While the offseason may not have seen some of the splashy moves of the recent past, Major League Soccer clubs did add some notable new international talent, along with some familiar faces from the past.
Atlanta United made arguably the biggest moves, signing both striker Emmanuel Latte Lath for a league record fee and bringing back Miguel Almirón from Newscastle.
Of course, there were also big moves out of MLS, like Cucho Hernandez, who was sent to Spanish club Real Betis for $16 million after two-plus seasons with the Columbus Crew.
It makes sense that MLS teams were active globally during FIFA's winter transfer window, because it occurs in the MLS offseason when clubs are busy building rosters.
However, some international clubs in the thick of their seasons may be unwilling to part with players — which has helped spur increasing calls to shift the MLS season.
The league opens its 30th season on Saturday. Some significant new players to watch:
Emmanuel Latte Lath, Atlanta United
Atlanta landed Latte Lath from English club Middlesbrough for a reported league record fee of $22 million. He had 29 goals in 67 appearances over two seasons with the second-division team. He was the top scorer in the second-tier Championship during the 2023-24 season with 16 goals. The 26-year-old Latte Lath will be with Atlanta through 2028 with an option for 2029.
Kévin Denkey, FC Cincinnati
Cincinnati spent $16.2 million to acquire the forward from Cercle Brugge in November. The 23-year-old Denkey, who is from Togo, was the top scorer in the top Belgian league in the 2023-24 season with 27 goals. He signed a designated player contract with Cincinnati through 2028 with an option for 2029.
Brandon Vazquez, Austin FC
Vazquez is not a necessarily a new face because he used to play with FC Cincinnati. Austin signed the 26-year-old striker to a four-year deal from Mexican club Monterrey in January. He scored 14 goals over the past two years in Liga MX. He returns to MLS after spending four seasons with Cincinnati from 2020-23. He has also played for the U.S. men's national team.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, New York Red Bulls
The 35-year-old forward from Cameroon signed a two-year deal with the Red Bulls as a free agent in December. He won three Bundesliga titles and the FIFA Club World Cup in 2020 in his four years with Bayern Munich, but was out of contract with the team last summer. He'll occupy a designated player spot and is expected to provide leadership on a team that went to the MLS Cup final last year.
Wilfried Zaha, Charlotte FC
Zaha is on loan to Charlotte from Turkish club Galatasaray until next January, with an option to extend through June. Zaha is known for his 10 seasons in the Premier League, including stints with Crystal Palace, Manchester United and Cardiff. He played the bulk of that time at Crystal Palace, where he scored 90 goals and had 52 assists over nine seasons.
Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano, San Diego FC
The league's newest team signed Lozano as the club’s first designated player last June. The winger remained with Dutch club PSV Eindhoven before joining San Diego last month. Lozano had six goals and three assists in 24 matches with PSV during the 2023-24 season. A 29-year-old native of Mexico City, Lozano has also played for Mexican team Pachuca and Italian club Napoli, as well as the Mexican national team.
Jonathan Bamba, Chicago Fire
The winger was acquired from Spanish club Celta Vigo for a transfer fee reported at $2 million. He is signed through 2028 and is a designated player for the Fire. He scored three goals in 39 appearances over the last two seasons with Celta. Before that, he was with French club Lille. He's also played with Ivory Coast's national team, and was on the squad that won the Africa Cup of Nations last year.
Miguel Almirón, Atlanta United
Not exactly new to the league, but Almirón returns to Atlanta via a reported $10 million transfer from English club Newcastle. Almirón left Atlanta in 2019 to join the Premier League team. His best season with Newcastle came in 2022-23, when he scored 11 goals. Overall, he had 30 goals and 22 assists in 223 appearances in all competitions while in Europe. Almirón was the 2017 MLS Newcomer of the Year and helped Atlanta win the MLS Cup in 2018.
___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Anne M. Peterson, The Associated Press
