Grading every MLS team's 2024 Secondary Transfer Window

And with that, the MLS Secondary Transfer Window closed and it is nearly time for the 2024 regular-season stretch run. So let’s look at how all 29 teams – several of whom did nothing – conducted business this summer.

Bear in mind that free-agent signings can still be made until September 13, which is the Roster Freeze Date. And there will be a couple (there always are).

But the big moves are done. So let’s dive in (we’ll go in order of points per game) and give some grades:

Significant moves:

• Acquired center back David Martínez on loan with a purchase option

Miami needed to get a prime-aged center back who could dictate the game with the ball a bit, and Martínez fits the bill. The River Plate loanee's comfort in creating tempo will allow the Herons to do more than outscore opponents; they’ll be more apt to dominate them positionally and pull them apart, pass by pass from back to front.

As long as he doesn’t get any more dumb red cards, anyway.

Keep in mind Miami are still in talks to move Diego Gómez to Premier League side Brighton. If he leaves this month instead of in January, I’d consider knocking this grade down a bit. I don’t think he’s quite irreplaceable, but selling him – even for a record fee – makes this team less likely to win trophies. And that’s the name of the game, right?

Significant moves:

• Signed forward Olivier Giroud as a DP
• Brought in midfielder Lewis O’Brien on loan
• Sold Mamadou Fall

LAFC are now deep and flexible basically everywhere. And they’ve already shown as much in Leagues Cup, as manager Steve Cherundolo has had them flip into more of a 5-4-1 that can dominate possession (as they did for the first 35 minutes vs. San Jose) or hit on the counter (as they did for the rest of that game).

I have zero questions about Giroud’s fit, and O’Brien is a valuable depth piece. Getting extra allocation cash for the Fall sale to Barcelona is more of the clever roster arbitrage that John Thorrington’s proved to be so good at.

Could LAFC have made this an A+ by bringing in Antoine Griezman? Yes. If they go trophyless this year, will fans be right to point to that as a missed opportunity? Also yes.

Significant moves:

• Signed CB Chidozie Awaziem
• Brought in DP forward Niko Gioacchini on loan
• Parted ways with DP forward Aaron Boupendza

The three most important things for Cincy this window, in order:

1. Bring in a starting center back.
2. Part ways with Boupendza.
3. Bring in a DP No. 9.

Awaziem has had a tough go of it to start his MLS career, but I trust he’ll be a long-term fit, and Boupendza is finally, mercifully, gone. If Chris Albright had made only those two moves this window, it would’ve been job well done.

But he finished things off by taking a swing on Gioacchini, which I actually quite like. The fringe US international is underwhelming as a DP No. 9 for a team with title hopes, but he’s an excellent defensive forward with good hold-up play. By the way, he’s never played with chance creators like Lucho Acosta and Luca Orellano.

So there’s a good chance Gioacchini blows expectations out of the water and becomes a mainstay. I don’t think it’s the likeliest outcome, but it’s on the board and was a low-risk gambit.

Significant move:

• Signed attacker Marco Reus on a TAM deal

Certain markets have built-in advantages when it comes to attracting high-level talent. LA is one of those markets – just ask LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Matt Stafford or Shohei Ohtani. Or, up the road a bit from Carson, Hugo Lloris.

Reus is perfect for a Galaxy attack that was already one of the league’s best. He can play anywhere across the “3” line of Greg Vanney’s 4-2-3-1, and even give some minutes as a false 9 if necessary. And because the Galaxy are so deep and dynamic in attack, the 35-year-old German does not have to go out there and burn himself into ash playing 90 minutes every week.

I wish LA had added a similarly experienced central midfielder, where they remain a bit thin. If they’d done that, it would’ve been an A+ window.

Significant moves:

• Sold d-mid Aidan Morris
• Traded for wingback DeJuan Jones and attacking midfielder Aziel Jackson
• Signed attacking midfielder Dylan Chambost
• Brought in right wingback Andrés Herrera on loan

How you feel about this window – basically whether it was an A- or an A+ – probably depends upon how you feel about the Crew’s approach to replacing Morris, who was sold for $4 million to Middlesbrough of the English Championship.

Personally, I’m fine with letting Sean Zawadzki, Alexandru Matan and Chambost fight to the death for the job. But I would understand if someone wanted to dock the Crew a bit for not going out there and buying a DP-level replacement.

That, though, can be the only knock on Issa Tall’s work this window. Getting Jones is a coup, and in the long run, getting Jackson could be as well. Herrera, meanwhile, makes a ton of sense to bring in on loan.

