Soccer <\/p>\n
Consider this your appetizer \u2013 a 10,000-foot view of the five Eastern Conference teams I expect to be busiest during the winter transfer window (which officially closes in, uh, the spring).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
The main course \u2013 my 30-team guide to transfer window needs & Designated Player\/U22 Initiative status for all 30 teams, in the buildup to 2025 \u2013 comes out on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The below is based on what I\u2019ve heard; what\u2019s been said in end-of-season press availabilities; roster status (i.e., Atlanta<\/a> have a whole coaching staff to rebuild, so it\u2019s pretty clear they\u2019ve got some moves coming); reporting from the likes of Sir Thomas Scoopington<\/a>; and good, old-fashioned common sense.<\/p>\n East today, Western Conference<\/a> was yesterday.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In we go:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Cincy<\/a> already went out and filled their biggest need, making an MLS-record outlay for DP No. 9 K\u00e9vin Denkey<\/a>. And honestly, as long as they bring back two veterans they\u2019re in discussions with \u2013 Yamil Asad<\/a> and Nick Hagglund<\/a> \u2013 they could do not much else and still be among the best teams in the league, provided they have better injury luck than in 2024. This roster is really, really good.<\/p>\n But! This roster is not very deep, and that\u2019s the needle GM Chris Albright needs to thread since they\u2019ll be competing across numerous competitions in 2025. They currently can open a DP slot and, with the departure of Kevin Kelsy<\/a> and the tragic death of Marco Angulo<\/a>, have zero U22s on the roster.<\/p>\n Stuff that could happen:<\/p>\n That last one is incredibly massive, as Lucho spent the first two-thirds of last season playing at an MVP level before injuries hobbled him and he sounded the alarm<\/a> after their early Audi MLS Cup Playoffs exit. The latest intel I\u2019ve got is they think he\u2019ll be on the team in 2025.<\/p>\n But who knows? He\u2019s a mercurial guy, and if, say, Boca Juniors come in with the right number\u2026 I don\u2019t know. I wouldn\u2019t bet on it happening, but I\u2019m not ruling it out.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Contracts declined on three veterans? Ok. Purchase option declined on DP playmaker Pep Biel<\/a>? Not at all unexpected. So there\u2019s likely at least one big, new piece \u2013 and remember, last summer Charlotte were linked to Giovani Lo Celso, so when I say big I mean BIG \u2013 coming to this team.<\/p>\n Beyond that, the big decision is whether or not to buy out the final year of Karol Swiderski<\/a>\u2019s DP deal (assuming they can\u2019t move him outright, which would obviously be the first choice). If they manage that, they\u2019ve got two open DP slots to play with and an owner who hasn\u2019t been shy about opening the checkbook (even if GM Zoran Krneta’s record with DPs has been less than stellar).<\/p>\n It\u2019s not as many moving pieces as some of the other teams in the East, but $30 million spent on two new guys would not shock me at all.<\/p>\n The other thing to keep an eye on: Will there be a godfather offer for center back Adilson Malanda<\/a>? If that comes through, then Krneta and his staff will suddenly be much, much busier.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This team is undergoing an almost complete teardown, which obviously will be followed by a rebuild. In most years, in most conferences, that\u2019d have them at No. 1 on the list. But in this year\u2019s version of the East, they manage only the bronze medal spot.<\/p>\n New England<\/a> have either traded, declined options on, or let walk outright 14 players from last year\u2019s roster, which clears over $6 million of salary budget. That is quite literally half the team.<\/p>\n Add in reports<\/a> of DP No. 9 Giacomo Vrioni<\/a> being on his way out and we\u2019re up to $8+ million and an open DP slot. That\u2019s on top of two open U22 Initiative slots.<\/p>\n The work filling out the roster has already started, as they used TAM to sign Colombian center back Brayan Ceballos<\/a> from Brazilian club Fortaleza, and spent a reported $1.7 million for Mali international center back Mamadou Fofana<\/a> from Ligue 2 club Amiens SC. My guess is that\u2019s the starting center-back pairing, and they\u2019ll use one of those U22 slots on a young backup.<\/p>\n The other spots they need to address are central midfield and center forward (whether or not they manage to ship off Vrioni).<\/p>\n They obviously have the resources to do all of it. But it will be a busy<\/em> couple of months ensuring this team\u2019s ready to go in February.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Technically speaking, as new head coach and director of football Gregg Berhalter gets going, Chicago<\/a> have one DP slot open. But there is maybe no more obvious buyout candidate in the entire league than Gast\u00f3n Gim\u00e9nez<\/a>, who\u2019s entering his 92nd season with the club and somehow \u2013 somehow! \u2013 keeps getting his deal renewed.<\/p>\n So I\u2019m assuming Chicago will look for two new DPs. And I\u2019m assuming owner Joe Mansueto, who\u2019s been among the highest-spending owners in the league over the past decade, won’t suddenly put his checkbook away. If you set the over\/under at $30 million of new spend, I would hammer the over.<\/p>\n That’s before factoring in Chicago’s open U22 Initiative slot, which they just managed by sending Georgios Koutsias<\/a> on loan across the pond. Could Federico Navarro<\/a> join him? It wouldn\u2019t shock me at all.<\/p>\n Oh, and they\u2019ve already done great work in the league by signing veteran CB Jack Elliott<\/a> \u2013 my favorite available free agent \u2013 to a deal this week. I\u2019m not sure there will be more of that coming (their cap remains a mess), but they\u2019re already a better team than they were at the end of October.<\/p>\n Get those DPs right, though, and Chicago might actually make the playoffs.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The highest-spending owner in league history has two open DP slots and two open U22 slots, plus around $30 million worth of unspent funds left over from the summer transfer window.<\/p>\n That alone would make Atlanta the No. 1 team to watch this winter. But wait, there\u2019s more!<\/p>\n A confounding factor is it\u2019s not clear whether the one DP they\u2019ve got on the roster, Alexey Miranchuk<\/a>, is all that good. Nor is it clear whether he fits best as a winger or a No. 10 in a 4-2-3-1, or maybe as a half-space merchant in a 3-4-2-1. That\u2019s a big, big worry. Good luck with that, Mr. New Coach!<\/p>\n Anyway, this team\u2019s about to make some massive moves and spend more money than anybody in MLS history, all while building out their front office and coaching staff. They also need midfield\/backline depth and could work some more significant trades (they\u2019ve already made a minor one).<\/p>\n So yeah, in the East and MLS overall, Atlanta are the No. 1 team to watch this winter.<\/p>\n Eleven players from last year\u2019s team were either out of contract or saw their options declined. Add in the mid-summer retirement of Steve Birnbaum<\/a>, and that\u2019s 12 guys whose deals took up more than $5.5 million worth of salary budget. Oh, and they’re reportedly selling homegrown center back Matai Akinmboni<\/a> to Premier League side AFC Bournemouth, which nets them a bunch of GAM to throw at any signings.<\/p>\n\n
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Darkhorse to Watch<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n