A look at every MLS team’s offseason activity and roster needs as we hit 2018.
The MLS offseason hit its quietest stretch over the holiday break. Rumors bounced around Spanish-language tabloids and MLS transaction Twitter accounts (the usual suspects), but legit news was hard to come by. Each team’s individual situations differ greatly at this point in the offseason with the SuperDraft festivities less than two weeks away.
This week’s notebook goes team-by-team looking at what they’ve done, what they need to do and how they project for 2018.
Atlanta United: big news, and more to come
This team is on it.
While most clubs in MLS are hanging around and trying to gradually slide into the cold pool to get used to the water, Atlanta are doing flips off the diving board and splashing water on squeamish Minnesota United-types, who think the water is too cold and just want to put their feet in.
ATL are the most ambitious club in the league, even if they have to be wary of occasionally hitting their head off the diving board. They kept up that reputation when they dumped a bucket of GAM and TAM on the Portland Timbers for top-tier box-to-box midfielder Darlington Nagbe, who will fit next to Chilean-international Carlos Carmona in the middle.
Carmona is presumably moving full-time to defensive midfield, freeing Nagbe to get a lot of touches on the ball and support a flashy front four.
They plugged holes elsewhere — re-signing left-back Greg Garza and signing Franco Escobar to play right-back — while building up to what will (somehow) be the defining acquisition of their offseason: either signing assist-machine Yamil Asad full-time from a one-year loan or, ideally, bringing in high-dollar Argentine Ezequiel Barco, an in-demand 18-year-old attacker on the world stage. That would be an all-time coup.
The worry is that the Carmona-Nagbe midfield will get punished defensively, but usually when you flip off the diving board, you avoid hitting your head.
Chicago Fire: Iker, maybe? But not much more
After a solid season, the Fire have mostly stood pat. Bastian Schweinsteiger is expected to stay, and the core (Nemanja Nikolic, David Accam, Dax McCarty, etc.) will likely remain intact. Upgrades are probably necessary on the backline, but they have arguably the best set of true full-backs (i.e. non-wing-backs; your title is safe, TFC fans) in MLS, and they have potential college Homegrowns coming through that could provide immediate help at center-back and in midfield.
They also have a need at goalkeeper, and Jeff Reuter reported that Real Madrid and Spain legend Iker Casillas has been in discussions. It’s hard to say how good Casillas would be in this league, but questions should be asked of any MLS team spending big on a keeper with options available domestically. Trade for Zac MacMath, Joe Willis, Alec Kann or Jake Gleeson instead, and go elsewhere with your TAM.
Colorado Rapids: the new New Zealand national team
They hired former New Zealand head coach Anthony Hudson and he has already acquired two Kiwis to go along with a haul of MLS 2.0-style Scandinavians and over-the-hill Europeans. Unless LA Galaxy academy retread Jack McBean scores 15 goals or something, don’t expect too much from the Rapids.
Columbus Crew SC: bye, Kekuta
Columbus went on an entertaining late-season run and came within a Justin Meram finish of knocking off Toronto FC in the postseason. Aside from a full-back exodus not long after the season ended, they have kept a similar roster core so far.
Super-sub winger Kekuta Manneh, who is one of the fastest soccer players in the world if you trust EA Sports, departed recently for Liga MX giant Pachuca, replaced prematurely by Red Bulls dribbling sensation Mike Grella, aka Grelladinho, via Re-Entry Draft. They need a left back, some center-back depth and not a ton else, especially after they managed to pull star midfielder Artur full-time from Sao Paulo.
D.C. United: positive activity?!
DCU have quietly done stuff! The jury’s still out on whether it’s good stuff, but it’s stuff, and fans will take any level of ambition as they prepare for the opening of Audi Field.
They signed Frederic Brillant to play center-back and compete with Steve Birnbaum, who had World Cup dreams before falling flat last season alongside Kofi Opare and Jalen Robinson. Darren Mattocks, the former Timber, is fine attacking depth. Ulises Segura is a Costa Rican international who could add creativity of some sort next to diminutive No. 10 Luciano Acosta. Junior Moreno plays for Venezuela and will provide a partner for Russell Canouse, who was signed midseason as a defensive midfielder and looked good.