I think this is the best team in the league. They may now be the deepest as well.

Significant moves:

• Selling winger Andrés Gómez for $11m + add-ons
• Sold winger Fidel Barajas for $4m
• Bought DP No. 10 Diogo Gonçalves for $3m
• Bought wingers Dominik Marczuk (for $1.5m) and Lachlan Brook (for an undisclosed fee)
• Signed attacker Benji Michel on a free
• Claimed defender Javain Brown off waivers

I wavered between giving RSL an A and an A+, eventually settling on the former because it’s just not clear yet how effectively they’re going to replace Gómez, who spent the first two-thirds of the season producing at a Best XI-caliber clip.

If none of the guys on the roster can give, say, 75% of what Gómez has, then this team actually comes out of the window a little bit further from title contention, rather than closer to it. That's unless Gonçalves is an MVP-caliber No. 10, in which case this is an A+ window. Period.

Longer term, there’s no denying this was a landmark window for RSL. They’re part of the global transfer market for real now, which was a necessary step for the club.

Significant moves:

• Sold d-mid Frankie Amaya to Toluca
• Brought in DP central midfielder Felipe Carballo on loan

Red Bull fans are massively disappointed in their team’s inability to bring in a high-level No. 9 – either a DP or a U22 signing – and they’re right to be.

This team’s a piece away from contention. As it stands, they seem destined to flame out in the playoffs once again due to a lack of firepower:

Same story for 15 years running.

Significant moves:

• Selling CB Moïse Bombito for a reported $7.7m + add-ons to OGC Nice
• Exercised purchase option on DP No. 9 Rafael Navarro

Great work turning a SuperDraft pick into a record outbound fee for an MLS center back. Good and necessary work in exercising the purchase option on Navarro, who’s been good-to-excellent on both sides of the ball this year.

They’re set up well for the long run, but also they’re a little further from title contention than they were entering the window. I don’t think Rapids fans are too disappointed – most of them feel like they’re already playing with house money, given how well the season’s gone. But from a competitive perspective, it’s a slight bummer.

Significant moves:

• Purchased right wingback Édier Ocampo
• Waived right back Javain Brown

A mild upgrade at wingback is nice, but not nice enough.

The ‘Caps have been a high-level attacking piece short time after time after time against the best teams over the past few years, and we saw it again in Leagues Cup vs. Pumas.

Significant moves:

• Purchased DP No. 9 Ezequiel Ponce
• Purchased U22 Initiative left winger Lawrence Ennali

For the past 12 months, we’ve praised Houston’s backline and midfield and said they’re simply an injection of high-level attacking talent away from being one of the handful of best teams in MLS.

They went out and spent a club record on Ponce, who’s already scored himself a banger:

Meanwhile, Ennali looks the part of a match-winner (a chaotic one so far, but the talent’s obviously there).

I don’t think anybody else in the league did as much to help their chances of winning a trophy this year, a disappointing end to that Toluca match or not.

Significant move:

• Loaned out DP winger Talles Magno to Corinthians

They obviously had to do something with Magno, who clearly wasn't going to break into Nick Cushing’s plans. Loan him to Brazilian giants where he can gas up his transfer value? Makes sense to me (even though I’d have loved it if they’d found a loan taker for him within MLS).

And look, NYCFC might actually benefit here. There’s value in clarifying the depth chart, and it’s pretty clear Julián Fernández, for one, was pretty juiced vs. Tigres.

But there’s still a gap between this team and the true contenders, and the front office did nothing tangible this summer to close it.

Significant move:

• n/a

If the Sounders ascend to the ranks of MLS’s elite down the stretch here, it was always going to have more to do with Pedro de la Vega’s health than any signing they could’ve made this summer. This isn’t a Red Bulls or Whitecaps type of situation.

That said, I think the vibes in the fanbase would’ve been helped immensely by a U22 signing. I’m not usually a proponent of vibes-based signings, and there’s a deeeeeecent chance Seattle needed to keep that U22 slot open to negotiate-and-extend Obed Vargas.

But still. I don’t blame the fans who wanted to see something roster-related happen this summer.

Significant moves:

• Brought in DP No. 10 Pep Biel on loan
• Brought DP No. 9 Karol Swiderski back from loan
• Signed CB Tim Ream on a free
• Sold CM Brecht Dejaegere

Charlotte got better this window. But they didn’t get as much better as we all thought they would, when it looked like 25-year-old Feyenoord No. 10 Calvin Stengs was moving to the Queen City. And then when it wasn’t Stengs, it looked like it would be Miguel Almirón for a hot minute.

