Soccer <\/p>\n
We\u2019ve got a small sample size of games that count under our belts, and with that, we\u2019ve had 180 minutes of light shined on some of the roster holes around MLS.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Can\u2019t hide when the games matter, right? If your perception heading into the season is you\u2019re deficient in one particular area, and then the first couple games of the year provide proof that your hunch was correct, well\u2026 the Primary Transfer Window is open through April 23. And the clock on the season is ticking.<\/p>\n
This is, in other words, the usual assess-and-reassess rhythm of the early season. And with assessment and reassessment of roster shapes and exploitable holes comes the need \u2013 an existentially urgent need, in some cases \u2013 to fix them.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a handful that have jumped out at me so far this season:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
This one\u2019s obvious, right? The Crew<\/a> sold Cucho Hern\u00e1ndez<\/a> and traded Christian Ram\u00edrez<\/a>, and have only replaced them from within thus far. And through two games, things are going great \u2013 Jacen Russell-Rowe<\/a>\u2019s got two goals and the Crew have six points. I would have no problem with them seeing Russell-Rowe as a starter from now on.<\/p>\n Even so, he\u2019d be the only out-and-out forward on the roster, and the only guy really capable of playing the No. 9 for an extended period. Diego Rossi<\/a> is more half-forward, half-winger, while AZ Jackson<\/a> and Dylan Chambost<\/a> are more in the attacking midfielder mold.<\/p>\n They\u2019re missing a big piece that ties it all together and elevates the collective.<\/p>\n Right now the Crew only have two DPs on the roster, one of whom \u2013 Darlington Nagbe<\/a> \u2013 can be bought down. This team could go out and get two Cuchos if they wanted to, or could go 2\/4\/2 for the extra GAM.<\/p>\n As it stands, the hot rumor is Palmeiras attacker Flaco L\u00f3pez who, like Cucho, is kind of a 9.5 rather than a pure No. 9. And a move for Flaco suddenly makes a lot more sense with Vitor Roque (who Cucho displaced in Betis) now in Sao Paulo as the presumptive starter.<\/p>\n Columbus also don\u2019t have any of their U22 slots filled. The only limiting factor at the moment is they\u2019ve only got one open international roster slot.<\/p>\n The other thing to remember: you don\u2019t get any GAM for selling a full DP overseas, so while they\u2019re not up against the wall, they\u2019re not exactly diving into a pot of cash, Scrooge McDuck-style.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n To be clear, Cincy<\/a>\u2019s starting XI is elite, and their ball progression through central midfield is very good (just shy of elite) when Pavel Bucha<\/a> is out there.<\/p>\n But when he\u2019s not, when it\u2019s Obinna Nwobodo<\/a> and Tah Anunga<\/a> together, you get the kind of performance this team put together in that 4-1 loss<\/a> to Philly<\/a> last weekend. The Union cut off Miles Robinson<\/a>\u2019s ability to pick out the wingbacks and the wide center backs couldn’t break lines, so it all fell on the central midfielders. Anunga completed just one progressive pass before coming off at the hour mark; Nwobodo, in his 90 minutes, completed just four.<\/p>\n All that meant Evander<\/a> kept dropping deeper, which shattered Cincy\u2019s shape, and the rout was on.<\/p>\n While I think the backline distribution issues will improve once Matt Miazga<\/a> is back (should be soon), if the Garys are going to do damage across multiple competitions, they need a Bucha understudy in the central midfield mix. They can\u2019t afford to run him into the ground, and as the Union showed, they can\u2019t afford to not<\/em> have him out there in a big game.<\/p>\n They have more TAM guys than anybody in the league, so they had to opt for the U22 Initiative Roster Construction model (2 DPs, 4 U22 slots, $2 million worth of GAM). And even after collecting GAM from the Lucho Acosta sale<\/a>, they have just about exhausted their funds.<\/p>\n So I think they\u2019ll go out and try to find a young CM, which makes sense given they\u2019ve got three of those U22 slots open. They also have two open international roster slots, so they really can do some overseas shopping.<\/p>\n Know what\u2019d be an interesting one, though? Noel Buck<\/a>. He was one of the best central midfield prospects in the league two years ago \u2013 a real contributor for a team on track for 65 points \u2013 but isn\u2019t even getting off the bench now for New England<\/a>. Could the teams work out a loan with a purchase option that triggers next year?<\/p>\n Do that and the Revs would get a loan fee for this year, and then get another tranche of GAM from a homegrown player sale in 2026 (staggering the sale so it triggers in January is essential since the Revs already maxed out their 2025 take via the Esmir Bajraktarevic sale<\/a>). Cincy get a young, domestic player who fills a need. And Buck gets a spot where he\u2019d get playing time.<\/p>\n Feels like a win-win-win situation.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The Dynamo<\/a>\u2019s issues clearly go beyond what one player can fix. Let\u2019s take that as a given after what we\u2019ve seen from the first two weeks.<\/p>\n With that as context, Andrew Wiebe made the point on Sunday Night Soccer\u2019s broadcast that head coach Ben Olsen feels like it\u2019s actually Micael \u2013 a left-footed, ball-playing center back who\u2019s also part brick wall \u2013 who\u2019s the biggest loss from last year\u2019s team. Most of the coverage heading into this season has been about getting a new DP No. 10 (which, to be clear, they absolutely need to do), or what it\u2019ll look like when their U22 wingers are healthy again, or how to replace Coco Carrasquilla, or how Jack McGlynn<\/a>\u2019s ready to step into a major, high-usage orchestrator role.