Now they must fit the puzzle pieces together.
FC Dallas: the rebuild is on
Last season, Dallas fell flatter than the Falcons in the Super Bowl. You don’t drop from first to seventh in three months and have the entire locker room implode on itself without making changes afterwards. I outlined what they have to do and why four days after MLS Cup and a couple days after they traded star center-back Walker Zimmerman to LAFC.
Aside from acquiring a backup goalkeeper (Jimmy Maurer, former Cosmos starter) and two Eastern European defenders, they’ve been eerily quiet. It’s hard to predict what they will do and when, but know this: if Maynor Figueroa and Roland Lamah are in the day-one starting XI, FCD were far too stagnant.
Houston Dynamo: construct a backline, then a starting XI
The Dynamo bunkered their way through a weak Western Conference and got within a game of MLS Cup before a laundry list of injuries saw them off against Seattle. They have a fun young roster that needs (1) a backline with depth, (2) to learn how to create attacking space without parking the bus and (3) to solidify a first-choice starting lineup.
Right-back AJ DeLaGarza’s torn ACL, suffered on the last day of the regular season, complicates things in defense. He’s out until at least May, and with DaMarcus Beasley still not re-signed and an aging core at center-back, they need to figure out the plan there.
Outside of that, their 4-3-3 fills itself in: Juan David Cabezas, Eric Alexander (who is very good) and Tomas Martinez behind a front three of Romell Quioto, Mauro Manotas and Alberth Elis. They went through the entirety of 2017 without playing the same XI twice. That can’t happen again.
Selling or otherwise deciding what to do with Cubo Torres is another matter entirely.
LAFC: The Bradley Bunch
The situation at LAFC is almost the same as it was a week or two ago. The gist: Carlos Vela is good, Bob Bradley has a direction and they’re going to defend well.
The only difference is they have since traded for Benny Feilhaber from Sporting KC. Feilhaber is presumably the alternative to Sacha Kljestan, who they were reportedly in discussions with before Orlando snatched him.
LA Galaxy: Dump salary and find a competent direction
The 2016-17 Galaxy offseason was an unmitigated disaster. The front office overpaid for players who play the same spots and do not fit at all with the rest of the roster (cough, Jermaine Jones, cough). Their lack of a real defensive midfielder, central defense or goalkeeper helped them give up 67 goals in 34 games en route to a last-place finish.
LA traded for capable goalie David Bingham and have signed two defenders so far: Jorgen Skljelvik (to paraphrase Chance the Rapper, that’s a lot of consonants) and Rolf Feltscher. The next step is finding a DP-level center forward.
Oh, and Gyasi Zardes is alive and well. That’s a conundrum to say the least.
Minnesota United: promising, or the same story?
Minnesota have an okay foundation: Bobby Shuttleworth, Francisco Calvo, Sam Cronin, Kevin Molino, Christian Ramirez, Abu Danladi. They need to realize that Molino is not a No. 10 and they need to find another attacking difference-maker, preferably a distributor to Ramirez, who had a great debut season. That new No. 10 can’t be from Scandinavia, please.
They haven’t done much this offseason other than trading for coach’s son Harrison Heath and picking up aging right-back Tyrone Mears. That’s going to have to change.
Montreal Impact: A new coach and a new era
They’re not going to have many more chances to win a league trophy with Ignacio Piatti, who’s not getting any younger. With Laurent Ciman traded to LAFC, they have holes on defense, and Patrice Bernier’s retirement opens spots in central midfield next to Samuel Piette, who was a successful signing in defensive midfield.
Anthony Jackson-Hamel, a young forward, should get more time, but there appears to be significant concern with star Blerim Dzemaili, an attacking midfielder that developed a deadly connection with Piatti in 2017.
If he leaves, that would be pretty terrible for Montreal.
