Aug 21 The Complete MLS Summer Transfer Window Guide | OneFootball

With any transfer window in any league around the world, sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the moves that happen for every club in that specific league. But thankfully you have friends here at MLS Aces that probably have too much time on their hands and can keep you updated on every move (both big and small) for every MLS club this summer. Are you happy with the moves that your club made this window?

Atlanta United FC

Players In: Aleksey Miranchuk & Pedro Amador

Players Out: Thiago Almada, Georgios Giakoumakis, Caleb Wiley & Aiden McFadden

Atlanta United lost a lot this window. Star attacking midfielder Thiago Almada was sold to the Eagle Football Holdings for an initial $21m, striker Giakoumakis was sold to Cruz Azul for $10m, and HomeGrown leftback Caleb Wiley to Chelsea FC for $11m. $40m+ in profit from sales is very very helpful but there is still a major loss on the field. That depletion of talent leaves zero hope for Atlanta to be in the running for any trophy in 2024.

However, if there is a bright spot it comes in the form of their new Russian Designated Player Aleksey Miranchuk. The former Atalanta man is coming off of a Europa League title and will now surely be the piece that Atlanta’s front office will build around for the future. Atlanta still doesn't have a full time manager as they look to close out 2024. I will be interested to see if a new Designated Player striker comes in the winter after this organization figures out who is leading this team on the field.

Austin FC

Players In: Osman Bukari, Oleksandr Svatok, & Mikkel Desler

Players Out: Moussa Djitte

This window once again seems to be a continuation of what Sporting Director Rodolfo Borrell is trying to build in Austin. Borrell is cleaning out what he does not like from a previous regime, and inserting his guys. This includes adding a new Designated Player winger in Osman Bukari from Red Star Belgrade. He should be (and already feels like) an immediate upgrade to their last player in that role.

Centerback Oleksandr Svatok and rightback Mikkel Desler seem like upgrades along the backline for this club. Not that I think Desler is an upgrade from Jon Gallagher, but it allows this team to have more flexibility and even push Gallagher up the field if needed. Svatok feels like a player that could be a starting centerback in 2025 once adjusted to the league. Solid window. Austin look to continue to slowly improve after their last two seasons.

Charlotte FC

Players In: Pep Biel, Karol Swiderski, Tim Ream, & Idan Toklomati (Crown Legacy FC)

Players Out: Enzo Copetti, Scott Arfield, Brecht Dejagere, & Hamady Diop (loan)

Charlotte FC have improved this summer. They have moved on from players on this roster that just never worked out in Major League Soccer or don’t fit in the future plans of new Manager Dean Smith. Enzo Copetti did not produce like a DP striker, Dejagere was not a DP/Max TAM level player, and Scott Arfield barely played. Charlotte are getting a striker back in Swiderski who has at least scored a decent amount within MLS. They sign a DP level 10 which this roster has desperately needed in Pep Biel from Olympiakos in Greece. And lastly continue to improve upon an already strong defense by adding USMNT and Premier League veteran centerback Tim Ream.

Charlotte have primed themselves for a very strong post-Leagues Cup run in MLS. With everyone clicking, I think this team could give any club in the Eastern Conference a run for their money. I do believe that in year 1 under Dean Smith, the plan is to look beyond 2024 success… but why not go for a dark horse run in the playoffs from the jump?

Chicago Fire FC

Players In: Ariel Lassiter

Players Out: Xherdan Shaqiri

No disrespect to Ariel Lassiter, I am a big fan and think he is a strong depth addition to any MLS club but… XHERDAN SHAQIRI IS GONE! Maybe more important than the on field production (or lack thereof) of Shaqiri, that massive contract is off the books for this team. Technically, this team can still make the playoffs, but personally, focus on the future. Focus on the hire of a new Sporting Director in 2025, focus on a new Manager search, and then a new DP. But hopefully positive change stems from this summer for the Fire.

