5 MLS offseason signings that could reshape the league

This offseason’s biggest MLS signings may be unfamiliar to many American fans, but their impact could be enormous.

This MLS offseason didn’t feature a ton of big-name signings, as teams likely decided to wait out collective bargaining before making long-term plans. With the CBA now settled for the next five years, you can expect to see some major moves this summer, when contracts expire on European-based players.

Teams that did make big signings mostly went after players based in Liga MX. Three of the five players highlighted in this list come to MLS via Mexico, and should be the new focal points on their teams. I’m not sure if the teams that bought these players got great value for money, 28-year-olds generally don’t have much resale value in the transfer market later on, but it’s positive to see that MLS’s smaller market teams are willing to pay up to win now.

And they are undoubtedly good players, though they may not be familiar to fans who primarily engage with American and western European soccer. These are the five MLS offseason signings that I think are going to be the most important to their teams right away.

Lucas Zelaráyan — Attacking midfielder, Columbus Crew

The Columbus Crew went through a rough transition period last season. New ownership wasn’t finalized until late in preseason, and aging club legend Federico Higuain struggled in his final year with the club. This offseason, head coach Caleb Porter and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko have had time to build the team they want. By signing Zelaráyan, they have a players who can directly replace Higuain and become the team’s focal point.

Expect Zelaráyan to line up as the central attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 and pull off a fair number of tricks en route to a solid return of goals and assists. Check out his highlights; he’s going to be a ticket and jersey seller:

Zelaráyan has had nothing but praise for the Columbus organization and coaching staff. He seems to be preparing for a long career with the club.

Edison Flores — Winger, D.C. United

D.C. United had the tough task of replacing Wayne Rooney and Luciano Acosta this offseason. Realistically, it’s impossible to expect an MLS club to find like-for-like replacements for players like that. Instead, United signed adequate, but stylistically different players for striker and attacking midfield, then tried to upgrade elsewhere.

Flores is one of many United players who can play on the wing or at attacking midfield, but preseason lineups suggest he’ll be the starting left winger. From there, he’ll likely spend his time embarrassing fullbacks before cutting inside and looking to score. He’s a dribbling machine with a quick first step, and he’s proven adept at scoring with both feet at Morelia.

The man slated to start on the opposite wing, USMNT regular Paul Arriola, is out for the season after tearing his ACL in preseason. That’s going to put even more pressure on Flores to be the star of D.C.’s attack if they’re going to make the playoffs.

Jarosław Niezgoda — Striker, Portland Timbers

The Portland Timbers have been unlucky with strikers in recent years. The club traded Fanendo Adi after his downturn in production, which left a rotation of average players. Brian Fernández performed well, but entered the league’s substance abuse program shortly ahead of last year’s playoffs. MLS then terminated his contract after he failed to comply.

Portland hopes that it has finally found a long-term solution in 24-year-old Polish striker Niezgoda. When he was signed from Legia Warsaw, Niezgoda was leading the Polish league in scoring with 14 goals. He’s an all-around player with solid size and pace, along with a powerful left foot.

Portland coach Giovanni Savarese prefers more of a direct, counter-attacking style than his predecessor Caleb Porter, and Niezgoda looks like a good fit with his complete set of physical tools. He’ll probably enjoy the service he gets from Diego Valeri and Sebastián Blanco, too.

João Paulo — Midfielder, Seattle Sounders

The Seattle Sounders have been a consistent contender throughout their time in MLS, but they’ve lacked depth at central midfield over the last couple of seasons. Paulo’s arrival from Botafogo in Brazil solves those problems. He’s a box-to-box midfielder who’s equally capable of beating a defender with a flick, getting a shot on target from distance, or putting in a stiff challenge.

Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer is probably thrilled about what João Paulo’s arrival allows him to do tactically with some of his other players. Cristian Roldan’s best attribute is arguably his versatility, but Schmetzer hasn’t been able to put him at the No. 6 or on the wing to take advantage of the opposition as often as he may like. With a star player at the No. 8 spot, Schmetzer can now use his Joker however he wishes.

Alan Pulido — Striker, Sporting Kansas City

Sporting KC fans have been screaming for years: Please, for the love of God, just give us a goal-scoring true No. 9.

No one has scored more than 13 goals for Sporting in any of the last four seasons. Last year’s team was downright bad, finishing 21st in the overall league table, with Krisztián Németh leading the team in scoring with just 10 goals.

Enter Pulido, who cost a whopping $9.5 million to sign from Chivas de Guadalajara. The 28-year-old Mexican international finished the 2019 Apertura as the top scorer in Liga MX, and he’s proven that he can score in a variety of ways.

Pulido’s career has been a roller coaster. During a 2014 contract dispute, he and his agents believed that he was free to leave UANL Tigres, while the club believed it had a valid option to retain him. The big clubs that were previously interested wouldn’t touch him while the case was pending, and he ended up at Levadiakos, a relegation fodder club in Greece, where he struggled. He got his career back on track in 2016 with Olympiacos, but it wasn’t until 2019 that he once again looked like the best version of himself.

At 28, Pulido has essentially no resale value, so Sporting is counting on him being a difference maker that propels them into MLS Cup contention. Given their struggles last season and the way Pulido’s career has gone so far, it’s a huge, risky bet.

Honorable mention:

Javier Hernandez — Striker, LA Galaxy — Everyone knows who Chicharito is, so I don’t need to tell you about him. He’s going to get into the six-yard box and score some goals.

Lucas Cavallini — Striker, Vancouver Whitecaps — I think the Canadian international is going to be a really good player for the ‘Caps ... next year. Coach Marc Dos Santos and sporting director Axel Schuster are in the process of cleaning up a mess and I think they need one more offseason to get it right.

Matheus Rossetto — Attacking midfielder, Atlanta United — Rossetto is a very entertaining player, but fun-hater Frank de Boer will bench him for trying fun things.

Ignacio Aliseda — Winger, Chicago Fire — Aliseda’s highlights are bananas, but he’s 19 and the Fire are in full rebuilding mode. This year is about getting his feet wet in a new country. Expect him to pop off next season.

Younes Namli — Winger, Colorado Rapids — I cannot say with any confidence that the Colorado Rapids are going to be good. But they finished last season strong, and I like the offseason acquisitions and upcoming homegrown players that Namli will have around him. He could make the Rapids a playoff contender.