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 Eastern Conference team should be focused on in the next two weeks. (The Western Conference dropped<\/a> yesterday). We\u2019ll go in order of the current standings:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Another striker.<\/p>\n Believe me, I had a whole other blurb ready to go before news dropped Wednesday morning that Columbus had pulled off a giant move: a cash trade for Philly<\/a>‘s goalscoring No. 10 D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a> (good scooping, Tommy<\/a>).<\/p>\n Gazdag is an excellent fit because of his flexibility (he floats between playmaker and goalscorer even in less flexible systems than Wilfried Nancy’s), experience and quality. He’s not exactly a direct Cucho replacement \u2013 they’re different players \u2013 but also, he is<\/em> the direct Cucho replacement. There are a ton of similarities in where their goals come from. Like 80% of them, anyway.<\/p>\n Nancy has talked, in basically every postgame presser, about how the team\u2019s missing a bit of final-third quality. Gazdag fills that hole. This move makes a ton of sense for the Crew, who needed more than just a body: they needed another match-winner. Gazdag has been that.<\/p>\n He slides into that attack alongside Diego Rossi<\/a>, another player who is half a 9, half a playmaker, and half a winger (he\u2019s a lot of player). Together they should be excellent, and some combo of AZ Jackson<\/a>, Dylan Chambost<\/a> and Max Arfsten<\/a> backing them up provides adequate depth.<\/p>\n Here is the quick tactical explanation:<\/p>\n Don’t expect highlights. Just expect goals.<\/p>\n Jacen Russell-Rowe<\/a> remains the only true No. 9 on the roster (though bear in mind that he, too, ends up being a raumdeuter who gets more touches in the right half-space than in traditional No. 9 spots) and he\u2019s been really good. I don’t think they should recruit over him with another DP slot (they could also buy Darlington Nagbe<\/a> down).<\/p>\n There is also soon-to-be-17-year-old academy product Chase Adams<\/a>, who’s probably the best center forward prospect in all of US soccer right now. I’m not sure he’s physically ready for MLS yet, but maybe there’s an element of keeping the runway clear for him to get playing time in the second half of the season?<\/p>\n Even so, I’d like to see them go out and find another semi-proven striker to add to the mix. Just to have that club in the bag in case they need to play it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A third-string left back, I guess? (And someone to convince the Bar\u00e7a boys to rest occasionally).<\/p>\n Just a ridiculously complete roster with no real needs as long as they keep developing their youngsters into meaningful contributors (so far, so good on that front under Javier Mascherano).<\/p>\n Will Julian Gressel<\/a> be dealt before the window closes, by the way? Exiling him the way they have makes zero sense, even if the roster as it\u2019s constructed is pretty much bulletproof.<\/p>\n Note 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 Miami<\/a>, to sign new players before the tournament begins.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Ok, they clearly need a center back, so I’m leaving the original blurb in. After Ian Glavinovich<\/a>\u2019s meniscus injury, they\u2019re suddenly thin in the middle of the backline, with 17-year-old Neil Pierre<\/a> the only name on the depth chart behind starters Jakob Glesnes<\/a> and Olwethu Makhanya<\/a>.<\/p>\n I doubt they\u2019re planning to go out and spend, and they don\u2019t really have room to do so anyway since the senior roster is basically full.<\/p>\n But is a trade possible? They don\u2019t need to swing for the fences here. They can find a veteran who knows how to soak up regular-season minutes.<\/p>\n Here, however, are some additional thoughts following the reported Gazdag trade:<\/p>\n Union sporting director Ernst Tanner is relentless about pushing young players into big minutes, so I suspect it’s the latter. Though keep an eye on Indiana Vassilev<\/a> as well. He’s a Bradley Carnell favorite and has been very good for the Union since arriving from St. Louis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> To get Patrick Agyemang<\/a> untracked.