Soccer <\/p>\n
MLS\u2019s Primary Transfer Window closes in two weeks, on April 23.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Effectively, that means you can\u2019t make any significant moves \u2013 transfers or trades \u2013 until the Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 24. There\u2019s no big June or early July signings (or at least you can\u2019t register the player quite yet), and there\u2019s no mid-season trade offers that can bowl over a reluctant partner. Get it done now, or you\u2019re committed to this group for the next three months.<\/p>\n
Why\u2019s that significant? Well, July 24 is quite late in the regular season. There are about 10 matches left by that date, which means we\u2019re working in a significantly different Secondary Transfer Window landscape than as recently as 2022. That year, the Columbus Crew<\/a> added Cucho Hern\u00e1ndez in late June and he logged 16 games, which is just about 50% of the season. In 2016, Nico Lodeiro<\/a> arrived and basically resurrected a Seattle Sounders<\/a> season that was headed to the morgue.<\/p>\n Ten games might not be enough to do that. Chief Soccer Officers around the league should feel some real urgency to get moves done now, especially for teams that have not gotten off to a good start. Because if you wait for the summer window, it’s potentially too late.<\/p>\n Note that teams can add guys from their MLS NEXT Pro<\/a> affiliates and homegrowns, as well as any players who were already out of contract when the Primary Window closed. But that\u2019s a pretty narrow slice of talent.<\/p>\n With that in mind, here\u2019s what each Western Conference team should be focused on in the next two weeks. We\u2019ll go in order of the current standings:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Just some depth.<\/p>\n I can\u2019t believe they have no actual roster needs at this point. Just another name on the left back or central midfield depth chart, maybe? Jesper S\u00f8rensen is the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year frontrunner by a mile (or would be if it wasn\u2019t for the coach of the next team on this list).<\/p>\n This start, and S\u00f8rensen\u2019s ability to get the most out of younger players, gives the \u2018Caps<\/a> the luxury to wait until July to see if they need to add another piece, because their season won\u2019t need saving. What it could probably \u2013 almost certainly \u2013 use is a turbo-boost of attacking quality that a third DP would bring.<\/p>\n So until then, sit tight and keep balling.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A true center forward.<\/p>\n God, they did such a brilliant job with the Kevin De Bruyne stuff: Strongly linked to him for a year, generating positive buzz. Then, as soon as it was clear they didn\u2019t need him, Miami suddenly have his discovery rights<\/a>? Which means San Diego<\/a> don\u2019t have to take the risk of paying reportedly $12 million (or more) per year and changing the game model for a guy who\u2019s probably not going to be an ironman out there?<\/p>\n Perfect. Real 4D chess stuff.<\/p>\n Now, like the \u2018Caps, they can sit tight until potentially using that DP slot in the summer. They\u2019ll aim, I suspect, for another guy in his prime at either center forward or as one of the free 8s.<\/p>\n I would like to see them add a true No. 9 in the meantime, not as a starter but as a situational piece. They have multiple open U22 slots to use, if necessary.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Still think they could stand to upgrade central midfield.<\/p>\n No slight against Wil Trapp<\/a>, who\u2019s playing the best ball of his very good career, but that\u2019s the spot. Two reasons:<\/p>\n Khaled El-Ahmad mostly hasn\u2019t missed on his signings, so I think there\u2019s reason to expect growth from Owen Gene<\/a> and Hoyeon Jung<\/a>. So I think this is another team that can sit tight until July.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> They\u2019re thin in central defense and have to spend resources there.<\/p>\n The main thing is getting a fourth center back in. I know they have a level of comfort sliding Ilie S\u00e1nchez<\/a> back a row, and maybe pushing Guilherme Biro<\/a> inside. But they\u2019re still threadbare, with only three true center backs on the roster.<\/p>\n The midfield balance needs work, too. I\u2019d love to see Owen Wolff<\/a> \u2013 who\u2019s taken a step forward as a chance creator \u2013 moved a little deeper to make the 4-2-2-2 they\u2019ve played into a 4-3-3, with him alongside Dani Pereira<\/a>. But Ilie probably doesn\u2019t cover enough ground to play as a lone 6 in that formation, and new guys Besard Sabovic<\/a> and Nicol\u00e1s Dubersarsky<\/a> have not shown much as distributors. So it\u2019s all kinda awkward.