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Rumors and Transactions for All 28 MLS Teams

It’s hard to keep up with the offseason, so lets run around the league and see what everyone has been up to. Plus a full rundown of the SKC offseason.

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SOCCER: NOV 28 MLS Cup Playoffs - Real Salt Lake at Sporting Kansas City Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

It’s hard to keep up with all the teams in MLS. Sometimes it’s hard to just keep up with Sporting Kansas City. So I thought I’d do a public service and round up of what all 28 MLS teams are up to in recent weeks (but is by no means a comprehensive list for anyone but SKC). Starting with the most important one.

Sporting Kansas City

Atlanta United

Austin FC

  • Midfielder Jhojan Valencia has transferred from Deportivo Cali and signed through 2024 with a team option for 2025. He’s thought of as a defensive midfielder, which is curious since they already have Alex Ring occupying a DP spot in that role.

Charlotte FC

  • Charlotte FC haven’t even stepped onto an MLS pitch yet and they are already flipping players for a profit. Midfielder Riley McGree was sent to English Championship side Middlesbrough. He has spent the last year and a half on loan with Birmingham City in the same league. Rumors have Charlotte making several million in profit on the deal for the 23-year-old Australian international.
  • They may be flipping some of that money for Club Tijuana winger Christian Ortiz according to a rumor out of Argentina. He’s 29 and the team confirmed the signing is expected in the coming days.
  • Former Sporting KC Goalkeeper, Adrian Zendejas, has joined Charlotte.

Chicago Fire FC

Colorado Rapids

  • The Rapids have been busy. Perhaps their biggest, and most recent move, is trading away Kellyn Acosta to LAFC. And he’s not happy! Apparently the team had offers on the table for him to go to Europe and went this way instead. This is something you never hear from SKC players, as the team seems to do right by them. LAFC traded up to $1.5 million in General Allocation Money (GAM). $1.1m of that is guaranteed, another $150k is likely and the last $250k is only if LAFC win a trophy. Colorado retained a sell on percentage as well. Colorado disputes that they had a foreign offer for Acosta. The Revolution were reportedly in the running to acquire Acosta too. That trade leaves Colorado without their two highest paid players from 2021 (the other being Namli).
  • Dutch club Feyenoord is nearing a loan deal for the Colorado Rapids Cole Bassett. The USMNT midfielder would go on loan for 18 months with a purchase option.
  • Our sister site, The Burgundy Wave, have their take on the Acosta and Bassett moves.

Columbus Crew

  • Former Sporting Kansas City center back, Jalil Anibaba, has joined the Columbus Crew via free agency. Anibaba previously played for SKC, Nashville SC, Chicago Fire, the Houston Dynamo and the New England Revolution. He’s got a long way to go to catch Kei Kamara’s record.
  • The Crew also made another move, trading for the Seattle Sounders Jake Morris, who signed through 2023 with options for 2024 and 2025. Morris’ Homegrown rights come over in the deal with Seattle getting $50,000 in General Allocation Money and up to another $50,000 in GAM from incentives. His younger brother, Aidan Morris, already plays for Columbus and featured extensively in the MLS Cup that the Crew won in 2020. Despite the last name and Seattle connection, they are not related to Jordan Morris.

D.C. United

FC Cincinnati

  • Cincinnati re-signed CB Nick Hagglund on a two year deal. They paid a king’s ransom to get him in their expansion season, so it’s probably good business keeping the 29-year-old as they continue their latest rebuild.

FC Dallas

  • Striker and USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi is sold for a stunning $20 million to Augsburg in Germany. At least it could end up being that high.
  • FCD are reportedly spending some of that Pepi money on Independiente winger Alan Velasco. They are rumored to have made a $7 million bid for the 19-year-old. Depending on his salary, he could be a U-22 signing (if he makes less than $612,500 per season).
  • USMNT defender Justin Che is headed to Germany to join Hoffenheim on an 18-month loan deal with the option to buy. The 18-year-old could be the next in a long line of talents sold from Dallas. Imagine if MLS was a destination league and all these guys stayed in Dallas. They’d be unbeatable. Pepi, Winston McKinnie, Reggie Cannon, Bryan Reynolds, Tanner Tessman, just to name a few.
  • Dallas acquired the third overall pick in the MLS SuperDraft in exchange for acquiring and buying out Toronto FC forward Dom Dwyer, making him a free agent. We try to break down why such a move would happen.
  • FCD did a one-year loan for Nanu, a right-back from Portuguese giants FC Porto.

Houston Dynamo

Inter Miami CF

  • Signed center back Christopher McVey. He joins from Swedish club IF Elfsborg on a deal that last through 2024 with an option for 2025. Apparently he can also play fullback.
  • Midfielder George Acosta and defender Aime Mabika signed with Miami. Mabika is the 26th pick in last years SuperDraft and Acosta came through their academy affiliate Fort Lauderdale CF.
  • Jamaican international Damion Lowe has joined Miami through 2023 with an option for 2024. The 28-year-old center back will look to build back an horrendous Miami squad.

LA Galaxy

  • The Galaxy are reportedly looking to sign Montpellier (Ligue 1) attacking midfielder Teji Savanier.
  • Earlier in the offseason they offloaded United States Men’s National Team midfielder, Sebastian Lletget to the Revolution.

LAFC

Minnesota United

  • MNUFC brought back former top draft pick, Abu Danladi, after two years away at Nashville SC. Maybe they are trying to make right what appeared to be a botched draft, as after Danladi, in order the following players were picked: Miles Robinson (ATL), Jonathan Lewis (NYC), Jeremy Ebobisse (POR), Lalas Abubakar (CLB), Jackson Yueill (SJ), Jake Nerwinski (VAN) and Julian Gressel (ATL). What a draft 2017 was at the top. Also in that draft: Niko Hanson (9th), Brian White (20th) and Brandt Bronico (47th), all of whom arguably have been more successful.

CF Montreal

  • Montreal have acquired Sebastian Breza on loan for the second straight season. The team declined their purchase option after 2021, but they executed another loan with Bologna, which are owned by the same man, Joey Saputo, that owns CF Montreal.

Nashville SC

New England Revolution

  • Forward Adam Buksa could be on the way out of New England. A Polish report has Italian Serie B side Pisa, offering a $9.5 million transfer fee. They only paid $4 million to get him, so that’d be quite the profitable flip but would dent their attack.
  • Their biggest addition is USMNT midfielder Sebastian Lletget.

New York City FC

New York Red Bulls

Orlando City

Philadelphia Union

Portland Timbers

Real Salt Lake

San Jose Earthquakes

  • It’s been pretty quiet for the Quakes, just mostly re-signing players or adding Homegrowns. Their biggest move is probably the addition of Jan Gregus, formerly of Minnesota United. They added him through the Re-Entry Draft Stage 2.

Seattle Sounders

Toronto FC

Vancouver Whitecaps