FC Dallas sign defender Farfan to contract extension
FC Dallas have signed defender Marco Farfan to a new contract through the 2026 MLS season. The left back initially joined Dallas last February in a swap trade with LAFC that sent defender Ryan Hollingshead the other way. Farfan had one goal and four assists in 32 games, helping Dallas return to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs (West No. 3 seed) under first-year head coach Nico Estevez.
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Vancouver Whitecaps: For every part of the season to be the second half of the season
Not sure if the league office can work this one out, but it’s worth asking if you’re Vancouver and may be critical to job security if you’re ‘Caps manager Vanni Sartini. After Sartini led the Whitecaps to a second-half surge in 2021, Vancouver nearly followed the same path in 2022. They came up just short. Part of that feels like injuries that derail the first part of the year, part of that feels like general incohesion. But even with their first-half struggles, this feels like a roster that should be getting more consistent results across 2023 and a team that seems to understand how to make smart roster-building decisions. They should be competing for a playoff spot all year. If they have to spend the holidays tricking themselves into thinking there are two second halves of the season, so be it.
St. Louis CITY SC: Something like Andre Blake, but maybe better
Not to pick on the new guys too much, but have we talked about the fact they gave goalkeeper Roman Burki a max TAM deal? His salary is listed as $1.63 million. That is… a hilarious amount for an MLS goalkeeper. There’s no real way to sugarcoat it. For any team, let alone an expansion team, it’s a wild investment. Like, for reference, Andre Blake, arguably the best keeper in MLS history, made $869k in guaranteed compensation last year. It’s just not a position you can or should spend absurd amounts on in a salary-cap league.
Unless the person you’re paying that kind of money turns out to be something like Andre Blake but maybe better. It could always happen, I guess.
Sporting KC: Health and youth
Two things happened a little too close together for SKC last year. First, they lost DP forward Alan Pulido and DP midfielder Gadi Kinda to injury. Second, it felt like a whole bunch of the roster aged out at the same time. Consequently, the first 3/4ths of the season or so went really, really poorly.
However, the final stretch of the year saw SKC turn on a dime into one of the single-best teams in the league by the eye test and the numbers. It wasn’t enough to get them in the playoffs at that point and there were still critical flaws, but there were moments where they just thumped teams. That came in large part thanks to new signings William Agada and Erik Thommy. Agada, a forward, looked especially impressive. In 10 starts he finished with eight goals and two assists.
With Pulido and Kinda returning, SKC will need to work them back in the lineup along with Agada, Thommy and maybe a few new signings that aren’t quite as elderly in soccer years. If Pulido and Kinda can come back looking sharp and can stay that way across a full season, then SKC should be set for a serious bounceback.
Seattle Sounders: Not what happened to SKC
I have a general rule about worryin’ about the Sounders, and the rule is “Don’t do that.” However, that rule got shattered when they missed the playoffs last year. It’s a brave new world now, y’all. And Seattle seem… weirdly vulnerable? The likely scenario of course is that they’re totally fine and even if they start slow they’ll find someone in the summer window who fixes everything. But we’re talking about a team similar to SKC in that injuries and age could play a major factor if a few bad breaks come their way. It essentially already happened last year when Joao Paulo tore his ACL. If he’s not back to form at some point in 2023, will this team have enough to match their normal standards?
San Jose Earthquakes: Gym membership, delete social media, read more
Some part of the Quakes last season felt like they were going through a breakup. There were lingering traits from their time with Matias Almeyda as the manager that they just couldn’t shake. Mainly giving up far too many goals in far too many ways.
They’re entering the new year with a new lease on life, though! They’re working on themselves, and new manager Luchi Gonzalez is here to help them along. This roster doesn’t feel far off from success. Shaking off their ex will go a long way toward helping them reach their potential.
Real Salt Lake: What the other kids are getting
RSL haven’t complained. Every year they don’t get as much as some of the other kids. They’ve found a way to make their paper airplane set just as fun as the drone the kid down the street got. But maybe, just maybe, since they don’t ask for much, they could get something fancy like the kids down the street in the LAFC house get? It doesn’t have to be like a whole Gareth Bale or anything, but maybe just a really nice center back would be cool? They work really hard and could get a ton out of that.
