Armchair Analyst: Matt Doyle<\/span>\n <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Let’s take a team-by-team look at where all 30 MLS clubs stand re: how they\u2019re using their Designated Player and U22 Initiative slots. Think of it as a refresher as teams around the league report for preseason this week.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n All of this is based on press releases, some reporting of my own, some cribbing from local coverage<\/a>, and the official club roster profiles<\/a> (which haven\u2019t been updated since September, so take many of these designations with a grain of salt). Plus a dash of Tommy Scoops<\/a>, the Backheeled<\/a> gang and everyone else who covers the whole league tossed in.<\/p>\n Bear in mind two big things as you read this:<\/p>\n In we go:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n None of Atlanta<\/a>\u2019s three DPs, who reportedly cost more than $40 million combined in transfer fees, can be bought down. They\u2019re stuck with them unless they find either a willing taker or a number that works for both parties.<\/p>\n Surprisingly, there have been few whispers this offseason about either thing being on the table. There really does seem to be an internal consensus that last year was (mostly) Ronny Deila\u2019s fault, and that old friend Tata Martino<\/a> is the right man to get these guys to perform at something close to their respective bests. And if it doesn\u2019t happen this year, well, then I guess it might be time for owner Arthur Blank to write another very big check.<\/p>\n Tom\u00e1s Jacob<\/a> is, as you can see, the team\u2019s only U22 as of now. On the one hand, I am optimistic: he was good as a 20-year-old in Argentina\u2019s top flight and was good this past year as a 21-year-old in LIGA MX with Necaxa, and competence in those leagues tends to translate to MLS. But there\u2019s not a great history of U22 center-back signings (and let\u2019s not forget that Tata was the guy who orchestrated the Tom\u00e1s Avil\u00e9s<\/a> U22 signing for Miami<\/a>, which hasn\u2019t gone great).<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Lots of reports indicating that 21-year-old San Lorenzo left back El\u00edas B\u00e1ez is on his way, and I believe them. After that, I\u2019d be shocked if they didn\u2019t take yet another crack at signing a U22 winger.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Biel<\/a> is back on a DP deal after spending last year as a max TAM guy, and can\u2019t be bought down. If he plays as well as he did last season (before the injury, anyway), then he\u2019ll be more than worth the spot.\u00a0Zaha<\/a> is a full DP as well (he’s on loan through June 30), and so is\u00a0Abada<\/a>. I\u2019ll have more on him in a minute.<\/p>\n Toklomati<\/a> and Vargas<\/a> were both starters in the second half of last season and will probably continue to be so in 2026 (though I wouldn\u2019t bet my life on it in Vargas\u2019s case).\u00a0Coulibaly<\/a> is a 20-year-old central midfield destroyer who I\u2019m guessing will be a depth piece given his performances last year in MLS NEXT Pro<\/a>.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> There have\u00a0been some reports out of England, via Sky Sports<\/a>, that there are several Championship teams interested in Abada\u2019s services.<\/p>\n Got to think Charlotte<\/a> would jump at that deal, as Abada\u2019s got just 13g\/4a in 66 appearances for the Crown over the past two years and is unlikely to be a starter (or even a top sub) in 2026. We\u2019ll see if that deal gets done before I start speculating on how they\u2019d fill his spot, but my guess is 2\/4\/GAM with a new U22 center back.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Gregg Berhalter got to work early, signing Barroso<\/a>,\u00a0D\u2019Avilla<\/a> and Viktor Radojevi\u0107<\/a>\u00a0last season, and making Mbokazi<\/a> (who I think will be a starter) one of the first big signings anybody made in the current transfer window. Then, just this morning, they signed winger Puso Dithejane<\/a> and moved Radojevi\u0107 out of his U22 designation and onto the senior roster.<\/p>\n To borrow an explanation from MenInRed97<\/a>‘s Tim Hotze<\/a>, “[Radojevi\u0107] wasn’t a big transfer fee and he isn’t making that much money, so the Fire essentially got a third of his transfer fee paid off with expiring GAM they got from going 2\/4\/GAM last year.”<\/p>\n Between all of the above, along with some work in MLS free agency (Robin Lod<\/a>) and getting Swedish international Anton Sal\u00e9tros<\/a> in on a TAM deal, there just aren\u2019t many needs to address roster-wide. And obviously, nothing they can use any premium slots on.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Player development. Barroso was mostly a back-up to veteran Jonathan Dean<\/a>, and while D’Avilla improved over the course of his half-season at d-mid, he\u2019s still got a ways to go. Radojevi\u0107, meanwhile, has yet to make this debut.