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n This is another incredibly deep roster with no real needs, other than to keep building chemistry and play better in the final third. The record\u2019s good, but it hasn\u2019t quite clicked yet for Agyemang, Wilfried Zaha<\/a> and Pep Biel<\/a>. They should give it time.<\/p>\n So I think they\u2019ll stand pat until summer, which is the right call, though I wouldn\u2019t rule out a minor trade.<\/p>\n Would Ben Bender<\/a> have any value around the league? I could see him being very useful for, say, D.C. United<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Central midfield ball progressor.<\/p>\n Cincy<\/a> have done an incredibly good job staying afloat despite all the injuries, which is a credit to head coach Pat Noonan and the players. There aren’t many teams that could regularly use center backs five through eight on their depth chart and collect results.<\/p>\n I still want to see them add a U22 central midfield ball progressor, though. Too much of it falls on the shoulders of Pavel Bucha<\/a>, and the whole thing devolves pretty heavily towards junk-ball if he\u2019s not on the field.<\/p>\n They have several open U22 slots they can use, and ownership that\u2019s never minded spending a bit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A young center back with upside.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve gotten real contributions down the depth chart at d-mid, which answers a huge short-term question I had about them (neither Joran Gerbet<\/a> nor Colin Guske<\/a> are made-up names designed to test your BS detector \u2013 both are real players who have played real minutes this year). Longer term, they need to do what it takes to get C\u00e9sar Ara\u00fajo<\/a> to re-sign, as Tom Bogert pointed out in his column<\/a> yesterday.<\/p>\n The question, then, shifts to central defense. Juan Rodr\u00edguez, a 19-year-old starter for Pe\u00f1arol who\u2019s already made his national team debut for Uruguay, makes so much sense with that open U22 slot they\u2019re sitting on.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Patience.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure they\u2019re keeping a DP slot open for the summer, which is what they should do given how well everything is functioning at the moment. Once Brian Guti\u00e9rrez<\/a> gets back \u2013 soon, I think \u2013 they\u2019ll finally have their first-choice front six, and my guess is they\u2019ll cook.<\/p>\n If\/when Chicago<\/a> sell Guti\u00e9rrez this summer, that opens up the need for a No. 10, and then that becomes the obvious way to use that DP slot. No sense moving until the dominoes start falling, though.<\/p>\n Are they a little light at center back with all the injuries? Yes, but it\u2019s probably not enough to necessitate a move.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> An elite attacker with pace who will run in behind<\/p>\n So, Tottenham don\u2019t want Timo Werner. And that means he\u2019s headed back to RB Leipzig \u2013 who also don\u2019t want him \u2013 this summer, with the intent to \u201cassess new club options<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Any chance all parties involved could kill the Tottenham loan right now and get Werner to Harrison? He\u2019d be fresh \u2013 he rarely played in three months \u2013 and is exactly what this RBNY<\/a> team needs, both on the field and in terms of firing up the fanbase.<\/p>\n Werner is under contract with Leipzig until the summer of 2026, so RB Global\u2019s on the hook for his salary regardless. And RBNY have an open DP slot.<\/p>\n This one makes so, so much sense.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A goalscoring winger.<\/p>\n Nashville<\/a> have started playing really good ball, but have not figured out how to score consistently. Hany Mukhtar<\/a>\u2019s not the threat he was two years ago, Sam Surridge<\/a> won’t win the Golden Boot any time soon, and Ahmed Qasem<\/a> thus far is more of a playmaker than an in-the-box guy.<\/p>\n I’d love to see them find a U22 winger who understands where goals come from and how to get into those spots; the 2018 version of Diego Rossi, basically. A player like that would raise the hell out of this team\u2019s ceiling.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> Given the constant errors, center back seems like the spot that most urgently needs addressing.