Portland Timbers: Evander to be worth the price
Portland have splurged a bit this holiday season and paid one of the single-most expensive transfer fees in MLS history. Those… haven’t really worked out often lately. Although a decent amount of the misfires kind of feel like Atlanta United’s fault. Even still, the track record for the league’s largest transfer deal isn’t great as of late. It sure would be nice and likely season-saving if Evander is the real deal from the jump.
Minnesota United FC: A way to bottle the middle of 2022
There was like a 10-game stretch in the middle of the season where Minnesota looked like one of the best teams in the league. Then center back Bakaye Dibassy got hurt and they stumbled the rest of the way. The arc of their season ended up being a near-perfect parabola.
If they can get healthy and find a way to get back to the kind of fluid play we saw from them in the middle of 2022, then they’ll be right back in the playoffs in 2023. Maybe this time with a little more potential to make waves once they get there. That’s easier said than done, but it’s kind of all there is to say right now for a team that doesn’t seem to have major changes on the way.
LA Galaxy: A way to just go ahead and knock out all their shopping for the year before the season begins
Is there a soccer version of Costco they could go to to buy in bulk? It might be prudent for the Galaxy to essentially be doomsday preppers this offseason. A secondary window transfer ban has put a lot of pressure on Greg Vanney and company to get this primary window correct. And getting this primary window correct means getting a DP winger that’s far more effective than what Douglas Costa has been and Kevin Cabral was. Honestly, if they can just get that right, they shouldn’t have to worry about the summer too much. In theory, anyway.
LAFC: A way to convince everyone to back off of Jose Cifuentes
Like at least until the summer? At least let them try to win CCL first.
Unfortunately, it feels like someone in Europe will swoop in with a Godfather offer during this window for one of the league’s best midfielders. LAFC, of all teams, will probably be just fine losing a key player, but they aren’t exactly going to be better without him. Maybe they can work out a Matt Turner-style deal where they go all-in on the big trophy before letting one of their best players venture off.
Houston Dynamo FC: A little more stability in their relationships
The Dynamo have had roughly 30 managers or so in the last five years. I dunno, lost count. Which is why it makes some sense to bring in a manager like Ben Olsen who players seem to appreciate and who has extensive MLS experience. They should be able to feel safe with who they have at manager for a while. That’s something the Dynamo haven’t had often.
FC Dallas: It’s a center back
I don’t have anything cute here, they just really need to replace Matt Hedges. Maybe former LAFC defender Sebastien Ibeagha is that guy, but kind of seems like they need more.
Colorado Rapids: Expected goals to turn into goals that are expected
This is mainly about Kevin Cabral because I just want him to succeed, but that relationship is symbiotic so I feel cool making this all about him. I’m hoping all the karma he built from those great chances he missed last year comes around and he starts outperforming his xG at a Sebastian Driussi level and becomes a bonafide star for the Rapids. If that happens, then the Rapids should be pretty decent.
I would do something about them filling all their DP spots too, but I know better than that after last offseason.
Austin FC: A laminator
Gotta make sure that Driussi jab in the Rapids section is printed out and secured.
St. Louis CITY acquire Adeniran in trade with Seattle Sounders: St. Louis CITY SC have acquired forward Samuel Adeniran from Seattle Sounders FC as their expansion-year roster build continues for 2023. To land the 24-year-old attacker, STL will send $100,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Seattle. An additional $100k in 2024 GAM is tied to performance-based metrics, and Seattle retain a percentage of a future transfer fee through 2025.
Vancouver Whitecaps transfer Cornelius to Sweden's Malmö FF: Vancouver Whitecaps FC defender Derek Cornelius has joined Swedish top-flight side Malmö FF on a permanent transfer. The 25-year-old, who spent last season on loan with Panetolikos in Greece's first division, departs the Canadian club for an undisclosed fee.
- Jonathan Sigal picked out every Western Conference team’s best signing in 2022
- Tom “Scoops Actually” Bogert and Matt Doyle looked at the transfer needs for each Western Conference team
Good luck out there. Get there in style.
