Major League Soccer’s 27th season is right around the corner, with the earliest start date in league history, February 26th. MLS will kick off in February due to the 2022 World Cup, but this season promises to be one of its most exciting.
After NYCFC was crowned champions in 2021, all 28 teams got to work on building their rosters towards next season, with some big names both coming and going.
Here is an overview of some of the biggest winners and losers so far in the MLS offseason. We have ranked them based on their offseason dealings.
Winners
Orlando City: Maybe the team with the best winter transfer market, the Lions might have lost Daryl Dike but adjusted to make room for one of the league’s biggest signings Uruguayan Facundo Torres. Torres is coming off of a career building year at Peñarol and will most likely be one of the biggest points of attack for the club this year.
Ercan Kara of Austriacomes in to replace the goals left behind by Dike as more of a win now signing at 26, and Orlando resigned Mauricio Pereyra and added prospect César Araújo. This could be the year of Orlando City.
Seattle Sounders: Quality over quantity, the steal of the offseason was the Sounders landing free agent Albert Rusnak and resigning Raúl Ruidíaz. The Sounders knew when to pull the trigger and could have an explosive attack this season.
Inter Miami: All credit goes to Chris Henderson for using every trick in the book to rebuild one of the worst put together teams in recent MLS history. Out are dead weight players like: Nicolas Figal, Rodolfo Pizarro, and Julian Carranza. In is DeAndre Yedlin, Leonardo Campana, Ariel Lassiter, and with an inspired Gonzalo Higuaín Inter Miami might finally break their funk.
FC Dallas: FC Dallas may be the best club at producing talent in MLS but long gone are the days the team fought for silverware. That has changed as the club has pumped some of that transfer money into very interesting signings, Nanu, Maarten Paes, Paul Arriola, and Alan Velasco have FC Dallas fans thinking, this year the club will be more than just a feeder club to Europe.
Decent but not overwhelming
New England Revolution: Following the best regular seasons in MLS history the Revs did not shake the market instead picked here and there to build on what they have. Whatever USMNT Twitter says, Sebastian Lletget is a big signing in MLS and hopefully regains his form under Bruce Arena.
LAFC: LAFC is trying to get the egg off their face after a miserable 2021, the team added Kellyn Acosta, Franco Escobar, and Isamel Tajouri-Shradi. Still a healthy Carlos Vela and a year’s worth of Brian Rodríguez and Cristian Arango is what the club is truly placing their bets on.
Losers
San Jose Earthquakes: Stuck in trying to see out Matías Almeyda’s contract the club made no real significant signing for the exception of Jan Gregus. You’d figure the team would push a bit harder to get up the standings, but it doesn’t seem that way.
Toronto FC: Yes, how could a club that signed Lorenzo Insigne have a bad offseason, there are glaring questions about the rest of the field for TFC. Jozy Altidore looks on his way out, but the club still has Michael Bradley as a point man, well past his prime. Aside from Insigne the club has yet to really address other issues.
New York Red Bulls: NYCFC just won MLS cup and the Red Bull family have left the NY Bulls out to dry. No real signing of significance, no real crowd driver, looks like RBNY are playing second fiddle again to NYCFC this season.
Los Angeles Galaxy: Stuck in what they once were the Galaxy are penny pinching it, yes there are individual names that are sure to elevate the team, but the club needs another big signing to get fans behind the idea that the Galaxy are back. They look midtable at best.
* We will go into other teams later on this week.