FC Cincinnati

Players In: Chidozie Awaziem & Nicholas Gioacchini

Players Out: Aaron Boupendza

Many clubs in the Eastern Conference got much better this summer. Cincinnati got better, but I wouldn’t say much better. Saying that, it wasn’t due to effort. Many reports are coming out (shoutout Tom Bogert) that FC Cincinnati tried to splash some cash on some new high level strikers to replace Boupendza. Ultimately things did not work out on a permanent DP, but they were able to get a proven goal scorer in MLS in Gioacchini. No, Niko is not DP level in MLS… but obviously neither was Boupendza. Gioacchini gives Cincinnati a potential 10 goal scoring striker in this league and that might be the best they’ve had since Brenner.

Cincinnati also had to deal with their major injuries at the centerback position. This club has now lost Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund for the remainder of 2024. Thankfully, this team should have Miles Robinson back from his summer filled with international duty. But outside of that, Cincinnati have signed centerback Chidozie Awaziem who seems to look the part in the few games we’ve seen him in so far.

Colorado Rapids

Players In: Rafael Navarro

Players Out: Moise Bombito, Marko Ilic & Aboubacar Keita

The biggest move from the Colorado Rapids this window was the sale of centerback Moise Bombito to Ligue 1 side OGC Nice. The Rapids were able to make the sale over to the French club for an initial fee of $7.7m. This is going to be a huge loss on the field but, this is the type of move to prove that you can develop and sell talent for major fees. Outside of the Bombito sale the Rapids didn’t do much this window other than clear out an extra salary at goalkeeper in Marko Ilic and another at centerback in Keita who returned from loan. The other important move for Colorado was the permanent signing of Navarro from Palmeiras. In 30 games this season, Navarro has scored 13 goals and recorded 2 assists making the move to sign him as a DP the right one. The Colorado Rapids remain just under the true contenders in the Western Conference in my eyes.

Columbus Crew SC

Players In: Andres Herrera, Aziel Jackson, DeJuan Jones, Abraham Romero, & Dylan Chambost

Players Out: Aidan Morris, Marino Hinestroza (loan), & Will Sands

Well… the best team in Major League Soccer only got better. Yes, this team lost a stud and potential Best XI midfielder in Aidan Morris. But, Columbus are going to make a few million dollars off of the Morris sale to Middlesbrough and have guys like Sean Zawadzki, Alexandru Matan, Derrick Jones, Dylan Chambost, and even Aziel Jackson who can step into that midfield role. The Crew also improve at one of their three attacking spots after loaning out Hinestroza. Once again, new additions like Aziel Jackson or Dylan Chambost can fill into that depth role. More interesting to me is the improvement at wingback. DeJuan Jones has proven to be one of the best leftbacks in MLS over his last few seasons in New England. Columbus now add that to their arsenal along with Max Arfsten, Yaw Yeboah, Mo Farsi, and new right wingback Andres Herrera. Columbus have to be considered front runners for MLS Cup once again.

FC Dallas

Players In: Ruan & Manuel “Show” Cafumana

Players Out: Jose Mulato

A quiet window for FC Dallas as they got slightly better from before. First, the club seems to have upgraded their rightback position with MLS veteran Ruan from CF Montreal. Dallas didn’t have to spend much on GAM to acquire and bring in another talent on their backline. They also added another veteran leader to their midfield by bringing the “Show” to town. Show brings this squad international experience (a full Angola international) as well as championship experience (won 4 trophies during his time with Ludgorets Razgrad). I think these moves make Dallas better, but they still need to get healthy and focus on their managerial search ahead of 2025.

D.C. United

Players In: David Schnegg, Dominique Badji, Boris Enow, Luis Zamudio (Return from loan), & Jeremy Garay (Return from loan)

Players Out: Steve Birnbaum (Retirement)

D.C. United improved where they had to. They needed help in veteran attacking experience and handled that pretty well in signing Badji on a free transfer. Dominique Badji is not a world beater, BUT, this man has been in Major League Soccer for a long time now. He understands the league and can help both on and off of the field for this young group. The other spots in which this group needed to improve was the central midfield depth as well as fullback depth. Troy Lesesne seems to have his leftback of the future in David Schnegg who they acquired from the Austrian top division as well as Boris Enow from Israel. There have been flashes of hope for the future in this D.C. United squad in 2024. Let’s hope that we see these new piece acclimate quickly and this squad can have a strong winter transfer window.

