Soccer <\/p>\n
We\u2019re just days away from the start of MLS preseason, and less than a month-and-a-half from first kick. The offseason moves fast, folks.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Still, we\u2019re probably months away from the big signings that will define 2026. Lionel Messi<\/a> arrived mid-season back in 2023, and both Thomas M\u00fcller<\/a> and Son Heung-Min<\/a> arrived during the summer last year. I wrote, earlier this week, about the global superstars<\/a> who could be following in their footsteps this year.<\/p>\n That doesn\u2019t mean no work\u2019s been done, however. In fact, I would argue that the most important work \u2013 the building out of spines and foundations \u2013 is what the winter window has traditionally been used for. And it\u2019s certainly what we\u2019ve seen over the past month, since Messi & Friends lifted MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi<\/a>.<\/p>\n With that in mind, here are the four most important moves of the MLS offseason so far, ones that might truly determine who lifts a trophy or two. And in a massive shift, most of them are intraleague free-agent signings.<\/p>\n Feels like a true turning point.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Cristian Espinoza<\/a> being a free agent in the first place was not supposed to happen: the Quakes<\/a> had an option for the 2026 season that they didn\u2019t exercise. When they came back to the table to try to keep the Argentine winger \u2013 one of the very best players in club history, with 39g\/70a in 236 appearances across all competitions over seven seasons \u2013 he declined.<\/p>\n And now he\u2019s here<\/a>, in Nashville<\/a>, with a team that has desperately needed a third match-winner to climb into the ranks of the league\u2019s true elite. They\u2019re really close; remember, they won the US Open Cup<\/a> last year. But there\u2019s still another level to hit, as Inter Miami<\/a> reminded them in Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.<\/p>\n Espinoza should move the \u2018Yotes towards that goal. He\u2019s a true right winger (meaning he doesn\u2019t play inverted; he\u2019s right-footed and tends to stay wider, and is one of the best crossers of the ball the league\u2019s ever seen), and is a perfect fit around the club\u2019s other two DPs. That\u2019d be true No. 9 Sam Surridge<\/a> and former Landon Donovan MLS MVP Hany Mukhtar<\/a>, who operates sometimes as an orchestrating No. 10 but, more often, as a kind of second forward.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a map of all of Espinoza\u2019s passes in attacking sequences that ended with a shot for last year\u2019s Quakes:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n You can see where he primarily does his work (and, obviously, that he takes corner kicks). Among all players with 20+ appearances last year, Messi led the league with 0.52 expected assists per 90, as per Opta. Espinoza was No. 2, at 0.42.<\/p>\n This is a huge get. All offseason, I\u2019ve had it in my head that Miami, Vancouver<\/a> and LAFC<\/a> are the group of three at the very top, with everyone else a tier down. I might now have to consider that a gang of four.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m just going to talk pure numbers here:<\/p>\n Throughout most of the season, \u00d3scar Ustari<\/a> was the goalkeeper for Inter Miami. As per American Soccer Analysis\u2019s all-in-one \u201cGoals Added\u201d metric, Ustari netted out as one of the worst \u2018keepers in the league, registering -0.19 g+ per 90.<\/p>\n Late in the season, head coach Javier Mascherano made a bold call, benching Ustari in favor of young Rocco R\u00edos Novo<\/a>. It took a lot of faith (or a lot of frustration; your call on how you choose to interpret that), but R\u00edos Novo repaid it with some very good play down the stretch and into the playoffs. He played about 1,500 minutes last year across all competitions and registered a +0.14 g+ per 90, which puts him just outside the top 10 \u2018keepers in the league. Good stuff.<\/p>\n Dayne St. Clair<\/a> won Goalkeeper of the Year<\/a> and put up a +0.30 g+ per 90. He also sent the Seattle Sounders<\/a> home with two PK shootout wins in Round One of the playoffs, and has only ever lost one PK shootout in his MLS career.<\/p>\n Miami\u2019s front office has been doing amazing work all offseason (I highly recommend Arman Kafai\u2019s newsletter<\/a> explaining the cap mathematics behind all the moves they\u2019ve made), upgrading virtually every line of a team that won MLS Cup last year and the Supporters\u2019 Shield the year before.<\/p>\n But getting the league\u2019s best goalkeeper? Taking last year\u2019s biggest weakness and turning it into an almost unmatchable strength?