Gareth Bale announces retirement from professional soccer
LAFC forward Gareth Bale has announced his retirement from professional soccer after an esteemed 18-year career, the Welsh superstar announced Monday. Bale, 33, joined LAFC last June after leaving Spanish powerhouse side Real Madrid. He scored one of the most memorable goals in MLS history, a towering extra-time header that sent the Black & Gold into penalty kicks and their eventual MLS Cup 2022 victory.
Orlando City sign DP winger Ojeda from Argentina's Godoy Cruz
Orlando City SC have added a third Designated Player ahead of the 2023 MLS season, announcing Saturday they’ve acquired winger Martín Ojeda from Argentine Primera División side Godoy Cruz. The 24-year-old Argentine’s deal runs through 2025 with club options in 2026 and 2027. Ojeda's DP spot opened when midfield playmaker Mauricio Pereyra re-signed this offseason on a non-DP deal.
Nashville SC loan striker Loba to Liga MX's Mazatlán FC
Nashville SC have loaned striker Aké Loba to Liga MX side Mazatlán FC with a purchase option before the end of 2023. Since the move involves a loan, it won't open the Designated Player slot Loba has occupied – but if he's transferred outright, then there's DP flexibility. The transaction and resulting roster situation are similar to when Inter Miami CF loaned Rodolfo Pizarro to Liga MX's CF Monterrey last year.
Wanyama returns to CF Montréal on DP deal
CF Montréal have re-signed captain Victor Wanyama to a two-year contract through the 2024 MLS season. The 31-year-old midfielder will remain a Designated Player for Montréal, where he's been a stalwart since his 2020 arrival from English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He was out of contract after Montréal's record-setting 2022 campaign, stating in October that he didn't expect to return.
New York Red Bulls bring back Brazilian striker Manoel
Elias Manoel is back with the New York Red Bulls for a second stint. The Brazilian striker has been permanently acquired from Brazilian Série A side Gremio, inking a three-year MLS contract through 2025 with an option for 2026. He originally joined RBNY on loan from Gremio for the last couple of months of the 2022 season. The 21-year-old had two goals and one assist in six matches for RBNY.
Atlanta United loan Moreno to Brazil's Coritiba
Atlanta United have loaned midfielder Marcelino Moreno to Brazilian top-flight side Coritiba through the 2023 season. The 28-year-old Argentine attacker had 13 goals and 14 assists in 68 games for Atlanta, but fell out of favor under head coach Gonzalo Pineda last season.
Real Salt Lake finalizing potential club-record deal for Colombian winger Gomez
Real Salt Lake are finalizing a potential club-record deal to sign winger Andrés Gómez from Millonarios FC, a source tells MLSsoccer.com. Gómez would likely be added to their roster as a U22 Initiative signing. Agreements have been reached on a $4 million transfer fee, which would surpass RSL's previous club-record deal for winger Jefferson Savarino. Gómez, 20, has already made 59 first-team appearances with Millonarios, one of the biggest clubs in Colombia's top flight. He has 13 goals and six assists in 4,000 minutes.
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Hahahahahahaha look how big the “What you need to know” and “And other things” sections are. I asked for things to get more exciting around here and, well, now I’d like to ask for everyone to relax a bit please and thanks. Let’s talk it out.
I just wanted to take a moment to go on record as really liking what Orlando are at least attempting to do this offseason. They’ve held onto critical pieces like Mauricio Pereyra and Pedro Gallese while moving on from (and quickly replacing) not quite so critical but still generally good players like Benji Michel, Ruan and Andres Perea. Now they’ve filled their final DP spot with winger Martin Ojeda, and it feels like the Lions are taking every possible measure to move the team forward without blowing it up.
Orlando were a good but frustrating group last year that often felt stale in how they approached games. It seems like they’re rejuvenating themselves here. Or at least going through the proper steps with the proper ambition. It could pay off in a big way in 2023.
Well then. It sure seemed like this wasn’t happening. But Victor Wanyama is back with CF Montréal and… uh… well, it’s honestly not as exciting as it would be if Wilfried Nancy was still around. Wanyama had an outstanding 2022 and seemed to thrive in Nancy’s possession-based system. Now that CF Montréal are moving towards something far different with Hernan Losada at the helm, it’s fair to wonder if he can have a similarly positive impact. It’s also fair to wonder if he knows how much running he just signed up for.
If I had a quarter for every time a team loaned out a DP but didn’t open a DP spot over the last two seasons, I’d only have 50 cents. But it’s weird that it’s even happened twice.
Nashville have finally offloaded Ake Loba, but he’ll still be on the books as a DP unless Mazatlán FC buy him out right. It’s a move that’s understandably desperate. The Coyotes will be hoping Loba can find what he’d been missing in Nashville and convince Mazatlán to activate his purchase option as soon as possible. It’s all they can really do at this point. Matt Doyle called Loba the biggest bust in MLS history the other day on Extratime, and it’s hard to argue otherwise.
Nashville are furiously pulling on a parachute here that very likely won’t open. It didn’t open with Rodolfo Pizarro and Inter Miami last year. And now the Herons are having to deal with a continued mess. I’m not sure what the real lesson is here, but it’s probably something like “Don’t miss on your DP signings in historically bad ways.” Food for thought.