Ultimately, Biel looks like a fine third choice, and Charlotte did well to get him in at the last minute on loan. A true playmaker was the one piece they needed, and they got it. Can’t knock them too much.

Swiderski gets to duke it out with Patrick Agyemang for the starting job up top, while Ream will presumably do the same along the backline – which has been arguably the best in the league this year.

This team is deeper and more balanced than they were entering the window. That is good.

They also seem short of the top-end quality necessary to win a trophy. So I don’t blame the fans who feel… whelmed. It was a whelming window for this team.

Significant moves:

• Traded a bag of balls for forward Mason Toye
• Bought CB Finn Surman for a reported $500k
• Sold winger Dairon Asprilla for an undisclosed fee

It became clear around late May that no, the Timbers should not go out into the transfer market and spend big on a new No. 9. That's because Felipe Mora is fit again, excellent again and has unquestionable chemistry with the rest of the attack – which is composed of guys who fit together almost perfectly.

So Ned Grabavoy et al did the smart thing and looked for young guys with potential along the backline (Kiwi folks I speak with rate Surman very highly) and a high-upside reclamation project in Toye.

This team will now have pretty clean books heading into next year, and the ability to go out and get a DP No. 6 if Father Time does eventually run down Diego Chara.

Understated as it was, I liked this window a lot.

Significant moves:

• Reportedly re-signed and extended center forward Duncan McGuire

Orlando City’s front office have firmly stated they have no intention of selling McGuire, and I firmly believe that this deal was done so that they can negotiate from a position of strength when selling McGuire this winter.

In the meantime, the kid gets paid and the chance to win his starting job back down the stretch.

While this window didn’t move Orlando closer to a trophy of any sort this year – I’d have liked to see them find a U22 Initiative center back – it put them in a better position heading into next year. Not bad.

Significant moves:

• Bought DP midfielder Joaquín Pereyra
• Bought DP attacker Kelvin Yeboah
• Bought center back Jefferson Díaz
• Signed winger Samuel Shashoua on a free
• Bought right back Matúš Kmeť for an undisclosed fee
• Sold CB/MF Kervin Arriaga to Partizan Belgrade

The argument for giving Minnesota less than a C is they needed, more than anything, a high-level No. 6. And they did not get one.

The argument for giving Minnesota more than a C is they needed both a back-to-front talent infusion and a new roster-building direction. And they got both.

So it’s a C+, and potentially more, if manager Eric Ramsay gets Pereyra and Yeboah onto the field with holdovers Robin Lod, Tani Oluwaseyi and Bongi Hlongwane. Those guys seem to all fit together in a 4-2-3-1 (push Lod back to the No. 8, which is probably his best position anyway) and just let ‘er rip.

But I have a feeling things aren’t going to be that simple. And I am frankly worried that the likes of Yeboah and Shashoua were signed to play over guys like Tani and Bongi rather than alongside them.

Anyway, they’re a more talented team now, I think. Let’s hope the old pieces and the new fit together snugly in a formation that makes sense.

Significant moves:

• Bought DP winger Osman Bukari for $7m
• Bought center back Oleksandr Svatov for a reported $1.2m
• Signed RB Mikkel Desler on a free

Three new starters, with one (Desler) already looking like a high-level piece. Pretty damn good!

Lots more needs to be done in the winter, but this roster’s better than it was two months ago.

Significant moves:

• Traded for RB Ruan
• Acquired d-mid Show on loan

Dallas’s hands were tied pretty snugly given their roster make-up and all the injuries they’re dealing with. Considering that, I think they did pretty well to bring in two guys who could, potentially, be starters down the stretch. At the very least, they should eat up some innings.

Any high-level juice they get from here on out will/should be via the return to health of both Alan Velasco and Jesús Ferreira. Both guys should be back soon.

Significant moves:

• Signed defender Henry Wingo on a free
• Traded wingback Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty to Montréal for up to $1.3m in allocation cash

The Wingo signing is a good move, full stop.

Getting $1.3m for a homegrown kid who’s never married production to potential is good in a vacuum. In a bigger picture, Marshall-Rutty is a kid they thought they’d sell for eight figures at some point. So what the move really represents is the breakdown of TFC’s pipeline from the academy to the first team. Somewhere along the way, they are failing to do what’s necessary to turn talented kids into quality soccer players.