New manager Remi Garde has a good resume. He managed Lyon earlier in the decade and won trophies before a stint at then-Premier League side Aston Villa. The Impact need him to play young players and create some tactical flexibility.
New England Revolution: Sign defenders, figure out how to use talent
Death, taxes, the Cleveland Browns sucking and the New England Revolution needing defenders. Turns out Benjamin Angoua was not the solution. Surprise.
Brad Friedel, hired in November, has a lot of talent but no way of fitting it all together (that’s what happens when the front office doesn’t really know what it’s doing). Lee Nguyen and Kelyn Rowe play the same position, as both are No. 10s, and they’re shut out of the flanks by Diego Fagundez and Krisztian Nemeth, who probably won’t play second striker because they can’t have two strikers up top without a real No. 8 to play next to Scott Caldwell. This is a mess.
NYCFC: Welcome, Jesus
Jesus Medina, a winger and attacking midfielder, was signed as NYC’s third Designated Player to presumably play alongside David Villa and Jack Harrison, at least until they get a lucrative offer for Harrison. Medina is Paraguayan and a real prospect for the national team.
They’ve been quiet otherwise. With Yangel Herrera back in midfield, they’ll be good again next year.
New York Red Bulls: they traded their captain again!
New year, same team. A year after they dealt centerpiece defensive midfielder Dax McCarty to Chicago for what then seemed like a boatload of allocation money, the Red Bulls traded star No. 10 Sacha Kljestan to Orlando City in exchange for 20-year-old center-back Tommy Redding and speedy 23-year-old forward Carlos Rivas.
This is their M.O. They want to be young and fast and mobile, in line with the high-press inclinations of Red Bull. Kljestan, despite his ability to produce assists at a faster rate than Todd Gurley produces fantasy points, is 32 and decidedly not “fast and mobile.” Possible replacement Muhamed Keita and the various rumors circulating around other big attacking signings are more likely to fit that bill.
The problem for NYRB is the return they got for Kljestan. After seeing massive intra-league cash flying around in the Dom Dwyer to Orlando deal and the Nagbe trade, all they got in return for a player of Kljestan’s caliber (plus $150,000 of TAM, which they sent to OCSC) was two projects.
Redding could be good alongside proven talents Aaron Long and Aurelien Colin, although that’s no sure thing. Rivas is presumably acting as the Gonzalo Veron replacement, a dubious decision knowing the Colombian’s penchant for ruining attacks. He is a pro at piking balls into outer space.
Orlando City SC: win now, no Kljestan
Like question? Kljestan? Get it?
OCSC are moving away from the Kaka-Antonio Nocerino-Jose Aja plateau, finally. Wanting to reach the playoffs for the first time in their three-year existence, they spent a relatively cheap price for a top-tier No. 10 to go along with Dwyer, midfielder Yoshimar Yotun, and a backline of Scott Sutter, Jonathan Spector and yet-to-be-determined pieces.
Cyle Larin, linked with Borussia Monchengladbach (first-choice) and Besiktas (backup), should bring them in a nice haul. Jason Kreis wants to play his favorite 4-4-2 diamond formation, in which Kljestan is capable of featuring prominently. They’ll have to see if Dillon Powers and Jose Villarreal, both acquired this offseason, are starting-caliber.
Philadelphia Union: Do something, Philly
It’s the same story for the Union: a clear lack of ambition. They’re suffocating the development of their good players — see Rosenberry, Keegan — and still haven’t signed a good No. 10, which they need desperately. They haven’t done much at all, really.
Looks like another season of CJ Sapong scoring 15 goals all by himself. He’s like the Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid, just with less talent.
Portland Timbers: bye Darlington, hello $$$
Giovanni Savarese, former New York Cosmos coach, is on board and some things are happening. They gave up Nagbe for a large package of TAM and GAM and they just recently signed Saprissa defender Julio Cascante to aid a backline that has been consistently shorthanded.
Center midfielders are needed, and the Timbers should be looking to go big on a top-tier winger, preferably at a higher level than Sebastian Blanco, who was last season’s “top-tier winger.”
