Winter rebuilds and early-season squad tinkering are officially over, as the 2024 Primary Transfer Window slammed shut Tuesday evening,
After Joe Lowery spotlighted standout clubs, we're dishing out superlatives in several player-centric categories – ranging from Designated Players to intra-league moves. Two ground rules:
- Players can only appear in one category.
- Each section has a handful of honorable mentions.
Now, let the countdown begin toward the Secondary Transfer Window. It spans from July 18 to Aug. 14, and the summer is historically busy around these parts.
Best veteran star: Luis Suárez (Inter Miami CF)
Yeah, he's still got it.
Suárez has been electric for Inter Miami, posting 6g/4a in nine matches while starring alongside Lionel Messi. All that speculation about the legendary Uruguayan striker's decline looks premature – we're seeing why he lit it up last year for Grêmio in Brazil.
Honorable mentions
- Hugo Lloris - LAFC
- Emil Forsberg - New York Red Bulls
Lloris arrived from Tottenham Hotspur (England) on a team-friendly deal, and the goalkeeper reportedly played a role in LAFC being set to add striker Olivier Giroud from AC Milan (Italy) this summer. They won the 2018 World Cup together with France.
Meanwhile, Forsberg looks like RBNY's best signing in years. The Swedish midfielder arrived from sister side RB Leipzig (Germany) and has immediately lifted their trophy potential.
Best Designated Player: Joseph Paintsil (LA Galaxy)
Paintsil is a Best XI-caliber winger, terrorizing opposing defenders with his pace and direct play. The Ghanaian international has 4g/4a through nine matches, inspiring LA's attack alongside Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec and Dejan Joveljic.
Paintsil and Pec both arrived this winter, showing LA's renewed direction under GM Will Kuntz. Puig and Joveljic, of course, are holdovers from past seasons.
Honorable mentions
- Djordje Mihailovic - Colorado Rapids
- Gabriel Pec - LA Galaxy
- Jonathan Rodríguez - Portland Timbers
Mihailovic is a main figurehead in Colorado's early-season turnaround under head coach Chris Armas, slotting into the No. 10 role he honed while starring for CF Montréal.
As for Rodríguez, he's only got 1g/1a in five matches. But the Uruguayan striker should come good any matchday now, mindful of his Liga MX track record.
Best U22 Initiative: Federico Redondo (Inter Miami CF)
Redondo was reportedly being scouted by some of global soccer's biggest clubs, but Inter Miami swooped in to land the Argentine youth international. The Messi Effect, perhaps?
The son of legendary d-mid Fernando Redondo, his game has been likened to Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets. Those comparisons are easy to spot, given the 21-year-old's passing, range, bite, reading of the game and physical profile.
Honorable mentions
- Omar Campos - LAFC
- Noah Eile - New York Red Bulls
- Marino Hinestroza - Columbus Crew
- David Martínez - LAFC
- Agustín Ojeda - New York City FC
Martínez is regarded as one of Venezuela's top prospects in years, making the 18-year-old's addition a major coup for LAFC. He's joined at his new club by Campos, a rising Mexican international left back.
Eile has shined bright for RBNY, drawing rave reviews for his passing out of the back. Ojeda is NYCFC's latest young prospect from Argentina, and Hinestroza has shown flashes for Columbus.
Best young European: Bartosz Slisz (Atlanta United)
It shouldn't be overlooked that Atlanta signed an in-his-prime Polish international, one who's poised to start at UEFA Euro 2024 this summer.
Slisz, who arrived from Legia Warsaw, has formed an immediate midfield partnership with Tristan Muyumba. As those two do the less glamorous work, Thiago Almada can shine.
Honorable mentions
- Liel Abada - Charlotte FC
- Pavel Bucha - FC Cincinnati
- Jovan Mijatović - New York City FC
- Matti Peltola - D.C. United
- Hannes Wolf - New York City FC
NYCFC's winter rebuild involved Mijatović arriving from Red Star Belgrade (Serbia) and Wolf joining from Borussia Mönchengladbach (Germany). Both have huge upside.
Bucha has offered an upgrade to FC Cincinnati's midfield alongside Obinna Nwobodo, and Peltola is a Finnish international who does the dirty work in D.C. United's high-press system.
Best free agent: Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati)
Robinson and Matt Miazga at center back together? Cincy are absolutely loaded as they chase a second straight Supporters' Shield title.