Houston Dynamo FC

Players In: Ezequiel Ponce, Lawrence Ennali, & Exon Arzu

Players Out: N/A

Talk about a team who might have just pushed themselves into being a darkhorse for MLS Cup… the Houston Dynamo address their one big hole. The Houston Dynamo needed a high level DP striker added to this group. Though Ezequiel Ponce might need time to adjust, he seems like a perfect profile to be the man for this group. Adding to this group two more young talents on the wing is also an incredibly smart decision from Pat Onstad and this front office. My eyes more specifically land on Lawrence Ennali who is occupying a U22 Initiative spot. In the few minutes we’ve seen of him so far, he seems to be a major fit for MLS and for this Houston side.

Sporting Kansas City

Players In: Joaquin Fernandez

Players Out: Marinos Tzionis

I mean it hasn’t been a great season for Sporting Kansas City. With a not so great season, comes a not so great summer transfer window. SKC moved on from winger Marinos Tzionis who never broke into the starting eleven on a consistent basis for this club. This move opens up a U22 Initiative spot which could be great for a winter transfer window. This team also gets to add a central defender in Fernandez who has experience across LaLiga and in the Turkish top division.

Los Angeles FC

Players In: Olivier Giroud & Lewis O’Brien

Players Out: Stipe Biuk, Mamadou “Mbacke” Fall, Abraham Romero, Tomas Angel (Loan), Mario Gonzalez (Loan), & Francisco Ginella

LAFC cleared out a TON of space on their roster this window. This front office is smart and has moved on from players like Biuk and Ginella who will not be part of future plans. I am sure that the club would have loved to add Gonzalez to that list but at least found a loan move for him. The club was also able to make some cash back on an official sale of Mamadou Fall into the Barcelona system. Outside of clearing out space on the roster and their pockets, LAFC also were able to make two major additions for a trophy run (or four) in 2024. Steve Cherundolo now gets to rotate in one of the greatest strikers of the modern era in former World Cup champion Olivier Giroud. The type of striker that not only brings another star to MLS, but also brings a player that fits LAFC’s playing style perfectly. On top of that, LAFC bring in some needed central midfield depth in Lewis O’Brien on loan from the English side Nottingham Forest.

Los Angeles Galaxy

Players In: Marco Reus & Isaiah Parente

Players Out: Daniel Aguirre, Marcus Ferkranus, Jonathan Perez (Loan), Gino Vivi (Loan), & Aaron Bibout (Loan)

The LA Galaxy didn’t make many moves, but that does not equal the quality of moves they did make. Outside of some sales of players that clearly were not in the long term plans of Greg Vanney, the Galaxy brought another global star to Major League Soccer. Long time Borussia Dortmund attacking midfielder Marco Reus arrives to the Galaxy on a free transfer. The best part about this move is that the Galaxy were able to bring him in on a non-Designated Player deal. This front office now adds a TAM level global talent and leader to a group that has already been established with the likes of Puig, Pec, and Paintsil. Also very lowkey love the move of Parente. I really liked him within the Columbus Crew organization, it’s not shocking to me that he has played his way onto a MLS roster somewhere.

Inter Miami CFPlayers In: David Martinez

Players Out: Edison Azcona, Shanyder Borgelin, & Emerson Rodriguez (Loan)

For a club that has been in the news transfer wise in recent windows, not much going on for Miami. The biggest thing that this organization needed to address was the lack of depth and high level talent at centerback. This group was aware of that need and was able to bring in centerback David Martinez on loan from River Plate. Martinez has looked good in his few opportunities in Leagues Cup so far. I am interested to see if he can continue to adapt and elevate this Miami backline for a run at two potential trophies in 2024.