<\/p>\n But through two games we\u2019ve seen just how tough it is to maintain Houston\u2019s system if you don\u2019t have a natural, left-footed distributor at left center back. It\u2019s a massive need, one that is potentially make-or-break for the 2025 season.<\/p>\n They\u2019re going with the 2\/4\/2 model and all four U22 slots are filled. So are both DP slots, though that\u2019s just a technicality since Artur<\/a> (who can very easily be moved into a regular senior roster slot) is occupying one of those temporarily.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll have plenty of GAM because of the model choice and the Micael sale<\/a>. The DP slot is, I\u2019m sure, being saved for the No. 10 \u2013 which is as it should be. They need an upgrade there.<\/p>\n Everything else has to go into finding their Micael replacement. Everything.<\/p>\n One slight issue at the moment is they\u2019ve only got one international roster slot open, though that can be rectified pretty easily.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This became exponentially more urgent after Chucky Lozano<\/a> limped off with what appeared to be a hamstring injury half an hour into Saturday night\u2019s scoreless draw with St. Louis<\/a> because now Mikey Varas & Co. can\u2019t rely upon the front line to do all the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a problem because thus far the midfield has been functional, at best, pushing forward. And the one guy on the roster who\u2019s classed as an attacking midfielder, Onni Valakari<\/a>, hasn\u2019t looked the part when given the opportunity:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I thought it was a weirdly timid performance from St. Louis in San Diego. And then when they did take risks, they really weren’t well-measured. pic.twitter.com\/GTrUK9wasp<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) March 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n We don\u2019t have most of their data yet, but the best guess from folks around the league is they should still have a substantial amount of GAM. That\u2019s aided by the fact that, for now, they\u2019re a 2\/4\/2 team, which will obviously change to the DP model if the long-rumored Kevin De Bruyne move happens this summer.<\/p>\n Just as obvious:<\/p>\n San Diego<\/a> have at least one open U22 slot to address this need, but no international roster slots open. They\u2019d need to wheel and deal a little bit to make room, but that can be managed given the funds they\u2019ve surely got on hand.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The main problem for Orlando City<\/a>, through two games, is that Pedro Gallese<\/a> can not stop the ball. He\u2019s allowed six goals on 2.9 post-shot xG as per FBRef<\/a>, which is four levels beyond \u201cbad.\u201d<\/p>\n Now, bear in mind this is a small sample size, but Gallese\u2019s shot-stopping numbers were really poor in 2022 and last year, as well, and weren\u2019t great in 2023 either. He\u2019s not the guy he was when he first got to Orlando five years ago.<\/p>\n He\u2019s not this bad, though, for one, and for two, in young Javier Otero<\/a>, it looks like they\u2019ve got the heir lined up.<\/p>\n So I think center back is a more dire need, as was especially apparent against Philadelphia in the opener. If Robin Jansson<\/a>\u2019s not out there, they really don\u2019t have the ability to play out from the back against anyone who brings well-structured pressure. And even when Jansson \u2013 who\u2019s now in his mid-30s \u2013 is on the field, they don\u2019t scramble well and don\u2019t command their box in the air in front of Gallese.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s time for 20-year-old academy product Thomas Williams<\/a>, who was excellent defensively and with his ball-carrying (he\u2019s not much of a passer yet) last year in MLS NEXT Pro<\/a>, to start getting first-team minutes?<\/p>\n They might need to go that route since they\u2019re committed to the 3 DP roster build model, and aren\u2019t flush with GAM. Not broke, mind you, but they won\u2019t have Houston or San Diego-style budget flexibility.<\/p>\n They do<\/em> have one U22 slot open, and given their South American scouting network and connections, I wonder if they could land a high-profile kid like Juan Rodr\u00edguez, who\u2019s a starter for Pe\u00f1arol and has already made his full national team debut with Uruguay at age 19.<\/p>\n They\u2019d need to open up an international roster slot to do it, but for a talent like Rodr\u00edguez, it\u2019d almost certainly be worth it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\nWhat kind of budget room do they have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Need: Midfield Ball-Progressor<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
What kind of budget room do they have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Need: Left-footed Center Back<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
What kind of budget room do they have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Need: Midfield Creator<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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What kind of budget room do they have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Need: Center Back<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
What kind of budget room do they have?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/p>\n