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Another winger on the depth chart somewhere, just in case.<\/p>\n Another central midfielder wouldn\u2019t hurt, either. They\u2019re fine for now, but things could get precarious in a hurry if injuries or suspensions hit.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll have room for either \u2013 a senior roster slot, an international roster slot and cap room \u2013 with Miguel Araujo reportedly soon to be moved out<\/a>. They also have a ton of GAM to spend, so there\u2019s plenty of flexibility here even with all their premium roster slots (two DPs, four U22s) filled.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Figure out their optimal formation and go from there.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve got no open DP slots or U22 flexibility, so any improvement is going to have to come from player development.<\/p>\n If they decide on a 4-2-3-1 (which is what my guess is), two of Anderson Julio<\/a> (who’s more of a second striker), L\u00e9o Ch\u00fa<\/a> (who hasn’t been that guy), or Bernard Kamungo<\/a> (who, at one point, appeared to be that guy, but has retreated, over the past 18 months, to not-that-guy-ness) need to actually start showing up. Logan Farrington<\/a> is in that mix as well, though he’d probably just be best off as a No. 9 in a super flexible formation (honest to god if I were the Crew I’d offer Dallas the deed to the house for him; he’s a perfect fit for Nancy-Ball).<\/p>\n Which is all to say Dallas’s current personnel fits the 4-4-2 diamond better, but that\u2019s become something of a niche, counter-pressing formation in the modern game. And I don\u2019t think their game model is pointed in that direction.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> To play better, because they don\u2019t have room to do much with the roster.<\/p>\n Colorado<\/a> have used all six of their premium roster slots and most of their GAM. Their moves have been made.<\/p>\n So they\u2019re banking on Ted Ku-DiPietro<\/a> to come back healthy in the next couple of weeks and juice the attack, which seems like a worthwhile bet. They should also be counting on Chris Armas to start developing a replacement for K\u00e9vin Cabral<\/a>, who has not carried his pre-injury, 2024 form into 2025.<\/p>\n None of this matters, by the way, if the midfield doesn\u2019t start figuring itself out and building some chemistry on both sides of the ball. There have been glimpses \u2013 some really, really good performances against LAFC<\/a> and Charlotte<\/a> \u2013 but there have also been some complete no-shows.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Patience!<\/p>\n Niko Tsakiris<\/a> walking into the XI and playing like he did answers one of the biggest questions, that of midfield creativity with Hern\u00e1n L\u00f3pez<\/a> out injured. Can Beau Leroux<\/a> become a midfield enforcer and answer another? If both those things happen, that answers the bigger, cultural need: The Quakes<\/a> absolutely have to<\/em> start developing players internally or they\u2019re doomed to more prolonged struggles.<\/p>\n To that end, the Bruce Arena era is off to a very good start. I\u2019d sure like to see Max Floriani<\/a> and Reid Roberts<\/a> start getting center back minutes next.<\/p>\n They have three open U22 slots open, but I\u2019m not betting on them using any of those. Maybe Tsakiris can play his way into one, as we\u2019ve seen from other homegrown attackers around the league.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Midfield creator.<\/p>\n They\u2019re playing like a team that\u2019s slowly gotten rid of all their natural chance creators over the past couple of years, which\u2026 yeah.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve got a history of signing high-upside young attackers out of South America. They\u2019ve also got, in Jude Terry<\/a>, one of the best homegrown prospects in the entire league, though I\u2019ll admit he\u2019s probably a year away (he\u2019s just 16).<\/p>\n Of note here: We all expected this summer to be the Antoine Griezmann Arrival Summer, but now that\u2019s looking unlikely<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I am absolutely fine with that. I think we\u2019ve seen enough, over the past few years, to understand this team can and should focus on signing players in their respective primes. And if Cengiz \u00dcnder<\/a> plays his way into a permanent DP deal\u2026 hey, that\u2019s cool as hell. He\u2019s really good!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Just screaming for a starting caliber No. 9.