Overall… to me, it’s ominous that manager John Herdman has this team scrapping for their playoff life, but still got almost zero help during the summer window. Given the man who hired Herdman (Bill Manning) was recently dismissed, and things have been shuffled at/near the top of parent org MLSE, it’s not hard to imagine more changes are coming if things don’t go right down the stretch.

Significant moves:

• Sold DP No. 10 Thiago Almada for $20+m
• Sold DP No. 9 Giorgos Giakoumakis for $10m
• Sold homegrown left back Caleb Wiley for $11m
• Bought DP No. 10 Alexey Miranchuk for $12.5m
• Brought in left back Pedro Amador on a free

Atlanta had a record summer in terms of incoming transfer fees. And they went out and got their top target (Miranchuk) at the No. 10.

Then they reportedly struck out on every big signing they had lined up. And look, I understand why fans are upset by that. Hell, I’m a neutral and I’m upset by it, too.

But you know what’s worse than striking out on all your big targets? Striking out on all your big targets, and then making a long-term panic signing you’re not sure about just because you’ve got $35 million burning a hole in your pocket. That could sink you for another half-decade or longer.

So Atlanta will still have that money to spend in the winter. They’ll also have two open U22 slots to fill, and potentially two DP slots as well. And a new coach. And a new direction.

I don’t blame the fans for being mad, though. I think they’re right to be, at least a little bit.

EDIT: Atlanta traded for an international roster slot. So it sure seems they could sign someone on a free.

Here is Transfermarkt’s list of free agents. Go nuts.

Significant moves:

• Bought d-mid Danley Jean Jacques for a reported $1.5m
• Traded a bag of balls for forward Sam Adeniran
• Sold Julián Carranza to Feyenoord for an undisclosed fee
• Reportedly about to sell José Martínez to Corinthians for a fee in the neighborhood of $2m

Obviously, there was no more keeping this group together. Carranza’s already gone for less than Philly could’ve gotten last year – I don’t blame them for holding onto him since they really were trying to win stuff this season – and now it looks like Martínez will be out the door next. Getting anything for a 30-year-old d-mid who’s lost a step is good work, especially when you have multiple options on the roster to replace him.

Tai Baribo has given this season a silver lining. Selling Jack McGlynn this summer would coat that silver lining in gold, and continued development from the brothers Sullivan would perhaps layer some platinum over all that.

This has turned into a pretty busy and pretty good summer so far, and the Union have some clarity going forward. It’s not great, but it’s better than the alternative.

Significant moves:

• Traded up to $1.3m allocation cash for RWB Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty
• Signed LWB Tom Pearce on a free
• Signed RWB Dawid Bugaj for an undisclosed fee
• Traded veteran wingbacks Ariel Lassiter and Ruan for nominal fees
• Sold forward Chinonso Offor for a nominal fee
• Traded forward Mason Toye for a nominal fee
• Reportedly about to sell Mathieu Choinière to Grasshoppers for around $1m

I’d give them an A if they weren’t about to sell Choinière, who’s one of the club’s biggest and best developmental success stories. I am consoling myself about his departure by imagining it’s all in service of getting Nathan Saliba into the starting XI on a week-to-week basis.

The rest of this summer is just a case of Montréal doing what they should do: getting younger and doubling down on their developmental pathway. And it seems like there are more veteran departures to come:

This team’s set to have a mountain of cap room and a lot of good young players next year. There are worse places to be.

Significant move:

• Signed central midfielder Patrick Yazbek via the U22 Initiative

I’m not sure any team in the league has a more obvious need – ball progression through central midfield. And I guess it’s gonna fall on Yazbek to provide it the rest of the season even though the ‘Yotes still have another U22 slot open.

Things probably won’t get much better in the winter as, unless there’s a buy-out, this team’s committed to the 3 DPs/3 U22s pathway through 2025. And given the number of large contracts handed out to the veteran core of this roster, there’s just not much wiggle room for new signings or trades.

So it really does look like any year-over-year improvement’s going to have to come from signing youngsters who can perform at a high level. New coach B.J. Callaghan’s got some work to do.

Significant moves:

• Bought LB David Schnegg for a reported $2m
• Bought CM Boris Enow for an undisclosed fee
• CB Steve Birnbaum retired

There’s a chance D.C. got two long-term starters this window, which isn’t bad. And given the way this team’s rosters are lined up, CSO Ally Mackay has the chance to come into 2025 with an almost entirely new team.

The way he conducted business this summer suggests he felt that was a more attractive option than throwing resources at a late-season playoff push.