Minnesota United FCPlayers In: Kelvin Yeboah, Joaquin Pereyra, Jefferson Diaz, Anthony Markanich, Samuel Shashoua, & Matus Kmet

Players Out: Kervin Arriaga, Caden Clark, Victor Eriksson, Emmanuel Reynoso, Patrick Weah (Loan), & Morris Duggan (Loan)

For a lot of clubs this window was quiet, that is not the same theme for Minnesota United. New manager Eric Ramsey and new Sporting Director Khaled El-Ahmad did not have much time this winter to put their stamp on a transfer window. They changed that during this window and they were able to add two DP attackers, three needed bodies on the backline, and another depth attacking piece. Minnesota United have signed a DP winger from the Serie A in Kelvin Yeboah and another from Argentina in Joaquin Pereyra. I feel like these moves specifically give hints in how Eric Ramsey wants to play, maybe shifting formations over to a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1. New centerback Jefferson Diaz and rightback Matus Kmet need to prove themselves at the MLS level, but, new leftback Anthony Markanich is a proven MLS fullback and an upgrade at that position in my opinion.

CF Montreal

Players In: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Caden Clark, Tom Pearce, & Dawid Bugaj

Players Out: Chinoso Offor, Mason Toye, Ariel Lassiter, Ruan, Ousman Jabang (Loan), Grayson Doody (Loan), Rida Zouhir (Loan), & Ilias Iliadis (Loan)

Montreal seemed to have a major swap out of wingbacks for the second half of 2024. Montreal sent out Ariel Lassiter to Chicago, Ruan to Dallas, and loaned out Grayson Doody to the USL Championship. Replacing them on the roster is Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty and Dawid Bugaj at right wingback and then Tom Pearce at left wingback. In addition to that, Montreal adds another young talent in the likes of Caden Clark from Minnesota. To me, this very much feels like another CF Montreal window, investing in disgruntled young talent from around Major League Soccer. They also found some diamonds in the rough from Europe. Ultimately, another window goes by where Montreal has not signed a DP level player and they continue to try to hope a perfect formula of talent and development intersects for on field production. Meh.

Nashville SC

Players In: Patrick Yazbek & Jonathan Perez

Players Out: N/A

New manager BJ Callaghan gets his first crack at a transfer window as manager of a club side, and to be honest didn’t do too much. I can’t blame him too much, he didn’t get the official job until much later into the summer. I personally don’t think we are going to see Callaghan really begin to shape his version of this Nashville roster until the winter. However, we saw this club make two additions. The first in a U22 Initiative central midfielder from Norway in Patrick Yazbek. Yazbek has the profile and underlying numbers that scream that he could be a high level sale in the future for Nashville. However, they add Yazbek at a position group they have many similar players at. In addition, Nashville SC signs some winger depth in Jonathan Perez on loan from the LA Galaxy. Perez is a nice roster piece in MLS, but not a week-in and week-out starter.

New England Revolution

Players In: Luca Langoni, Alhassan Yusuf, Will Sands & Tim Parker

Players Out: DeJuan Jones, Henry Kessler, Henrich Ravas, & Ryan Spaulding (Loan)

Similarly to how I feel about a few of these clubs with new managers heading into 2024, I feel like this was another window for a new manager to continue to build out “his” roster. New England was able to move off of their roster some high salaries in Ravas, Kessler, and Jones. They did not do this without having the plans of adding players at those positions in Will Sands (along with an uptick of playing time for HomeGrown Peyton Miller) at leftback, giving the starting keeper role to Aljaz Ivacic, and getting Tim Parker at centerback. Parker is on a similar contract as Kessler but to me feels like an upgrade at the position and is on a shorter deal. However the big two moves from Caleb Porter and the Revs is their club record signing in U22 Initiative winger Luca Langoni from Boca Juniors and TAM level signing Alhassan Yusuf from Royal Antwerp. These are two players that feel like fulltime starters for Porter moving forward, replacing some of the “old guard” for New England.

New York City FC

Players In: N/A

Players Out: Talles Magno (Loan) & Andres Jasson

Look… I’m a New York City FC fan, I wish we did more here. New York City under Nick Cushing bottled the potential of Talles Magno. He now heads on loan to Corinthians where hopefully he can impress, raise that transfer fee, and eventually bring in a ton of cash for the club in the winter. This club still remains a dynamic DP striker away from being a very strong club in MLS.