<\/p>\n The other thing that might happen\u2026 look, the Robert Lewandowski whispers are not going away. And for that to happen, something needs to happen with Cuypers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n As with Chicago, Cincy<\/a> got their work done early. First they brought in Echenique<\/a> and Gidi<\/a> mid-season on U22 deals, and then they extended Robinson<\/a> (who was going into free agency) on a DP deal. And that\u2019s that.<\/p>\n Chris Albright has made his usual series of TAM-level moves, of course, and has a bunch of very good veterans in a lot of spots.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s the premium roster slot guys who are the core of this team. Which is, I guess, as it should be.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Cohesion and chemistry, hopefully. Cincy\u2019s problem last year wasn\u2019t overall talent, it was the way that talent fit together \u2013 or rather, the way it didn\u2019t<\/em> fit together. The hope is, I\u2019m assuming, that a full preseason together will lead to familiarity, which will lead to better outcomes (or at least to better processes, which can then hopefully lead to better outcomes).<\/p>\n Part of this is obviously going to have to be getting more out of the U22 guys. All three showed potential last year, but none truly moved the needle.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Well, with Wilfried Nancy\u2019s short-lived run in Glasgow, at least they (probably) don\u2019t have to worry about Celtic coming in with a Godfather offer for Abou Ali<\/a>. I honestly think that was on the table had the former\u00a0Crew<\/a> head coach not rapidly made himself a former Celtic head coach.<\/p>\n I am bullish on the trio of DPs, believe it or not. Abou Ali was clearly cursed with injuries last season, but in his very brief moments on the field, he looked like a high-level match-winner. Which we know Rossi<\/a> already is.<\/p>\n Gazdag<\/a>\u2026 ok, talk about cursed, and there you go. I will just say: 28th percentile in goals among attacking midfielders, 79th percentile in non-penalty xG and npxG+xA. If you\u2019ve read this column, you know how I think about things regressing to the mean.<\/p>\n I am concerned that there is no mean to regress to for Aliyu<\/a> and Picard<\/a>. Neither looked up to the job last year.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Believe it or not, the depth chart is pretty full for new head coach Henrik Rydstr\u00f6m<\/a>. Now, that could change \u2013 there\u2019s interest in Max Arfsten<\/a>, Mo Farsi<\/a>, Patrick Schulte<\/a> and Abou Ali, and we know that injuries can destroy any team\u2019s season (as happened to this team last year), but I don\u2019t think there\u2019s going to be any special urgency to fill that last premium roster slot this window.<\/p>\n The real urgency comes in developing guys like Picard and Taha Habroune<\/a>, in making sure new ball-winner Sekou Bangoura<\/a> is up to the job, and that Gazdag gets his confidence back.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Dr. Erkut Sogut\u2019s first window in charge has been\u2026 honestly, pretty interesting so far. I liked the Baribo<\/a> move, a cash trade of at least $4 million to Philly<\/a>. Baribo is never going to have the most spectacular highlight reel, but he 100% knows where goals come from and regularly finds the types of one-touch tap-ins that don\u2019t dry up.<\/p>\n Some Union fans will dispute that because Baribo was so much better in the first half of last season than the second, but even in the second, he scored six goals (and added three assists) in about 1,200 minutes across all competitions. If that\u2019s what a slump looks like \u2013 a goal every 200 minutes \u2013 then you\u2019ve got yourself a 15-goal guy.<\/p>\n How will he fit with Munteanu<\/a>, the club\u2019s record signing? I\u2019m not sure, but were I to guess, I\u2019d land on \u201cup top together in a front two, likely with Munteanu dropping in as a sort of half a playmaker at times but mostly working off each other as D.C.<\/a> will likely play with a Union-esque directness.\u201d<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> There was significant overseas interest in Pirani<\/a> back in the summer, and I\u2019m assuming that\u2019s something Sogut will pursue should said interest rematerialize. Pirani is a toolsy player \u2013 he\u2019s got good feet and quickness \u2013 but he\u2019s never consistently brought it to bear for D.C., and even if he does max out his abilities, he\u2019s never going to be the kind of playmaker this team needs.