One Week Left: Summer Window Transfer Needs
A quick look at what should happen for all 30 teams
I thought this would be a handy little guide to have with, now, seven days left in the summer transfer window. Nothing fancy here, just a one-by-one of all the teams with what they should do in this final week.
I’m publishing this here instead of MLSsoccer because MLSsoccer is simply jam-packed with Leagues Cup coverage right now – the poor guys on the editorial desk have been swamped for 3 weeks – and there’s just not enough bandwidth for them to do much else. But I still had the itch to get something down on paper, so here I am, firing from the hip.
Two notes:
Marc Machado’s excellent newsletter (and the fact that he has a spreadsheet with a running tally of every single MLS trade, and estimates of each team’s balance of GAM) was incredibly useful here. I suggest you click through (and maybe yell at him to publish his thoughts a little more often).
The Soccerwise depth charts and roster pages were just as valuable. As always, I highly recommend you join their Patreon for access.
Ok, I’m going in order of Supporters’ Shield standings1, and bear in mind that this is a very bare-bones look at what needs doing, not a complete summary of the window. You’ll get that in 10 days on MLSsoccer when I hand out my grades:
Philadelphia Union: As of now, with this roster, there’s not much left to do unless they want to go big (they’ve got an open DP slot, an open U22 and plenty of GAM). We all know that’s not their style, though.
FC Cincinnati: On paper this was a very good window. Set for the stretch run.
San Diego FC: I’d have loved to see them go big on a DP No. 9, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.2
Inter Miami: Honestly, I didn’t think this team needed to make moves this window. But now, with potentially two open U22 slots and a need to get some young legs they trust3 up top, feels like more are on the way. A reliable back-up to Luis Suarez is the need.
Nashville SC: Don’t have much GAM. Don’t have any int’l roster slots. Don’t have many options here but to hope one more attacker steps up to share the goalscoring load.
Vancouver Whitecaps: They’re loaded up, but are a bit thin at CB with Ranko Veselinovic’s ACL tear. I don’t think they need to go get a starter, but a contributor would help.
Columbus Crew: With the development of Cesar Ruvalcaba they have adequate depth in defense – provided Rudy Camacho is ever coming back. If he’s perma-broken, they need to address that4.
Minnesota United: They are absolutely loaded with GAM, to the point that they could easily switch from the U22 roster model to the DP model and add a third true DP central midfielder. And they absolutely need to do that – someone who can exert some control on the game with the ball – if they’re going to compete with the big boys in the playoffs, especially as teams have sort of figured out they can cram the box against them.5
Orlando City: An understated window, but well done. Ready for the stretch run.6
Seattle Sounders: I know they’ve said that Joao Paulo’s injury isn’t as bad as initially feared, and that he’s coming back before the end of the year. But I’d like to see them add a veteran d-mid who can occasionally rest Cristian Roldan, who is the Rodri of this team.
Real interest in a couple of U22 forwards, as reported out by the gang at Sounder at Heart, but given Seattle’s developmental track record at that spot, that is not where I’d be spending money.
LAFC: Love this roster, but I’d love it even more if they spent that open DP on a free 8 with chance creation chops (think Jose Cifuentes). But I don’t think that’s in the cards.
NYCFC: Honestly, if Keaton Parks can come back healthy this team is a fun, darkhorse MLS Cup pick.
Still, one more CB would be nice.
EDIT: I’d forgotten they were on the verge of inking Brazilian CB Raul Gustavo of Ferencvárosi, which was announced literally 10 minutes after I pubbed this. Hence the danger of writing without an editorial net.
AFC Charlottetown: “Harry Toffolo” sounds like crude Brit slang for someone who doesn’t shave his pubes. Like Orlando this has been a good, understated window with no obvious, lingering needs.
Portland Timbers: The Timbers have literally never gone about roster building the way I would, but this now looks like a playoff side to me.7
Chicago Fire: I was really hoping they’d go big this window in that way that LAFC and Vancouver went big. No offense to André Franco8 but I still think they need that if they’re going to win something.
Austin FC: Simply don’t have the GAM or the cap space or the int’l roster slots to do much.
New York Red Bulls: RBNY fans are begging for an ambitious signing with that open DP slot. They are begging for Timo Werner.
Colorado Rapids: You don’t sell your playmaker unless you’ve got a move lined up for his replacement, right?
Real Salt Lake: Made a ton of signings and the roster is now absolutely stuffed. Kind of feel like they should trade someone for some GAM.
San Jose Earthquakes: Can they go out and get their DP No. 10? In a perfect world this ends up being Niko Tsakiris’s job, but I doubt that’s going to be the choice.
Houston Dynamo: It’s not about making moves at this point, it’s about finding the right mix of players to actually execute.
FC Dallas: Got an all-time bailout with the Lucho sale, but I don’t think they’re in any rush to fill that gap. Need left back depth, which, my guess is that’s coming from within as they start talking about being a developmental club again.
New England Revolution: They were super busy for the millionth straight window, and have almost entirely Ship of Theseus’d this roster from 18 months back. Still need to find a little central midfield depth.
Sporting KC: If they let contracts expire they’ll have almost expansion team-level cap and roster space to work with this winter. That’s what they should do.9
Atlanta United: Shouldn’t do anything except see if they can move off some of their bad contracts, be it in-league or otherwise.
Toronto FC: They’ve gone from zero GAM in May to over $1.5 million now as per Marc’s spreadsheet, and will have two open DP slots and an almost entirely clean cap heading into next year.
Obviously they have to get those signings right, but this was an exceptionally well-done asset acquisition portion of their stealth tank season.10 That’s the mode they should stay in for the next week.
St. Louis City: If a Liga MX team really does come in with an offer for Joao Klauss – as has been rumored – they should sell him. And should be open to selling/trading almost everyone else on the roster.
D.C. United: Sell or trade whoever. Get assets. Tear it down to the studs.
Montreal Impact: Man, I hated the Matty Longstaff deal, and I detailed why on Bluesky.
Anyway, instead of buying they should very much be selling. Anyone got any interest in Kwadwo Opoku? Sunusi Ibrahim? Bryce Duke? Joel Waterman?
LA Galaxy: Capped out, no GAM, no young players to sell. If someone offers them money for Julian Aude they should absolutely take it, or if a contender gets desperate for No. 9 depth for the stretch run they should be VERY open to offers on Christian Ramirez. Or virtually anyone else on the roster.
In this house we use PPG.
The fact that they’re collecting USYNT kids like infinity stones has got me jacked. Pedro Soma is going to pop playing for Mikey Varas, in the way that Luca Bombino already has. If you’re a USMNT sicko this is your MLS team.
Putting out an APB for poor Allan Obando.
There have been Joel Waterman whispers.
They might win the US Open Cup anyway. This is a really good team that’s one piece and a game model tweak away from being excellent.
This team needs to cash in on either Ramiro Enrique or Duncan McGuire at some point, but that’ll almost certainly come in the winter.
Provided their new DP signing doesn’t shoot from outside the box every chance he gets, which… yeah that was not an encouraging into presser!
If he turns out to be the second coming of Carles Gil I’ll put my hand up and take the L.
If they’re not going to use Stephen Afrifa – and it seems clear they’re not – they should see if they can get some conditional GAM for him. He’s one of my favorite “buy low” opportunities out there, especially for the Canadian clubs.
To be clear: A good stealth tank does not matter in the long run if it is not followed by a good talent acquisition & development phase of the rebuild.
Okay, I have to ask.
I'm out of the loop on why Charlotte gets a different name EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE!!!!
Can anyone enlighten me?
Does DC need to replace Allan Mackey?