New York Red Bulls

Players In: Felipe Carballo

Players Out: Frankie Amaya, Juan Mina (Loan), & AJ Marcucci (Loan)

The Red Bulls are a very good team and this season has produced like it for the most part in 2024. The club moved on from very talented central midfielder Frankie Amaya and was able to bring in some cash for him in a sale to Liga MX side Toluca. To replace Amaya, the club signed DP central midfielder Felipe Carballo on loan from Gremio. Carballo is an Uruguay international who not too long ago was named the Uruguay 1st division player of the season. He raises the floor of that midfield immensely. The one thing that is holding this group back is a high level striker, Dante Vanzier just isn’t that right now. I was hoping to see the Red Bulls pull the trigger and bring in that 12+ goal scoring level striker to this group, but ultimately, they kept the status quo in the attack.

Orlando City SC

Players In: Heine Gikling Bruseth & Yutaro Tsukada

Players Out: N/A

Orlando’s biggest move this summer was signing Duncan McGuire to a new contract extension. Whether McGuire is the striker of the future for Orlando or they decide to have more leverage for a future sale of the kid, this was smart of this front office to get done. Otherwise, it was the addition of two young talents this window. The first was a call-up from their MLS Next Pro side in the Japanese winger Tsukada who has had 8 goal contributions this season in the U.S. 3rd division. The other is Norwegian youth international midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth who arrives on a roughly $1m transfer fee (reporting from Tom Bogert). The 20 year old central midfielder has the profile of someone who could develop nicely in Major League Soccer over the next few seasons. Definitely one for the future for Orlando on that specific signing.

Philadelphia Union

Players In: Danley Jean Jacques, Samuel Adeniran, & CJ Olney

Players Out: Julian Carranza, Richard Odada, Sanders Ngabo, & Nelson Pierre (Loan)

The Union needed to replace the productivity of Julian Carranza who they were able to sell for a few million dollars to Feyenoord. The Union have done with a player already on the roster in Tai Baribo as well as bringing in Samuel Adeniran from St. Louis City. The additions have seemed to help this season and keep things moving for a Union side who’ve played much better soccer this summer. The Union also signed Haitian international Danley Jean Jacques as a potential midfield replacement for Jose “El Brujo” Martinez who is most likely going to be announced as sold to Corinthians soon. Jean Jacques is coming over from France where he last played for Metz who were relegated from Ligue 1 last season. The Union have potential to sneak into a top spot in the Eastern Conference this season if this positive play keeps up. But, in order for that to happen, Jean Jacques and Adeniran need to adapt quickly to their new sides.

Portland Timbers

Players In: Mason Toye & Finn Surman

Players Out: Larrys Mabiala (Retirement), Dairon Asprilla, & Nathan Fogaca

The Timbers have been another club this summer that has been playing much better from the start of 2024. The only thing that this club really needed to do was add depth. The Timbers lost some centerback depth with the shocking retirement of Larrys Mabiala and were able to bring in New Zealand international Finn Surman from the A-League. The 20 year old defender has yet to join the club as he was with New Zealand for their Olympic run this summer, so I am not too sure when we will see his debut for Portland. The other addition that was necessary was bringing in MLS experienced striker Mason Toye from Montreal. Toye was not getting consistent minutes north of the U.S. border and he should get more opportunities with the Timbers as the primary backup to Felipe Mora. I do just have to say that seeing Dairon Asprilla depart the Timbers is a very very sad sight. No more MLS Cup playoffs Dairon in Portland…

Real Salt Lake

Players In: Diogo Goncalves, Dominik Marczuk, Javian Brown, Lachlan Brook, & Benji Michel

Players Out: Carlos Andres Gomez, Fidel Barajas, Bryan Oviedo, & Ilijah Paul (Loan)

Real Salt Lake had themselves a busy transfer window but ultimately remain as one of the top candidates for MLS Cup this winter. The one thing that does hurt their chances is the sale of Carlos Andres Gomez to Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais for $11m. The young DP winger was playing fantastic throughout his time for RSL in 2024 and now the club is going to need to find production elsewhere. RSL did go out and spend $3m on new attacking midfielder Diogo Goncalves from FC Copenhagen. Pairing their new star DP with the likes of U22 Initiative winger Dominik Marczuk, MLS veteran Beji Michel, and former A-League standout Lachlan Brook. This team still ultimately has a MLS MVP candidate in striker Chicho Arango as well as U.S. youth international standout Diego Luna. The team also upgraded the backline with versatile defender Javian Brown off of MLS waivers. The Jamaican international defender has the ability to play rightback and centerback for Pablo Mastroeni’s guys.

