

Ultimately, Bruce Arena will need the defense to lead the way again despite losing Gonzalez. The trio of A.J. De La Garza, Todd Dunivant and Sean Franklin is good enough to pick up the slack, while Josh Saunders prepares for his first season as the clear-cut starter.

The best example of a team coming of age in 2011 was Sporting KC, which rode a nucleus of outstanding young talent to a regular season conference title and a promising future in 2012. Peter Vermes saw players such as Graham Zusi, C.J. Sapong, Matt Besler, Chance Myers and Seth Sinovic enjoy breakout seasons.

Now it will be up to all those standouts to take it a step further. With Omar Bravo back in Mexico, KC will need rookie Dom Dwyer to contribute right away, particularly with Sapong and Teal Bunbury likely to have national team responsibilities this year. Vermes re-stocked his squad with the additions of Bobby Convey (pictured) and Paulo Nagamura, who should make Sporting KC the clear-cut favorite to win the Eastern Conference.

The 2011 season ended in miserable fashion for FC Dallas, which watched a strong first half of the season and an MVP-caliber season from Brek Shea ruined by a bad slump that led to an early playoff exit and early departure from the CONCACAF Champions League.

Schellas Hyndman went out and addressed the team’s need for a forward by signing Panamanian Blas Perez, and even found an ideal potential replacement for George John in rookie Matt Hedges. The best news for Dallas is that 2010 MLS MVP David Ferreira (pictured) will return from a broken ankle that cost him most of 2011. Even with Ferreira, the question remains whether Dallas has enough depth to be a real threat to the powers in the West.

No team in the league was surgical in addressing obvious needs as the Union, which bolstered their forward line, added some strength in central midfield, and even added a natural left back. Best of all, Peter Nowak filled needs with quality CONCACAF talent that didn’t break the bank.

The real question heading into pre-season is whether Sebastien LeToux will be back. He has been the leader of the Union attack the past two seasons and losing him to a transfer to Bolton (which is a possibility) would hurt. Philadelphia has already prepared for the possibility by drafting Chandler Hoffman (pictured) and signing Colombian striker Lionard Pajoy.

One of the surprises of 2011, the Dynamo rode a stellar finish to the regular season to slide into the playoffs before an impressive post-season run to the MLS Cup Final. The real question at this point in the pre-season is whether or not Houston has gotten better this off-season.

The Dynamo lost key attacking force Brian Ching in the expansion draft, and bid farewell to Carlo Costly, leaving Dom Kinnear with more questions than answers at forward. Brad Davis (pictured) should be back to his MVP-caliber self, but unless Houston finds a go-to forward to make up for Ching’s departure, it’s tough to see the Dynamo posing a real threat for Eastern Conference top honors.
 

It’s tough to remember a team with so much talent heading into an MLS season with so many question marks. Who will be the goalkeeper? Which Rafa Marquez will show up, and where will he play? Can we really expect Wilman Conde and Kenny Cooper to recapture their stellar 2009 form? Will Juan Agudelo get on the field, or is he destined to join Tim Ream in Europe? Will Luke Rodgers be allowed to return to the United States?

What the Red Bulls still have are some very good attacking pieces, led by the lethal Thierry Henry (pictured), as well as midfielders Joel Lindpere, Dane Richards and Teemu Tainio. New York was second in MLS in goals scored, but the defense has some major question marks and will need Swedish centerback Markus Holgersson and Conde to be strong to keep the Red Bulls from enduring another disappointing season.

The Timbers played some exciting attacking soccer at times, but more often than not it was the defense that let Portland down. Head coach John Spencer looked to address that weakness by signing Colombian Hanyer Mosquera and drafting Andrew Jean-Baptiste (pictured).

Portland dealt away Kenny Cooper, but added an exciting striker in Jose Adolfo Valencia, and with players like Diego Chara and Jorge Perlaza preparing for their second seasons in MLS, the Timbers are a prime candidate for a playoff berth.
 

The Fire responded extremely well when Frank Klopas replaced Carlos De Los Cobos early in the 2011 season, and now Klopas will have a chance to install his own plan from the start of a season and he has an underrated squad to do it with.

If the team can bring back Pavel Pardo, and if newly-acquired midfielders Rafael Robayo and Federico Puppa can adapt well to MLS, Chicago could have a good enough attack to be a playoff team for the first time since 2009. That will likely depend on whether Dominic Oduro (pictured) can repeat or improve on his outstanding 2011.

Gary Smith led the Rapids to an MLS Cup title in 2010, but that didn’t earn him much job security as he was allowed to walk away. Enter Oscar Pareja, the former Colombian midfielder and more recently a respected assistant coach and developer of young talent. He will have the tough task of transitioning the Rapids into a new system and new approach to soccer.

That change might take a while to happen, but Pareja does have more to work with that some of the other first-year coaches in MLS. With Conor Casey (pictured) expected back, and Omar Cummings healthy, the Rapids will once again have a top forward line, but Colorado is an aging team that looks destined to take a step back before being a title contender again.