<\/p>\n There\u2019s an argument for adding a high-level midfield ball-winner, but I actually like what I\u2019ve seen from Tristan Muyumba<\/a> so far this year, and Ajani Fortune<\/a> seems to have added some of that to his game. Three weeks ago, I\u2019d have said that kind of No. 6 was the top priority, but I don\u2019t think I feel that way anymore.<\/p>\n What I do feel, though, is the center backs have repeatedly cost Atlanta<\/a> points.<\/p>\n I would not be shocked if they felt it was appropriate to make a move before the window closed. That said, we all know Garth Lagerwey and Chris Henderson prefer to wait until summer, so I’m guessing that\u2019s what they\u2019ll do.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> DP No. 10<\/p>\n It\u2019s cool watching Maxi Moralez<\/a>, he of the salt-and-pepper beard that\u2019s becoming more and more salt, out there still providing value at age 38. But they\u2019re probably stretching him too far at this point, and homegrown kid M\u00e1ximo Carrizo<\/a> probably won\u2019t be ready for another few years.<\/p>\n So yeah, a replacement for Santi Rodr\u00edguez is the obvious thing here. Although I would argue the bigger need is for the young wingers NYCFC<\/a> spent large on (Juli\u00e1n Fern\u00e1ndez<\/a> and Agust\u00edn Ojeda<\/a>) to justify that outlay.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A secondary goalscorer.<\/p>\n Hopefully Fidel Barajas<\/a> can get on the field and fix some of the chance creation issues, but really, this is supposed to be a pressing team, and pressing teams are supposed to create chances via the overall system. \u201cThe press is the best playmaker,\u201d right?<\/p>\n If that\u2019s the thinking \u2013 and as long as Troy Lesesne\u2019s the coach, I\u2019m pretty sure it will be \u2013 they need to sign someone who can lighten Christian Benteke<\/a>\u2019s goalscoring load. Whether that\u2019s a second forward, or a goalscoring winger, or a box-arriving 10, what\u2019s clear is the guys on the roster haven\u2019t been up to the task.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> A cultural reassessment.<\/p>\n They\u2019re giving big minutes to two guys (Ignatius Ganago<\/a> and Maxi Urruti<\/a>) who haven\u2019t scored consistently in two years, while their high-upside young midfielders and attackers can\u2019t get on the field. That’s sort of the opposite of who the Revs<\/a> were, culturally, when things were going well a few years back.<\/p>\n It can’t hurt to play and develop those guys when the veterans aren\u2019t carrying their weight. So far this year, they haven’t.<\/p>\n New England, for what it\u2019s worth, have a tiny bit of roster and budget flexibility. But given how much they spent this offseason to overhaul almost everything, I doubt they\u2019re about to dive into the transfer water again.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> The Italian DPs to continue their form from Sunday night.<\/p>\n Toronto<\/a> went out and got Maxime Dominguez<\/a>, who is supposed to be their line-breaking, chance-creating central midfielder. That should help.<\/p>\n But what they really need is for Federico Bernardeschi<\/a> and Lorenzo Insigne<\/a> to keep playing like they give a damn, because it\u2019s clear neither is going anywhere else any time soon. Insigne reportedly turned down multiple chances to depart, Bernardeschi is under contract for several more years, and ownership has shown no indication that buyouts are imminent.<\/p>\n These guys can be very good when they put their minds to it. Will they?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Need:<\/strong> They\u2019ve got an open DP slot and a massive need for a No. 10.<\/p>\n The team leaders in expected assists are center forward Prince Owusu<\/a> and center back George Campbell<\/a>, who have each totaled 0.9 xA on the season. Last year\u2019s No. 10, Bryce Duke<\/a>, has created three open-play chances in nearly 400 minutes. The guy who was brought in to start at the 10 ahead of last season, Dominic Iankov<\/a>, has played just 10 minutes all year.<\/p>\n Maybe winter addition Hennadii Synchuk<\/a> is supposed to be that guy, but it\u2019s tough to put that much pressure on an 18-year-old during his first year in a new country.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
Center back<\/s> Uhhh… attacking midfielder?<\/p>\n\n