San Jose Earthquakes

Players In: Ousseni Bouda

Players Out: N/A

I know that I wrote that New York City didn’t do anything… San Jose REALLY didn’t do anything. The club didn’t move on from any bad contracts. The club didn’t add any talent either. San Jose are a club in need of a leader to come take charge in both the front office and on the field.

Seattle Sounders FC

Players In: N/A

Players Out: N/A

Similar to San Jose here… the Sounders did absolutely nothing this window. Now, the state of the Sounders roster is in a completely different spot that San Jose… and so is their spot in the standings. Sounders fans are upset and I do think rightfully so. This is a team that maybe with a few additional pieces could push into the MLS Cup contenders category in my brain. This team could still take home a trophy however as they are into the semi-finals of the U.S. Open Cup. To me, that is their best chance of taking home a title in 2024.

St. Louis City SC

Players In: Jake Girdwood-Reich, Henry Kessler, Cedric Teuchert, Marcel Hartel, Simon Becher, Jannes Horn, Michael Wentzel, & Jayden Reid

Players Out: Aziel Jackson, Nikolas Dyhr, Samuel Adeniran, Anthony Markanich, Isak Jensen, & Tim Parker

It was clear that after the firing of Manager Bradley Carnell, this St. Louis City front office was looking for a complete change from last season’s regime. The team focused on rewarding and bringing up internal young talent in the likes of Michael Wentzel and Jayden Reid to replace the likes of Tim Parker and Anthony Markanich. The team also raised the ceiling on this squad by signing high level 2.Bundesliga talents in Marcel Hartel, Cedric Teuchert, and Jannes Horn. Of those three the most exciting signing in there to me is Hartel who was key to St. Pauli’s promotion push to the Bundesliga. The club also brought the likes of Henry Kessler in to bolster a backline that needed help and brought back to MLS Simon Becher. A good window for St. Louis, but I still think 2025 is the play for them to get back on track to the performances of their inaugural season.

Toronto FC

Players In: Henry Wingo

Players Out: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty & Cassius Mailula

John Herdman had himself a quiet summer transfer window compared to the numerous first team signings that he brought in over the winter. On the outs, and shockingly, was very talented Canadian youth international Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty who Toronto traded to their top rivals CF Montreal. It wasn’t too long ago where transfer rumors were surrounding JMR for potentially seven figure transfer deals. Now Toronto have fumbled another youth development project to only trade him inter-MLS. The only other move to dive deeper into here is the addition of Henry Wingo. The former Seattle Sounder departed MLS a few years ago now and have thrived in his time playing in Hungary for Hungarian giants Ferencvarosi. Wingo won multiple league titles there and was able to play in European competition. Now, Wingo returns to MLS as an experienced player with the ability to play fullback as well as centerback in a back three. Funny enough… John Herdman loves playing in a backthree much like we’ve seen many MLS Manager adopt in recent seasons.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC

Players In: Edier Ocampo

Players Out: Javain Brown

Another club with a quiet summer window. The Whitecaps have built a strong squad during the winter but again, to me, one major talent away from battling for top of their conference. However, this window did give me one surprise for the Caps as they moved on from Javain Brown who played A TON of minutes for them in 2023. Brown moves on and in their only addition, Vanni Sartini signs a right wingback and new U22 Initiative player in Edier Ocampo from Atletico Nacional in Colombia. The Whitecaps should be in a fine spot here. I think this team can battle and be a tough out for any club in the MLS Cup Playoffs. This team should also be on the fast track to win the Canadian Championship and earn a CONCACAF Champions Cup spot as well.