- New York’s striker situation currently revolves around Cory Burke and Elias Manoel. If either one of them comes good, the Red Bulls should have no issue finding their way back to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. And the odds actually seem pretty decent that one or both have a decent impact. But we do have this conversation a lot, don’t we?
- Marcelino Moreno leaves Atlanta as one of the most confusing players I’ve ever seen. For every five things he did wrong, he’d have one game-changing moment for the better. Eventually, that kind of consistent inconsistency lost him his place in the team, but don’t be surprised if he does very well with a change of scenery. At the very least, Atlanta have likely just cleared a max TAM player off the books for 2023. That’s huge for a team that needs reinforcements in midfield ASAP.
- RSL are probably making a club record signing! That’s great news, and another indicator that teams are increasingly willing to spend big to get U22 players. It makes sense considering no matter what the transfer fee is, the budget charge for U22 guys still comes out to no more than $200k. I wouldn’t be surprised to see more teams continue that trend from here on out.
Charlotte FC sign Burnley midfielder Westwood: Ashley Westwood's move from English second-tier side Burnley to MLS is now official, with Charlotte FC announcing Saturday they've signed the midfielder on a free transfer. Westwood has made 286 career Premier League appearances over 10 total seasons with stints at Burnley and Aston Villa, scoring 12 goals and adding 32 assists.
Houston Dynamo sign left back Smith in free agency: Houston Dynamo FC have signed left back Brad Smith in free agency. The 28-year-old Australian international joins through the 2024 season with club options for 2025-26. He’s recovering from a torn ACL he suffered last July, hitting the open market after D.C. United declined his contract option.
Michel departs Orlando City, signs in Portugal's Primeira Liga: Orlando City SC homegrown forward Benji Michel has left the club on a free transfer and signed with FC Arouca, the Portuguese Primeira Liga team. The 25-year-old former US youth international was out of contract after the 2022 season, leaving him with 15 goals and six assists in 103 regular-season games for the Lions.
Austin FC transfer midfielder Pochettino to Brazil's Fortaleza: Austin FC have transferred midfielder Tomás Pochettino to Brazilian Serie A side Fortaleza. The 26-year-old originally joined ATX in February 2021 as their second Designated Player, arriving from Atletico Talleres in his native Argentina. But his impact was somewhat limited, tallying two goals and two assists in 31 games during their expansion season. Pochettino spent last year on loan at Argentine powerhouse River Plate, posting 1g/3a in 24 matches.
Atlanta United waive forward Dwyer: Atlanta United have waived forward Dom Dwyer, the club announced Friday. Dwyer, 32, joined Atlanta ahead of the 2022 campaign as a free agent and finished with four goals in 22 league games. The former US international has been in MLS since the 2012 season, netting 85g/19a in 231 regular-season games across stops with Atlanta, Sporting Kansas City, Orlando City SC and Toronto FC.
Houston Dynamo sign attacker Franco from Paraguay's Club Libertad: Houston Dynamo FC have their first overseas signing under new head coach Ben Olsen, announcing Saturday they’ve signed attacker Iván Franco from Paraguayan top-flight powerhouse Club Libertad. The 22-year-old has spent his entire professional career with Club Libertad after coming through their academy, scoring 10 goals and contributing 16 assists across 116 games.
St. Louis CITY sign goalkeeper Lundt from Phoenix Rising: St. Louis CITY SC have signed goalkeeper Ben Lundt. The 27-year-old German, who spent the last four seasons playing in the USL Championship – first with Louisville City SC before joining Phoenix Rising FC in 2021 – joins the expansion club through the 2024 season with an option for 2025. He had 26 shutouts in 74 games while in the second division.
San Jose Earthquakes sign Cilley, Tingey to homegrown deals: The San Jose Earthquakes have signed midfielder Cam Cilley and defender Keegan Tingey to homegrown contracts for the 2023 MLS season with club options spanning from 2024-26. The Stanford University graduates are the 12th and 13th Earthquakes Academy products to sign with the first team. The two players led Stanford to a Pac-12 championship in 2020 and helped the Cardinal finish third place nationally in 2019.
Real Salt Lake sign homegrown defenders Rivera, Pierre: Real Salt Lake have added their 35th and 36th homegrown signings in club history, announcing Friday they’ve inked defenders Luis Rivera and Delentz Pierre to professional contracts.
Nashville SC sign goalkeeper Martino to homegrown deal: Nashville SC have signed goalkeeper Ben Martino to a homegrown deal. To acquire Martino, Nashville sent the Philadelphia Union $50,000 in 2024 General Allocation Money (GAM). They could send an additional $100,000 in GAM should certain performance-based incentives be met, and Philadelphia retain a sell-on fee.
FC Cincinnati sign academy midfielder Pinto to professional contract: FC Cincinnati have signed academy player Malik Pinto to his first professional contract. The 18-year-old's deal runs through 2024, with options for 2025 and 26.
- Bob Bradley believes Toronto FC’s latest transfers will help us "compete with the best teams."
- USMNT greats analyzed West Brom striker Daryl Dike’s return to form.
- Nashville SC say that their core roster will make us "very competitive" in 2023.
Good luck out there. Go for a walk.
