Sources: Seattle Sounders finalizing a deal to acquire midfielder Nikola Petkovic on loan from Charlotte FC. Petkovic will remain a U-22 initiative player with Seattle. Clears that spot for Charlotte. @jeremiah.sounderatheart.com 1st reported talks are ongoing.

🇦🇷 Sources: Inter Miami nearing a deal to acquire midfielder David Ayala from Portland Timbers. I'm told is a $2m cash trade. Ayala stays as U-22 initiative. Not done but close. Ayala out of contract at end of season. Timbers tried to engage new contract, but wasn't likely due to personal reasons.

🟡 Cristian Espinoza joins a star-studded attack with Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge. Mukhtar and Surridge combined for 40 of Nashville's 58 regular season goals. Now, another key attacker here to take some of that burden.

The Portland Timbers also offered Cristian Espinoza a DP deal and was a finalist for Espinoza, per sources. I'd expect Portland to continue exploring DP attacker options. LAFC was among many other MLS teams in the mix, but Espinoza ultimately lands in Nashville.

💣🇦🇷 BREAKING: Nashville SC has signed free agent winger Cristian Espinoza, sources tell @theathleticfc.bsky.social. Espinoza was the marquee free agent this winter. He will be a DP in Nashville. The 30-year-old is San Jose's all-time assists leader. www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Sources: Brøndby is set to sign Polish midfielder Bartosz Sliz from Atlanta United. Fee in region of $3m. Significant cap relief for Atlanta.

🇦🇷 BREAKING: Inter Miami is nearing a deal to sign winger Tadeo Allende on a permanent deal from Celta Vigo, sources say. Allende won’t be a DP as deal currently planned. Reporting with @paultenorio.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Houston being in negotiations for Mateusz Bogusz would be for third DP spot... it would be a signing in addition to DP winger Guilherme and two other TAM signings. ➕ Dynamo not the only MLS club who wants Bogusz but Houston has priority right now, hoping to get deal done

🇵🇱 Sources: Houston Dynamo in talks to sign Poland int'l attacker Mateusz Bogusz from Cruz Azul. Houston made an offer around $6.5m + add-ons. Talks ongoing. Bogusz, 24, starred for LAFC before heading to Cruz Azul. Had 15g/7a in 2024 for LAFC.

🇺🇸 Sources: Toronto FC has signed veteran goalkeeper William Yarbrough. Adds experience to young GK room. Luka Gavran will be TFC's starter this season. Club didn't search for new GK this winter, Gavran was the plan. Gavran, 25, just called into Canada national team Jan. camp.

The New York Red Bulls had zero worry about whether or not Michael Bradley was ready to become a first team head coach. Neither was he. “To be trusted to lead this club going forward... it's something that I am going to commit my absolute life to." www.nytimes.com/athletic/694...

Paul Rothrock explored all his options during free agency. He had more lucrative offers from other MLS teams and even had a chance to go to England. But after weighing the pros and cons, he decided Seattle was where he wanted to be. www.sounderatheart.com/2026/01/paul...

🇦🇷 Sources: Atlanta United nearing deal to acquire Argentine left back Elias Baez from San Lorenzo. Not totally agreed yet but close. Fee would be around $3m and Baez would join via U-22 initiative. Baez, 21, has made 60 apps for San Lorenzo's first team.

🇺🇸 Sources: Norwegian club Fredrikstad SK will sign rising American attacker Gabriel Wesseh. Wesseh turns 18 in May... will join then. Wesseh had 4g/7a in MLS Next Pro with Atlanta United's second team this year. Atlanta wanted to keep him, but Wesseh will head to Fredrikstad.

The New York Red Bulls and center back Alexander Hack have agreed to a mutual contract termination. The move frees up key salary cap space for RBNY

It was admirable that Wilfried Nancy didn't want to leave the Columbus Crew during the middle of season. But joining a European club in this time period, with midweek games essentially every week, did not give him any time to implement make changes in training. Needs a preseason

BREAKING: Celtic has sacked Wilfried Nancy after about a month in charge.

🇷🇴 Sources: D.C. United has completed a club-record deal to sign Romanian int'l forward Louis Munteanu from CFR Cluj. Deal around $7m + add-ons which could take total fee to $10m. Big signing for D.C.

