The summer transfer window is over and the MLS regular season is nearly back.
Before Matchday 29 on Saturday, let’s spotlight some of my favorite signings who could significantly impact the road to the playoffs.
At first, Marco Reus doesn’t seem like a signing the Galaxy needed. They’re already set in the attack, right?
But when you can add a player of Reus’ quality and experience, you do it. He’s got over 150 Bundesliga goals, won German Cup trophies, played in a World Cup – he’s a bonafide winner, a legend from his Borussia Dortmund days.
With Dejan Joveljic being hurt, there are questions about LA’s No. 9 role. I could see Reus playing as almost a half-nine or false-nine, floating to find his chances and pouncing in the box. Then when Joveljic is back, Reus can play anywhere across the front four.
Whether it’s starting or off the bench, Reus will have a say in the Western Conference and Supporters' Shield race. He brings goals and a winning mentality.
Some of their fans disagree, but I think Cincinnati had a really strong transfer window. They had two positions of need and addressed both.
Chidozie Awaziem, their new center back, looks like a game-changer. Their back line was an area of strength last year, but worries arose when Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund suffered back-to-back season-ending injuries. In Awaziem, they have another leader who brings calm and experience.
Then the No. 9 spot, Niko Gioacchini brings goals. I know he wasn’t their first-choice target, but he’s MLS-proven and adds a new dimension in front of Luciano Acosta. St. Louis probably wish they held onto Gioacchini after 2023, and now he’ll help Cincy down the stretch.
With these two players, I think Cincy are back in the trophy conversation after slipping. The defense was a big problem earlier this summer and now they’ve got a No. 9 who's proven he's a consistent scorer. Who’s to say they won’t repeat as Shield winners?
Sure, it was fun to imagine Inter Miami adding even more to their attack this summer. But they’re loaded in the final third, creating chances at will.
The defense? That’s a different conversation, where center back has been an area of weakness since Nicolás Freire’s injury – especially during the games where they’ve dropped Sergio Busquets into defense.
Well, problem solved. Miami acquired David MartÃnez on loan from River Plate and he’s looked the part. I’ve been really impressed by the Paraguayan defender; he’s aggressive in the tackle and confident on the ball. MartÃnez’s role is critical on a team that’s built to attack.
I’d like to see Tomás Avilés partner with MartÃnez. He can be a little over-eager at times, but is starting to grow into the role. With reps, they can develop into one of the better center-back pairings in MLS.
When you looked at Columbus’ roster, there weren’t many areas (if any) that needed strengthening this summer. But when you’re competing for every title, you’re always looking to improve the squad – and that’s exactly what the Crew did.
Of their five signings, I liked the DeJuan Jones trade the most. He was brilliant for New England and is the type of player who helps you win an MLS Cup or a Supporters’ Shield.
Jones scored a goal seconds into his debut and then scored a winning penalty to help Columbus reach the Leagues Cup semifinals. It’s hard to settle into a club better. He’s a perfect fit for the Crew’s system – good on the ball, makes runs off the ball and knows when to join the attack. It’s a top pick-up.
Wilfried Nancy now has four or five wingbacks to pick from. I don’t envy him choosing between Jones, Mohamed Farsi, Max Arfsten, Andrés Herrera and Yaw Yeboah.
After selling Thiago Almada for an MLS-record fee, Atlanta had a huge hole to fill in the attack. Step in Alexey Miranchuk.
Miranchuk arrives from helping Atalanta win a Europa League title and finishing top-four in Italy’s Serie A. He’s a quality player and I like how Atlanta went out and found a different profile No. 10.
Here’s the question: Who is Miranchuk creating for? We might not see the full picture until 2025; Atlanta still have an open Designated Player spot after selling Giorgos Giakoumakis this summer.
For now, if I’m an Atlanta fan, I’m banking on Daniel RÃos being the goalscorer. He’s shown in spurts that he can do the job and now has a creator like Miranchuk to connect with.
Some might call me crazy, but I think LAFC could win the Supporters’ Shield or MLS Cup without Olivier Giroud in the starting lineup. Their attacking group, led by Denis Bouanga, is that good.
But, c’mon. Who’s going to pass up the chance to add a player of Giroud’s quality? He’s France’s all-time leading scorer and is one of the best strikers of his generation. When he was on Arsenal, I loved watching him.
Forget the goals – you're going to struggle to find a better all-around striker than Giroud. The hold-up play, understanding of his role, bringing other players into the game and then quality in the box or the air… he’s a top player.
My biggest question is how quickly Giroud gets brought up to speed. LAFC just need some big moments from Giroud, maybe like we saw in 2022 with Gareth Bale. He’s here to deliver trophies.
He’s not the biggest-name arrival this summer, but I really like Houston getting Lawrence Ennali. That’s mainly because he’s so different from their other attackers.
We’ve seen the Dynamo score some incredible goals in the past season and a half, especially with one-touch play around the box. Everybody seems to come to the ball and want it to feet.
But Ennali stretches the field and offers new runs for Héctor Herrera and Coco Carrasquilla to find. He’s lightning-quick and caught my eye during Leagues Cup.
If Ennali can find connections with other Dynamo attackers, including new striker Ezequiel Ponce, I think we’re talking about one of the most underrated signings of the summer.
He’s not a summer signing, but I want to shout out Sounders winger Pedro de la Vega. So consider this more an honorable mention.
When he has played, you see a player who’s bright on the dribble, looking to create, very technical, great in 1-v-1 situations. The talent’s readily apparent – it’s easy to see why Seattle spent big to acquire him last winter.
The frustrating part for Brian Schmetzer is de la Vega’s not been consistently available. He’s suffered injury after injury.
However, when de la Vega is 90 minutes ready, Seattle have a game-changer and somebody who puts the responsibility of winning on his back. We’ve seen it in little flashes.
If you add de la Vega to that front four, Seattle are going to be a team in the playoffs you don't want to see. And I think de la Vega's just waiting to go, waiting to be injury-free. He could have a big, big impact come crunch time.