<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think 80 points and a treble are out of the question.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Bringing the hunger. Ready to get to work \ud83e\udde4\u26bd\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/DkRkGqkuuD<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Inter Miami CF (@InterMiamiCF) January 4, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Two months ago, I\u2019d never heard of Mbekezeli Mbokazi<\/a>, a 20-year-old center back whom the Fire<\/a> reportedly paid $3 million for this winter in using a U22 Initiative roster slot<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n When the move was first rumored, I spoke to some folks familiar with African soccer, and they assured me this was a sure-thing signing. I then watched some clips and was impressed; the scouting report seemed to check out.<\/p>\n But clips are just clips, right? You can make almost anyone look like a star if you\u2019ve got a good enough sample size and an unscrupulous enough editor. That\u2019s the whole point of highlight reels.<\/p>\n Luckily, AFCON was taking place just as all of this was unfolding, and it turns out that Mbokazi had earned himself a starting spot for South Africa. He went 90 minutes in all four games (three in the group and a knockout round loss against a loaded Cameroon attack), and folks, the clips did not lie. Mbokazi is not perfect, but he\u2019s ready. Clearly and obviously.<\/p>\n He\u2019s also a great fit, looking something like the perfect partner for Jack Elliott<\/a> in the middle of Chicago\u2019s backline. Yes, there is a slight caveat that most of the minutes I\u2019ve seen Mbokazi play have been in a back three, whereas for Chicago, he’ll likely spend most of his time in a back four. However, that does not appreciably change my assessment of the overall situation.<\/p>\n The Fire played really, really good ball throughout much of last year, but conceded too many chances and too many goals. Mbokazi\u2019s ability to both scramble in the open field and dominate in his own box means they should be able to keep taking the kinds of attacking risks that made them so good, but can do so with a level of comfort that a single misplayed pass won\u2019t immediately come back to bite them.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n The news you were waiting for! \ud83d\ude9c #cf97<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/2Myk6tc96n<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) December 2, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n This had a lot more title equity before the sad news about Riqui Puig<\/a> needing another surgery<\/a>, which knocks him out until 2027 (that\u2019s not 100% official yet, but all the relevant reporting says it\u2019s likely). Now, if the\u00a0LA Galaxy<\/a> put him on the Season-Ending Injury list, they can bring in a new DP playmaker to replace him \u2013 for a year, anyway \u2013 and hopefully, for their sake, that guy can walk into the XI and start dealing.<\/p>\n What is different, though, is that with the additions of Justin Haak<\/a> and Jakob Glesnes<\/a> (acquired via trade<\/a> from the Philadelphia Union<\/a>), the Galaxy now have the kind of central defense that can keep the floor high no matter what. They were two of the best center backs in MLS last year, and with that pair on hand, it\u2019s very hard to imagine this team will be at all gappy or easy to play through.<\/p>\n The real upgrade here, though, is what Haak delivers on the ball in the build-out:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n In my article, I highlighted Justin Haak\u2019s ability to make progressive passes. <\/p>\n I really liked this clip where he plays the ball through the lines to get NYCFC the ball with momentum into Miami\u2019s half\u2019s. Great pass from his left foot.#LAGalaxy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/EhwSfl1Njc<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2014 Alex Ruiz (@AlxRuiz15) December 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n A huge part of the reason the Galaxy struggled last year was the absence of Riqui. Baked into that, though, was a season-long struggle to build from the backline into high-value spots, using the ball to drag opponents upfield and into positions where they could be stretched out.<\/p>\n Haak was a midfielder until about 18 months ago (he still moonlights as a d-mid), and has retained a midfielder\u2019s comfort on the ball, under pressure. That became a weapon over the course of last season for New York City FC<\/a>, and I\u2019d wager quite a bit that Greg Vanney immediately weaponizes that distribution in the exact same way.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \n \n
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