<\/p>\n We know they\u2019ve tried to get William Agada<\/a>, Duncan McGuire<\/a> and Logan Farrington. They should try again, and harder. Any of those guys would flourish in Sandy.<\/p>\n No offense to Ariath Piol<\/a> or Forster Ajago<\/a>, both of whom look useful. Neither, however, looks ready to lead a playoff-caliber front line.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> More than anything, they need a head coach who\u2019s willing to play more than two attackers at once.<\/p>\n Barring that\u2026 look, local kid Josh Sargent would make a whooooole hell of a lot of sense for this roster. He wouldn\u2019t come cheap (he\u2019d likely be the league\u2019s record signing), but he\u2019s a perfect fit given how poorly the No. 9s currently on the roster have performed. Though if it does happen, I wouldn\u2019t expect it until summer.<\/p>\n Can St. Louis<\/a> afford to wait that long?<\/p>\n Norwich City, for what it\u2019s worth, are just about cooked in the EPL promotion race. That said, if they want to hold on and push it as long as possible, four of their remaining six games this season happen before April 23. So they really can give it the old college try, then turn around and sell Sargent at a massive profit on a timeline that actually works for St. Louis (or any other MLS team).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A young, true No. 9 with one of those open U22 slots.<\/p>\n I still think Jes\u00fas Ferreira<\/a> can work well next to (or really slightly underneath) Jordan Morris<\/a> in a 3-5-2, but the false 9 thing has not been hand-in-glove for the Sounders<\/a>. It\u2019s been\u2026 the opposite of that.<\/p>\n That they\u2019ve looked better with Danny Musovski<\/a> \u2013 a true 9 \u2013 filling in for Morris is telling. That Musovski has forgotten how to kick the ball into the net is frustrating.<\/p>\n Young goalscorers are expensive, but it\u2019s probably worth it for this team right now. Otherwise, it feels like they\u2019re betting the whole season on Morris\u2019s knees and hamstrings. Danger!<\/p>\n EDIT:<\/strong> It somehow escaped me that FIFA has implemented a special “exceptional registration window” from June 1-10 for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup<\/a>. That allows participating clubs, including the Sounders<\/a>, to sign new players before the tournament begins.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> They don\u2019t have the room to do anything significant, but should be looking for a left-footed LB on the cheap.<\/p>\n Their premium roster slots are maxed out, as are their senior roster slots, so there\u2019s not much wiggle room. Finding a left-footed left back who can get forward on the overlap \u2013 a different look from how Houston<\/a> usually play, but a good club to have in the bag \u2013 would be nice. But it\u2019d most likely have to be a player they could fit into the supplemental roster.<\/p>\n Otherwise, it\u2019s getting Ond\u0159ej Lingr<\/a> integrated and hoping U22 wingers Lawrence Ennali<\/a> and Nelson Qui\u00f1ones<\/a> are back healthy soon.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> As always, they need a center back. Or perhaps two.<\/p>\n Has rookie Jansen Miller<\/a> won a starting job? It seems like that for the time being, and that\u2019d be cool as hell \u2013 center back has been a problem spot for Sporting<\/a> for a half-decade now.<\/p>\n But if he\u2019s locking that down, and the homegrown duo of Jake Davis<\/a> and Jacob Bartlett<\/a> are full-time starters in central midfield, that makes it a lot easier to build out the rest of this roster. Developing players on rookie-scale contracts gives a team real flexibility.<\/p>\n For the time being, seeing how that plays out, and how the trio of winter signings (Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a>, Manu Garc\u00eda<\/a>, Shapi Suleymanov<\/a>) fit makes more sense as they ease into the post-Peter Vermes era than making another splashy new signing.<\/p>\n By the way, it now looks like Agada is down to third on the No. 9 depth chart. If that\u2019s the case, trading him \u2013 be it to RSL, or RBNY<\/a>, or someone else who needs a center forward \u2013 makes a ton of sense.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A seance.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t have any room to do anything, so they\u2019ve just got to stop getting injured. Along the way, they need to develop some of the young guys into contributors.<\/p>\n We\u2019re seeing steps in that direction with Harbor Miller<\/a> and Ruben Ramos Jr<\/a>. Can they conjure up a center back next? They\u2019ll need to, because the veterans on the roster have really struggled.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n