Soccer <\/p>\n
The 2026 MLS summer transfer window is closed, and the season\u2019s stretch run will unfold in the coming weeks. So, who did the best work to set themselves up for success both now and in the future?<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve taken a spin through the silly-season chaos and tried to make some early judgments along those lines, aided by expert input from other members of our MLSsoccer.com staff. And you, dear reader, can share your transfer takes as well: just drop me a line<\/a> to\u00a0tell me what I got right and where I missed out.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Star power, energy, inspiration, commitment\u2026 the most flowery descriptions barely do justice to the French legend\u2019s galvanizing effect on Orlando City<\/a> since arriving in July.<\/p>\n With 4g\/3a in his first seven league matches and a powerful aura that\u2019s markedly raised his teammates’ level<\/a>, the 2018 FIFA World Cup<\/a> winner has transformed the Lions from bottom dwellers into Audi MLS Cup Playoffs contenders.<\/p>\n Orlando recently climbed above the Eastern Conference\u2019s playoff line, and a July 25 defeat<\/a> of Supporters\u2019 Shield leaders Nashville SC<\/a> \u2013 one of only two league losses the Coyotes have suffered all year \u2013 suggested they can beat anyone on their day.<\/p>\n Honorable mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n In Robert Lewandowski<\/a>, Chicago Fire FC<\/a> have welcomed one of the greatest strikers on earth, an elite finisher, demanding leader and timely new face of the club ahead of the 2028 opening of McDonald\u2019s Park, their new glittering downtown stadium.<\/p>\n Atlanta United<\/a> swung and missed on, well, let\u2019s just say several of their last few Designated Player signings. Yet it’s the nature of the Five Stripes to try, try again, this time with even more ambition: Swiss international Breel Embolo<\/a>, the reported $18 million striker who could and should be the spearhead of their attack for years to come.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Classic AG7 \ud83e\udd79 pic.twitter.com\/cMUb1ID3Xy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) August 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Paying $6 million for an MLS Cup winner and Serbian international who’s now reached four seasons of double-digit goals in the league?<\/p>\n Landing Dejan Jovelji\u0107<\/a> from Sporting Kansas City<\/a> is very good business for the Seattle Sounders<\/a> and maybe \u2013 just maybe \u2013 a move that will salvage their entire season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Honorable mention<\/strong><\/p>\n St. Louis CITY<\/a> saw Seattle\u2019s splash and said: “Watch this.”<\/p>\n How else to interpret the Midwesterners\u2019 record-breaking $12 million-plus trade for Colorado Rapids<\/a> striker Rafael Navarro<\/a>? They see the hard-working Brazilian as the ideal No. 9 for first-year head coach Yoann Damet\u2019s slick possession system; we\u2019re watching closely to find out.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 29, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Antoine Griezmann<\/a> is understandably dominating the headlines since his highly impactful arrival in central Florida. Bringing Dike<\/a> back to Orlando after injury woes derailed his time in England at West Brom was a clever gambit, too, though.<\/p>\n A classic battering-ram No. 9, the Lions\u2019 once-and-future hero offers a useful contrast to Grizi, Justin Ellis<\/a> and the rest of the attack, and Dike has already scored the first goal of his second MLS stint.<\/p>\n Honorable mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n Could Georgian box-to-box dynamo Anzor Mekvabishvili<\/a> be this summer\u2019s diamond in the rough? That\u2019s what Chicago are hoping, and given the Fire\u2019s scouting work thus far under Gregg Berhalter, we\u2019re inclined to give the Romanian-league standout a good long look.<\/p>\n Conversely, the Men in Red also nabbed a familiar, dependable but easily overlooked MLS contributor in Inter Miami<\/a> academy product\u00a0Noah Allen<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 30, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n The league\u2019s runaway Supporters’ Shield leaders managed to further improve themselves in this window, adding a legitimate creative threat on their left flank to further unbalance opposing defenses. Saad<\/a>, a German-Tunisian winger, already has four assists in his first eight appearances for the Coyotes.<\/p>\n Honorable mention<\/strong><\/p>\n Spending the season\u2019s opening months on loan with Atlanta, Mat\u00edas Galarza<\/a> didn\u2019t do quite enough to prompt Tata Martino & Co. to trigger his purchase option (which, to be fair, is rumored to be a substantial amount) from River Plate. Factor in his tigerish displays for Paraguay at the World Cup, however, and Inter Miami had good reason to bring him to South Florida for a loan of their own.