<\/p>\n Which\u2026 yeah, whether Pirani stays or goes, and whether Munteanu drops in a bunch or not, this team still needs more final-ball quality. I wouldn\u2019t be shocked if that meant going to the 3\/3 roster build and adding a DP No. 10 to pull the strings.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There\u2019s been a lot of\u2026 let\u2019s call it \u201cconfusion\u201d about Miami\u2019s wheeling and dealing this offseason. I think a lot of folks felt like the Herons were headed towards the type of roster-gutting that the Galaxy<\/a> endured after they won the 2024 MLS Cup, and when the opposite happened\u2026 again, I\u2019m going to use the word \u201cconfusion.\u201d<\/p>\n So for the sake of clarity, I\u2019m going to point you towards Arman Kafai\u2019s excellent newsletter, Footy Analytic Musings, and specifically his mid-December entry on Miami<\/a>:<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the thing: Inter Miami are not the LA Galaxy. Their cap situation was healthy due to the sale of multiple players to other clubs. Leo Campana, Robert Taylor, and Drake Callender are all players who netted the team GAM and allowed for the Rodrigo De Paul loan, which we discussed on FAM<\/a>. They continue to push the boundaries of roster construction and it\u2019s paid off.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote><\/div>\n Well, De Paul<\/a> is a DP now, and with Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba retired, they have another DP slot open \u2013 provided they move on from Avil\u00e9s (bringing them from four U22s to three), which I think they will.<\/p>\n They also made that cash trade for David Ayala<\/a>, of course, and have both Silvetti<\/a> and Segovia<\/a> slated for bigger roles next season.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Bear in mind, they could just opt into the 2\/4\/GAM build for now and be totally fine in terms of roster compliance all year. Or they could buy out (or sell, trade, or loan) Avil\u00e9s and add a third DP (there have been Giovani Lo Celso rumors<\/a> from Spain) immediately, or they could wait until summer, move on from Avil\u00e9s in that window, and then<\/em> add a third DP. Or a fourth U22 if they want to stay 2\/4\/GAM.<\/p>\n The summer move makes the most sense to me, both because it\u2019s easier to do deals for a player like Lo Celso (he\u2019s a starter for Real Betis, who are sixth in LaLiga right now) in the summer window than in the winter, and because staying on the 2\/4\/GAM build gives Miami a free $1 million of GAM to use for the first half of the year, which means they can preserve their other GAM for other, bigger roster moves later on. Either way, they do need to add attacking depth post haste.<\/p>\n Regardless, when it comes to this sort of stuff, I have come to expect Miami\u2019s front office to do the smart thing virtually every time. It\u2019s been a clinic.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Montr\u00e9al<\/a>, as you can see, have some room to make moves. And yeah, they\u2019ve already made one big one by splashing out for Jaime<\/a>, the 25-year-old Spanish playmaker who didn\u2019t quite cut it with Porto or Valencia \u2013 two giant clubs \u2013 but is maybe the most ambitious signing of the team\u2019s entire existence.<\/p>\n The rest of the roster is\u2026 well, it\u2019s hard to put my finger on exactly where they\u2019re going here, but there\u2019s a pretty mismatched collection of veteran journeymen and high-upside kids in need of development. That includes both Neal<\/a> and Synchuk<\/a>, each of whom I think is slated to be a starter; Ibrahim<\/a> is, I think, most likely to have a home elsewhere.<\/p>\n Anyway, there\u2019s a lot of stuff happening here! They\u2019ve made some good signings, and I hope that continues to the point that the roster ends up looking coherent and balanced.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> The biggest roster hole is at right wing, where they don\u2019t really have a natural starter. That would be the optimal spot to use a DP. And as mentioned above, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Ibrahim was on the move this winter. In fact, I\u2019d say I\u2019ll be more surprised if he wasn\u2019t<\/em> on the move.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n They made arguably the move of the winter in signing Espinoza<\/a>, one of the best playmakers in the league and an all-time great Quake<\/a>, as a DP free agent. Nashville<\/a> have needed that kind of high-level third attacking threat for basically their entire existence, and now they\u2019ve got it. It feels to me like that\u2019s opened a two-year window of legitimate, high-level contention for any\/every trophy they\u2019ll play for.