As a quick reminder: Robinson rose to stardom at Atlanta United and has a strong chance of making the USMNT Copa América squad this summer. Miazga, meanwhile, is the reigning MLS Defender of the Year.
Honorable mentions
- Kellyn Acosta - Chicago Fire FC
- Maxime Crépeau - Portland Timbers
- Julian Gressel - Inter Miami CF
- Josef Martínez - CF Montréal
- Fafà Picault - Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Diego Rubio - Austin FC
Gressel plays a huge role in allowing Inter Miami's superstars to shine, and it looks like Rubio will help Austin star Sebastián Driussi flourish again.
Crépeau and Acosta both left LAFC this winter, while Martínez's unexpected journey to Montréal is already paying dividends. Ditto for Picault in Vancouver.
Best MLS trade: DeAndre Yedlin (FC Cincinnati)
As Inter Miami looked to create room for moves, Yedlin landed in Cincy for an oddly-specific $172,799 in General Allocation Money (GAM). And what an addition the right wingback's been.
Honorable mentions
- Tyler Boyd - Nashville SC
- Chris Durkin - St. Louis CITY SC
- Aaron Herrera & Jared Stroud - D.C. United
- Kamal Miller - Portland Timbers
- Ruan & Raheem Edwards - CF Montréal
Elsewhere, Miller might have found a long-term home in Portland, Boyd has shined for Nashville when healthy and Durkin's industrious style fits seamlessly into St. Louis' system.
There's also a win-win trade, with Herrera impressing at D.C. and Ruan fitting in at Montréal – both under new coaches.
Best homecoming: Eduard Atuesta (LAFC)
Man, I love a flying header:
Atuesta, back at LAFC after time in Brazil, hasn't missed a beat. The Colombian international midfielder is on loan from Palmeiras with a purchase option.
Honorable mentions
- Richie Laryea - Toronto FC
- Sam Vines - Colorado Rapids
It's a shame Laryea has been sidelined with a hamstring injury, stunting his TFC return from Premier League side Nottingham Forest. There's been no issue for Vines, who's back in Colorado following a stint at Royal Antwerp in Belgium.
Best re-signing: Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union)
After a year-plus of speculation about Wagner's future, a move to Europe never panned out. Instead, the two-time Best XI left back is still serving in delightful crosses for Philly and providing the occasional goal.
Honorable mentions
- Alejandro Bedoya - Philadelphia Union
- Griffin Dorsey - Houston Dynamo FC
- Stefan Frei - Seattle Sounders FC
- Yuya Kubo - FC Cincinnati
Of the four above, Dorsey returning to Houston might be the most important. The all-action right back is a huge part of the Dynamo's resurgence under Ben Olsen.
Best of the rest - Fidel Barajas (Real Salt Lake)
I wasn't so sure where to put Barajas, so this works!
In all seriousness, Real Salt Lake have another USL-to-MLS gem on their hands. The US-Mexican dual-national arrived from Charleston Battery, following a similar pathway to when Diego Luna joined the Claret-and-Cobalt.
Already, we're seeing why Barajas is so highly regarded:
Honorable mentions
- Matías Cóccaro - CF Montréal
- Nicolás Freire - Inter Miami CF
- Luca Orellano - FC Cincinnati
- Zack Steffen - Colorado Rapids
- Tomas Totland - St. Louis CITY SC
- Miki Yamane - LA Galaxy
Rapid-fire style: Cóccaro is a pressing machine for Montréal, Freire might be Inter Miami's best center back, Orellano is admirably filling in for Álvaro Barreal in Cincy, Steffen is rediscovering his game in Colorado, Totland is a solid add for St. Louis, and Yamane is ever-reliable for LA.
Will they hit? - Hugo Cuypers (Chicago Fire FC)
Cuypers cost Chicago a pretty penny, reportedly up to $14 million if all incentives hit. With that price tag, it's fair to expect more than 2g/0a in nine matches from the Belgian striker. However, to be clear, the problem extends far beyond him (i.e. consistent chance creation and service).
Honorable mentions
- Pedro de la Vega - Seattle Sounders FC
- Luis Muriel - Orlando City SC
- Petar Musa - FC Dallas
- Hernán López & Amahl Pellegrino - San Jose Earthquakes
It's a shame de la Vega has been sidelined by recurring injuries early into his Seattle career. Muriel and Musa aren't yet living up to their pedigrees in Orlando and Dallas, respectively. And San Jose have two new attacking figureheads in López and Pellegrino, the former of whom arrived just this week.