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 16, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n We took a long look at several options in this category. But we\u2019ll give the nod to Sayed Abu Farkhi<\/a>, the Colorado Rapids<\/a>\u2019 new reported $6 million man from Israeli outfit Maccabi Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n The 20-year-old striker has a promising scoring record to date, his underlying metrics point to strong defensive work and chance creation, and we reckon the Rapids technical staff has earned some trust with their recent transfer business.<\/p>\n Honorable mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n Defenders Josh Wynder<\/a> (New England<\/a>) and Fricio Caicedo<\/a> (Inter Miami) fit the bill, as does forward Luighi<\/a> (New York City<\/a>).<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Sayed has entered the chat \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/8tzqoUZQHL<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) September 1, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n With all respect to the good work of 2025 MLS Cup finalists Inter Miami and Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a>, both of whom appear to have strengthened already-excellent rosters, we\u2019re giving New England the nod for the fruits of Chris Tierney\u2019s first transfer window as their general manager and chief soccer officer.<\/p>\n New DP Jack Harrison<\/a> is the highlight, adding a creative force to assist and amplify the excellent Carles Gil<\/a>. Harrison has racked up six assists and 13 key passes in his first five matches with the Revs, and reportedly only cost about $1 million to acquire from English Premier League side Leeds United.<\/p>\n Tierney also extended goalkeeper Matt Turner<\/a>‘s loan from Lyon, which they look likely to render a permanent deal next year. They got younger with Sounders homegrown Cody Baker<\/a>, their own academy product Judah Siqueira<\/a>, and US youth internationals Wynder and Marcos Zambrano<\/a>. And they took low-risk flyers on D\u00e1niel Gazdag<\/a> and Queens Park Rangers loanee Tylon Smith<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Honorable mention<\/strong><\/p>\n Navarro, US international striker Damion Downs<\/a> and Danish winger Carlo Holse<\/a> are the big-ticket items for busy St. Louis, costing CITY reportedly somewhere near $20 million in all for a dramatic strengthening of their attack.<\/p>\n That said, we also like the club’s lower-profile moves, like the intra-league loans for Charles-Emile Brunet<\/a> and Zach Zengue<\/a> that should bolster their depth and internal competition. Columbus Crew<\/a> alum Alexandru M\u0103\u021ban<\/a> looks like a savvy free-agent acquisition, and Orlando homegrown Tahir Reid-Brown<\/a> is a smart development play.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n From England to New England, Jack Harrison is officially a Rev pic.twitter.com\/W3oveufHag<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New England Revolution (@NERevolution) July 26, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Portland<\/a> reaped a jaw-dropping payday with Kevin Kelsy’s move to Rangers<\/a>, and San Diego FC<\/a> did excellent work with Luca Bombino<\/a> to develop the LAFC<\/a> academy product and sell him on to Stoke City. No one comes near the Rapids\u2019 masterstroke with Lucas Herrington<\/a>, however.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Colorado were ever so clever to spot the 18-year-old center back in the A-League and sign him from Brisbane Roar for pennies on the dollar compared to the reported $17-23 million payday (depending on performance incentives and the like) they gained from his sale to Hull City, where the Australian World Cup veteran has already appeared in the Tigers\u2019 first three matches of their Premier League return.<\/p>\n Honorable mentions<\/strong><\/p>\n We\u2019ve already written extensively about<\/a> what a massive player-development win Zavier Gozo\u2019s reported $15 million move<\/a> to English Premier League club Crystal Palace represents for Real Salt Lake<\/a>. And Bombino, an underappreciated homegrown fullback at LAFC, fashioned into a reported $5 million signing for English outfit Stoke City by San Diego FC, is that and then some for Los Ni\u00f1os and their plans to become a youth powerhouse.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBest big-name signing: Antoine Griezmann (Orlando City)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Best “cashfer”: Dejan Jovelji\u0107 (Seattle Sounders FC)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Best under-the-radar move: Daryl Dike (Orlando City)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Best loan: Elias Saad (Nashville SC)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
Best young player: Sayed Abu Farkhi (Colorado Rapids)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Best overall window: New England Revolution<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
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Best outgoing move: Lucas Herrington (Colorado Rapids)<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n