The Crew went through a serious transformation before 2011, shedding several veteran players and infusing some quality young talent. A year later, Columbus is once again adding a wave of young talent, while losing Peruvian striker Andres Mendoza. Between a big haul of draft picks, and two Homegrown Player signings, Robert Warzycha has more young talent to mold, but the question is whether the Crew has enough talent to be a serious contender.

Columbus lost Robbie Rogers (pictured) and Mendoza, but did add Chilean playmaker Milovan Mirosevic and Costa Rican forward Olman Vargas. If those moves are a wash, then the Crew will need their young core to step up, with Dilly Duka one player who could have a breakout season.

The second year of the Aron Winter is shaping up to be a pivotal season in TFC’s history. The club enjoyed success in the second half of 2011, including an improbable run to the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. Now, after a strong draft, and a full off-season to tweak the roster, Toronto is poised for its best season to date.

Key to Toronto’s potential turnaround will be the presence of Danny Koevermans (pictured) from the start of the season. In just half a season, the Dutch striker was a terror, scoring eight goals in just ten matches. With rookie Luis Silva joining Joao Plata in the attack, TFC should score more. The defense will ultimately determine if TFC can seriously contend for a playoff spot. Rookie Aaron Maund should help the back-line, but that may not be enough to help Toronto break into the post-season.
 

Where Sporting KC saw a young team blossom, D.C. United watched a young team crumble late in 2011 as injuries and inexperience cost D.C. a chance at a playoff spot. The season was far from a waste though, as Dwayne DeRosario (pictured) arrived to give the team an attacking leader and a player to help take pressure off the youngsters.

DeRosario won’t be enough to carry the load though, and the departure of Charlie Davies leaves a void at forward that must be filled. The additions of rookie Nick DeLeon and Danny Cruz should help the offense, but there’s still a sense the team is lacking a striker. Andy Najar, Bill Hamid, Perry Kitchen and Ethan White are a year older, but the feeling is D.C. still needs some international signings to be considered a viable threat in the Eastern Conference.

The Earthquakes were one of the biggest disappointments of 2011, going from playoff squad to after thought. They wasted another great season from Chris Wondolowski (pictured), but injuries and underachieving doomed San Jose to finishing near the bottom of the West.

Will things change in 2012 for Frank Yallop’s squad? Getting Steven Lenhart back will help, and having Ike Opara return from injury would be a major boost. Honduran Marvin Chavez should provide an upgrade on the flanks, and rookie Sam Garza can be a difference maker, but it will be up to the back-line to show considerable improvement if San Jose is going to have any chance of earning a playoff spot out of the stacked Western Conference.

It has been a busy off-season for the Goats, who lost Zarek Valentin in the expansion draft, then traded Justin Braun to land James Riley. Robin Fraser’s squad added some reinforcements though, with midfielders Ryan Smith, Miller Bolanos and Oswaldo Mina, as well as defender John Alexander Valencia.

Getting Juan Pablo Angel (pictured) back for a full season is a major boost (there had been talk he might retire), but the Goats will need rookie Casey Townsend to step up and contribute right away unless Chivas USA can go out and sign another striker. Either way, it’s tough to see Chivas USA breaking through the Western Conference for a playoff spot.

The second-year team endured a rough freshman campaign as two coaches and plenty of loses and goals allowed turned Vancouver’s expansion season into one failed debut. Truth be told though, the Whitecaps played some attractive soccer at times, and they do boast some nice pieces to build around.

New head coach Martin Rennie comes over from the NASL Carolina Railhawks with a good reputation. He will have the task of trying to build a sturdier defense, and will need Jay DeMerit to stay healthy in order to help make that happen. The acquisition of Korean veteran Lee Pyong-Ho should also help upgrade the back-line. The offense should produce plenty of goals with Eric Hassli (pictured) and Camilo Sanvezzo in the attack, and Omar Salgado and Darren Mattocks also pushing for playing time, but the Whitecaps still don’t look like a team ready to climb up this list just yet.

Jay Heaps brings zero coaching experience to his head coaching role with the Revs, but he has some good pieces to build around and a team that is supposedly committed to revamping its roster.

That rebuilding began with a pair of Colombians in centerback John Lozano and winger Fernando Cardenas. Drafting highly-regarded prospects Kelyn Rowe (pictured, left) and Tyler Polak could provide some building blocks for the future, but those acquisitions alone won’t help transform the woeful Revs into a playoff team. Unless New England comes through with some big signings before the season, Heaps’ first season as a professional coach will be a rough one.

The Impact have taken some very good steps toward building a competitive expansion team for 2012, but Jesse Marsch will likely need a few more pieces to add to the puzzle this off-season if his first season as head coach is to be a successful one.

Montreal boasts some very good veteran pieces in Donovan Ricketts (pictured), Patrice Bernier, Brian Ching, Davy Arnaud, Justin Braun and Bobby Burling, coupled with some good young talent in Zarek Valentin, Collen Warner and rookie Andrew Wenger gives Marsch a good foundation to work with, but seeing how all the pieces fit first, particularly in defense, will determine if the Impact can get off to a strong start in MLS.