Real Salt Lake: re-signing veterans and finding a No. 9
Young and fun RSL, led by a manager (Mike Petke) fresh off a pleasant African safari vacation, will be good next year. The attacking core of Jefferson Savarino, Albert Rusnak, Joao Plata and Brooks Lennon are a talented bunch, and their Homegrown-heavy backline — led by Justen Glad and Danilo Acosta — is more than playoff-caliber.
They pulled Lennon, an RSL academy product, full-time from Liverpool and still have to bring out-of-contract veteran Americans Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman officially back to fill the goalkeeper and defensive midfielder positions.
One major need remained: the No. 9 position, where the overpaid Yura Movsisyan was loitering behind Luis Silva and false 9 Lennon on the depth chart. They’ve now signed 26-year-old Spanish forward Alfredo Ortuno, who has been around La Liga and La Liga 2.
Look for them to be a major player in the Western Conference next year.
San Jose Earthquakes: a Scandinavian flavor
After Dom Kinnear was fired in late June, replacement Chris Leitch and his willingness to experiment brought promise, playoffs and a terrible goal differential through his risky attacking tendencies. The Quakes, throwing numbers forward and playing talented young players, got wrecked in the postseason by Vancouver, but they looked solid.
This offseason they hired Swedish Allsvenskan coach Mikael Stahre to take over for Leitch, who was retained in the front office. We can only hope he continues playing with flair and integrating the myriad young talent on the roster (Jackson Yueill and Tommy Thompson in midfield please!), although we all know how well Scandinavians have fared of late in MLS.
Stahre acquired Allsvenskan veteran defender Joel Qwiberg and forward Magnus Eriksson to join a roster tasked with integrating talent that does not have an obvious fit.
Trade idea: Darwin Ceren to Montreal for Jukka Raitala.
Next: The 10 best teams in MLS history
Seattle Sounders: Maintaining the status quo
The Sounders, cruising to the MLS Cup final in 2017, are good and that does not appear ready to change. Aside from the Joevin Jones for Waylon Francis swap (a downgrade but not a deal-breaker), they haven’t gone through much personnel change. It’s up to personal preference how much you want to read into Ozzie Alonso’s Twitter outburst and what it means for the locker room.
Sporting KC: Changing of the guard
Storylines around Sporting KC have revolved around the core of Graham Zusi, Benny Feilhaber, Roger Espinoza and Matt Besler for years now. They’re managed by Peter Vermes and they stick to their 4-3-3 pressing look, locking down defensively and relying on their veterans.
Those veterans are getting older. SKC allowed the least amount of goals in MLS this season, but they let striker Dom Dwyer go midseason and they bowed out to Houston in the playoffs after falling to fifth in the standings. The same weaknesses (a lack of goalscorers and attacking diversity) persevered, and the seeds of change started to sprout.
Feilhaber, the longtime No. 10, was traded to LAFC for $400,000 of allocation money to be replaced by French attacking mid Yohan Croizet, who was signed from a Belgian club on Dec. 15. That’s big adjustment for a team notoriously set in their ways, especially considering Feilhaber is 32 and Croizet is 25. The goal now should be to use all the TAM they have sitting around to sign a goal-scorer.
Toronto FC: celebration!
TFC, winner of the first ever MLS treble, obviously had a pretty good season in 2017, so they don’t have a lot of places to improve. The group is sticking together for another go around.
We’ll see if Homegrown signing Ayo Akinola can get game time along with their other young guys who need minutes, like Jay Chapman and Jordan Hamilton.
Vancouver Whitecaps: Doubling down
I wrote just after MLS Cup about the Whitecaps. They had just traded for classic No. 9 Kei Kamara, a tall scorer who will fit right into Carl Robinson’s sit-deep-and-cross-a-lot tactics.
Since then, they haven’t done all that much aside from trading for Brian Rowe as their backup goalkeeper. Left-back Jordan Harvey left for LAFC, so they’ll have to look for a replacement there.