<\/p>\n And now, because they\u2019re getting more out of younger players on their roster \u2013 head coach B.J. Callaghan is proving to be the polar opposite of his forerunner, Gary Smith, in terms of development \u2013 they have the depth to compete across multiple competitions. They kiiiind of showed that last year in winning the US Open Cup<\/a> and logging a 54-point regular season, then giving Miami at least a game\u2019s worth of trouble in the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. But this year I think the pieces are in place for a trophy and a mid-60s regular-season points haul, which could very well mean the Supporters\u2019 Shield.<\/p>\n Really well done.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Nothing with the premium roster slots, even if P\u00e9rez<\/a> and Qasem<\/a> do kind of overlap in terms of position and skillset.<\/p>\n Would I be totally shocked if one of them was sold\/traded mid-season? No, I would not. But that\u2019s a story for another window.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I love the move<\/a> they made for Raines<\/a>, a $1.6 million cash trade from Houston<\/a>. He\u2019ll be very familiar with new head coach Marko Mitrovi\u0107, who was head coach of the US U-20 national team for the past few years, and who made Raines a written-in-pen starter at this past autumn\u2019s FIFA U-20 World Cup.<\/p>\n He should give them a needed dose of both youth and two-way ability in that central midfield, and hopefully Mitrovi\u0107 gets more out of the holdovers than departed head coach Caleb Porter managed to. I do think the pieces are in place for this to be a much better team.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> If they open a premium roster slot by moving Langoni<\/a> (there is significant interest around the league and in South America), or by buying Turner<\/a> off the DP slot to TAM, they could bring in another DP, or they could hang a DP tag on Leonardo Campana<\/a> (his salary makes him eligible), or \u2013 and I think this is most likely \u2013 they could simply bring in yet another young player for Mitrovi\u0107 to develop. Maybe even a former US U-20!<\/p>\n Now, most of those guys are in good spots with their clubs, either already playing big minutes or in line for them this year. But arguably the best player from that group, center back Josh Wynder, hasn\u2019t cracked the rotation at Benfica in any meaningful way. And while the Revs aren\u2019t exactly thin at center back (especially after getting Wynder\u2019s CB partner Ethan Kohler<\/a> for free)… I mean, I\u2019m just connecting dots here.<\/p>\n Wynder needs to play. I think he would in Foxborough.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n All has been quiet in the Bronx \u2013 soon to be Queens \u2013 this winter in terms of player acquisitions under new sporting director Todd Dunivant. But I just want to point this out:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Good to see a familiar face \ud83d\udc4b pic.twitter.com\/ykrniBlwir<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New York City FC (@newyorkcityfc) January 10, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That\u2019s Talles Magno<\/a>! Remember him?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n There was a very brief time, back in the first half of 2022 (so yeah, we\u2019re talking years ago now), when he looked like he was becoming the best young winger in MLS. Then Taty Castellanos was sold, and Nick Cushing came in as head coach, and things just totally fell apart.<\/p>\n Talles has been on loan with Corinthians in Brazil\u2019s top flight since then, and after a promising start, it just didn\u2019t work out. That\u2019s over and, at least for now, he\u2019s back.<\/p>\n He\u2019s still a Young DP, is just 23 years old and is on a guaranteed deal for the next two years. I can think of worse gambits than bringing him back and seeing if Pascal Jansen can get the best out of him, especially given how mixed the pair of U22 wingers listed above have been.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Can they at least figure out a way to move off of Mijatovi\u0107 and bring in a starting-caliber center forward while Alonso Mart\u00ednez<\/a> rehabs his torn ACL?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n I\u2019m happy to convey the reports that the Timo Werner saga is over. It turns out the outcast RB Leipzig striker is most likely on his way to San Jose<\/a>, not Harrison.<\/p>\n From a RBNY<\/a> perspective, this has to be considered a good thing. For one, it\u2019s just the end of a saga that\u2019s been\u2026 not particularly well-handled by the club.<\/p>\n For a second thing, there are lots of whispers that RB Global Chief Soccer Overseer J\u00fcrgen Klopp has mandated that all Red Bull teams play a 4-3-3, and new head coach Michael Bradley had RBNY II play a 4-3-3 last year when he took over (and subsequently led them to the MLS NEXT Pro title).