The MLS landscape shifted this offseason, not only expanding to a 23-team league but also changing those clubs’ approaches to roster-building with an influx of cash.
The increase in targeted allocation money, with an additional $2.8 million in discretionary TAM available to MLS teams in each of the next two seasons, has given clubs the opportunity to bring in players who had been unavailable in such quantities before.
The teams still have ample opportunity to adjust their rosters before the end of the season. The primary transfer window is open until May 1, and clubs will get a chance to move around pieces midseason during the summer transfer window. But with the MLS regular season kicking off Saturday, it’s time to look at where the league stands entering opening week.
The question of who has done the most in this window can be answered several ways. As for which team has given itself the best chance to take a big leap from last season? That would be the L.A. Galaxy.
They did have the advantage in this category of starting as low as they could — the bottom of the standings. Sigi Schmid, who was hired as coach in July and given control over player personnel decisions in October, took a look at the Galaxy’s eight-win season and cleaned house.
The Galaxy declined the contract options on 13 players and filled holes at goalkeeper (David Bingham), fullback (Jorgen Skjelvik, Rolf Feltscher, etc.), holding midfielder (Perry Kitchen, Servnado Carrasco) and striker (Ola Kamara), to name a few.
In terms of the biggest offseason signing, Atlanta United takes the cake with a record-breaking deal, acquiring 18-year-old attacking midfielder Ezequiel Barco for a reported $15 million. The second-year team also acquired Darlington Nagbe in a deal that, with contract incentives, could set a new high bar for allocation money exchanged in a trade.
Orlando City FC made the most offseason moves of any non-expansion team with a total of 13 players coming in and 15 going out as of Wednesday morning. The club took a blow when Kaká decided not to renew his contract at the end of the season and announced his retirement in December. However, his departure also freed up cash for Orlando to spend in the offseason.
Orlando reconfigured its attack with additions that included Sacha Kljestan, forward Justin Meram, and Josue Colman after finishing 10th in the Eastern Conference. It bolstered its midfield with Uri Rosell and back line with Lamine Sane. If the season goes to plan for Orlando, it could overtake the Galaxy in the most-improved category.
Other teams to keep an eye on
Remember when Toronto FC became the first domestic treble in MLS history last year? The club still is highly dangerous. Even after a record-breaking season, the Reds continued to look for ways to improve in the offseason and avoid any sort of theoretical hangover from last season.
NYCFC, led by Spanish legend David Villa, finished second in the highly competitive Eastern Conference last season. They’ve used the offseason to acquire young talent with an eye on not just this season, but also setting up themselves for a long run of success. All of their additions this winter have been 27 years old or younger, including 20-year-old designated player Jesus Medina.
On the West Coast, Portland is building off a regular-season performance that put it at the top of the Western Conference table and a postseason letdown that serves as motivation. The Timbers have brought on Giovanni Savarese, a well-sought-after coaching commodity, to manage a squad that leans on veterans Diego Valeri and Diego Chara. They’ve also bolstered their roster with a series of international acquisitions.
New kids on the block
LAFC started in a promising direction when the club hired former U.S men’s national team coach Bob Bradley. The club continued down that path when it brought on Mexican national team forward Carlos Vela as its first-ever designated player.
The roster, which was put together in a necessarily tight time frame, is not a finished product almost seven months later. However, it has potential with MLS players with a firm grasp of the league like Benny Feilhaber, Laurent Ciman and Walker Zimmerman joining Vela. But the depth on the roster could improve, as is the case with most expansion teams entering their first season.
LAFC is scheduled to play its first match at Banc of California Stadium, a soccer-specific stadium that seats 22,000, in its April 29 home opener against Seattle.
The expansion team will face Real Salt Lake much earlier, taking on RSL at Rio Tinto Stadium on March 10 for the Salt Lake side’s first home match of the season.
It is in this atmosphere that Real Salt Lake enters the season, having strategically added depth at central midfield and right back after an impressive second half of the season last year.
With the league expanding and adding TAM, every club has been given the tools to improve. How well they used those resources and continue to use them over the course of the season will determine the playoff contenders.