I think that’s the right idea.

Significant moves:

• Parted ways with DP attacker Xherdan Shaqiri
• Traded a handful of allocation cash for attacker Ariel Lassiter

Fire fans got the news they were hoping for when CSO Georg Heitz announced, earlier this week, that he’s stepping down at the end of the year. And further good news was piled on top of that when the club parted ways with Shaqiri and then didn’t immediately make another ill-advised signing.

Chicago’s cap situation is still not great, but if they can manage a parting of the ways with Gastón Giménez this winter, they’d find themselves with two open DP slots; a great academy; a number of good, young players on long-term contracts; a number or guys in their prime on fair deals (Hugo Cuypers, Kellyn Acosta, Andrew Gutman, Carlos Terán, Maren Haile-Selassie); and an owner who’s always been willing to spend.

This is a good job, provided whoever replaces Heitz gets to call the shots.

Significant moves:

• Signed winger Luca Langoni on a U22 deal for $7m
• Signed d-mid Alhassan Yusuf for $2.5m
• Traded LB DeJuan Jones to Columbus for LB Will Sands and $600k in allocation cash
• Traded CB Henry Kessler to St. Louis for CB Tim Parker and $600k in allocation cash

The Revs finally realized whatever magic Bruce Arena worked on this roster left with him and committed to the rebuild. Jones’ departure opens up playing time for young Peyton Miller, while Parker probably slots into the XI this year, but sees his salary come off the books this winter.

Langoni probably starts on the wing for the rest of the season. Yusuf almost certainly does at d-mid.

I would wager this offseason’s teardown will be extensive (the Revs have a lot of guys who are entering option years). But between the guys they brought in this window and holdovers like Carles Gil and Giacomo Vrioni, it seems like they’ve got a decent foundation for the next era in place.

Significant move:

• Signed CB Joaquín Fernández on a free

If Fernández turns into a starting CB for the next half-decade (and his C.V. says that’s a very plausible outcome), this will be remembered as a successful transfer window. If not, it will be remembered as a wasted summer in which Sporting’s braintrust pushed off the inevitable.

Either way, massive changes are coming this winter. Though maybe not quite so many as this team needs.

Significant moves:

• Signed playmaker Marcel Hartel on a free
• Signed forward Cedric Teuchert on a free
• Acquired center forward Simon Becher on loan
• Acquired left back Jannes Horn on loan
• Bought d-mid Jake Girdwood-Reich for a reported $850k
• Traded CB Tim Parker and $600k in allocation cash for CB Henry Kessler
• Traded attacking midfielder Aziel Jackson for up to $900k in allocation cash
• Sold LB Nikolas Dyhr for a reported $400k
• Traded forward Sam Adeniran to the Union for up to $450k in allocation cash
• Sold winger Isak Jensen for an undisclosed fee

Sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel had to scramble after the bill came due on last year’s overperformance. Gone were the platitudes about a “designated team” and in have come actual Designated Players – guys who can bring the necessary final-third quality to create chances both with and without the ball.

So far, so good. Especially since the unheralded Becher has looked every bit a starting No. 9 of the sort who can help open up space for the other new guys, Hartel and Teuchert, as well as holdovers like Indiana Vassilev and Eduard Löwen.

If Kessler wins a starting job in central defense and Horn wins the starting job at left back – and both guys should be able to – we’re talking about five new starters in one window. Six if Girdwood-Reich gets himself a job at either the 6 or next to Kessler in central defense.

John Hackworth’s already integrated a lot of these guys, and St. Louis are playing better ball because of it. The book on this year is probably closed (10 points below the line is almost certainly too much to make up), but they should be in much better shape heading into next season.

Significant moves:

• n/a

On the one hand, the Quakes are dead last, at a talent deficit in almost every game, and easily could have made multiple U22 Initiative signings. It is wild to see a team in that position decide “nah, we good” during an entire window.

On the other hand, they’ve watched Diego Luna blossom into one of the best playmakers in the league; they’ve watched Fidel Barajas get sold for $4 million; they’ve watched Max Arfsten win a starting job for what might be the best team in North America. So maybe it’s finally dawned on them that the best thing they could do is actually trust their homegrown players and give them minutes?

Niko Tsakiris, Oscar Verhoeven, Cruz Medina, maybe even Emi Ochoa and Chance Cowell… could we see all these guys get significant minutes down the stretch here? It seems like now would be the right time to give it a whirl seeing as there’s nothing left to play for over the final nine games of the season.