<\/p>\n Werner doesn\u2019t fit into that system, really. Especially not alongside Choupo-Moting<\/a> and Forsberg<\/a>, neither of whom are going anywhere in the immediate future.<\/p>\n Anyway, that\u2019s that on Timo. And oh yeah, they haven\u2019t touched their premium roster slots yet this winter.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> They\u2019ve got three clear needs: in goal, at center back and on the right wing. And my guess is that, while they\u2019ve collected some GAM this winter through player trades (farewell, Peter Stroud<\/a> and Daniel Edelman<\/a>), they probably need the GAM infusion of the 2\/4\/GAM roster build model.<\/p>\n So while they probably could<\/em> go with another full DP, I\u2019ll put my money on another U22 being added. It just makes more sense from a roster\/budgeting and, frankly, cultural (RBNY want to get back to being a developmental juggernaut) point of view.<\/p>\n Wynder would be an even better fit here, by the way, than with New England. Just sayin\u2019.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n They brought in two new U22s in Ot\u00e1vio<\/a>, a d-mid who will presumably fill the shoes of the departed C\u00e9sar Ara\u00fajo<\/a>, and Tiago<\/a>, a left winger who will \u2013 please, God, please! \u2013 presumably score more goals than incumbent starter Iv\u00e1n Angulo<\/a>. And they also loaned out<\/a> holdover U22 Nicol\u00e1s Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> in a deal that opens up his spot for them to use.<\/p>\n Which, in theory\u2026 very good. But in practice, Orlando have only sporadically put their U22 slots to particularly good use (Ara\u00fajo being the best example). More often they\u2019ve missed big, getting little out of that \u201cpremium\u201d designation despite head coach Oscar Pareja\u2019s long history of player development.<\/p>\n If they want to log yet another 50+ point season, they can\u2019t afford to have missed on Ot\u00e1vio and Tiago. These guys need to be, if not immediate starters, immediate contributors<\/em> at the very least. And if they\u2019re not, it\u2019s on Pareja to whip them into shape.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Consider the lede thoroughly buried, because the one true question for Orlando this offseason is \u201ccan they move Muriel<\/a>?\u201d The Colombian has been spectacular in bursts, but more often has hovered between \u201cnon-factor\u201d and \u201cmassive net negative.\u201d<\/p>\n He\u2019s turning 35 in April, so I don\u2019t think he\u2019s magically going to become a fit, 90-minute, two-way player. And that\u2019s what they need out of those DP slots if they\u2019re going to compete with the neighbors down I-95.<\/p>\n EDIT: Just before we hit pub on this bad boy Tom Bogert posted<\/a> “Junior FC finalizing deal to sign Luis Muriel from Orlando City,” and that the club intends to use the DP slot that move would open up.<\/p>\n Wish granted, Lions fans.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n At this time last year, D\u00e1niel Gazdag and Mikael Uhre were DPs, and Damiani<\/a> had just been brought in as the club\u2019s record signing. Gazdag was subsequently sold and they let Uhre walk at the end of the year.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll replace either with a full-on DP signing. Instead it\u2019s now Alladoh<\/a>, a forward like Damiani, who\u2019s the club\u2019s record signing<\/a>. I\u2019m guessing the 20-year-old Ghanaian will start up top and the rest of it will just sort of fall into place.<\/p>\n Now, if you\u2019d have asked me back in November if Makhanya<\/a> would be back, I\u2019d have said no. He developed exceptionally well last year, and there\u2019s a ton of overseas interest. But when they traded veteran Jakob Glesnes<\/a> to the Galaxy<\/a> for a huge chunk of GAM, that calculus changed.<\/p>\n So yeah, Makhanya could still be sold this winter if somebody came in and bowled the Union over. But I think the chances of that happening are slim.<\/p>\n What comes next:<\/strong> Because they are so good at player development, both of their own academy products and of young acquisitions like Makhanya, they do not have any real roster holes.<\/p>\n That said, there is now an obvious need at left back following the sale of Kai Wagner<\/a>. I don\u2019t think they\u2019ll use a DP slot there or anything, but a new U22 signing? That wouldn\u2019t surprise me at all.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, I\u2019d guess nobody in the league has more GAM than Philly right now. So they absolutely do not need to go with the 2\/4\/GAM roster build model. But since you can now roll non-model GAM over indefinitely and horde it like Smaug, they should just go with 2\/4\/GAM and do exactly that. Call it a rainy day fund.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n
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