🚨 BREAKING: Sporting KC is finalizing a deal to name Rapha Wicky the club's next head coach, sources say. Wicky was most recently head coach at BSC Young Boys. This is SKC's first permanent head coach following legend Peter Vermes leaving the club. www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

The Philadelphia Union signed Kai Wagner for $50k fee + $20k add-ons from German third tier in 2019 Wagner won two Supporters' Shields with Philly & was named two MLS Best XI twice A unique attacking presence for the system. One of the best value signings in recent MLS history

Riqui Puig is one of the best players in MLS, but that's not the whole story to his stardom. He's one of the most fun too. His style + passion. An easy fan favorite. Injury news sucks. Hopefully he'll be back to 100% before we know it

Free Newsletter: A look back at 2025, and a lookahead at preseason coverage (yes, it's that time already). Plus the Galaxy have sadly already lost a bunch of their POWER. Maybe. (But hopefully not) open.substack.com/pub/tacticsf...

Kai Wagner has joined Birmingham City from the Philadelphia Union. I'm told fee north of $2m. When Wagner signed his new contract, the club promised Wagner and his camp that if an offer of this value came from England, they would accept. Union honored that promise. Club will sign new LB now

🇺🇸 BREAKING: Austin FC has signed USYNT star Owen Wolff to a new, long-term contract, per sources. Wolff's new deal is U-22 initiative. Reward for one of the team's most consistent and key players. Wolff, 21, had career best 7g/8a in 34 MLS regular season apps in 2025

gonna go ahead and also holler about the Soccer starter pack made by my crew @kickbacksoccer.bsky.social for anyone new joining Bluesky and looking for soccer voices out there go.bsky.app/MvuMY81

BREAKING: LA Galaxy star Riqui Puig will undergo knee surgery and his status for 2026 is in question, per sources. Same knee from torn ACL at end of 2024 which kept him out all of 2025. Brutal, brutal news for one of the league's best players. www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

🇩🇰 Sources: Philadelphia Union finalizing deal to sign center back Sery Larsen from Brann. BT Sporten 1st. Larsen, 25, made 98 apps for Brann. Former Denmark youth int’l. Key new center back signing for Philly.

Sources: Charleston Battery finalizing a deal to sign USYNT winger Colton Swan. Swan, 18, was previously with Colorado Rapids academy and starred for Indiana University this year.

🇷🇴 Sources: D.C. United is finalizing a club-record deal to sign Romanian int'l forward Louis Munteanu from CFR Cluj. Deal around $7m + add-ons to take total fee to $10m

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Sources: Charlotte FC want Liverpool's Harvey Elliott on potential loan deal until summer, if the player would be open to it @fabriziorom.bsky.social 1st. Elliott on loan at Aston Villa but not playing. Can't join another European club on loan, but can come to MLS www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

🇦🇺 Sources: Portland Timbers finalizing a deal to sign Australian center back Alex Bonetig from Western Sydney Wanderers. Bonetig, 23, has made 59 first team apps for the club. Athletic CB. He's been called into Australia national team but hasn't debuted yet

The Philadelphia Union did replace many of these players (and won the 2025 Supporters Shield along the way) 🇬🇭 Ezekiel Alladoh (club record fee) 🇺🇾 Bruno Damiani (previous club record fee) 🇷🇸 Jovan Lukic 🇺🇸 Indiana Vassilev 🇺🇸 Milan Iloski 🇺🇸 Finn Sundstrom 🇨🇴 Geiner Martinez

I could make a case that the only one of these to have really been for a bad reason is Elliott. If Jakob Glesnes hadn’t had another guaranteed year on his contract, Elliott easily might have stayed in town. Flach is closest to second place, as he left in part for non-soccer reasons.

🐍 Since end of 2024, the Philadelphia Union has moved on from: 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Jack Elliott (Chicago Fire) 🇺🇸 Leon Flach (Jagiellonia Białystok) 🇺🇸 Jack McGlynn (Houston Dynamo) 🇭🇺 Daniel Gazdag (Columbus Crew) 🇮🇱 Tai Baribo (D.C. United) 🇳🇴 Jakob Glesnes (LA Galaxy) 🇩🇰 Mikael Uhre (FA) 🇩🇪 Kai Wagner (Birmingham City🔜)

🇩🇪 Birmingham City are finalizing a deal to sign left back Kai Wagner from Philadelphia Union, sources confirm @josernunez91.bsky.social's scoop. Wagner, 28, made 251 apps for the Union. One of the league's best left backs.

I genuinely do not understand how FIFA allows teams who have not paid the transfer fee for a player to THEN receive money for transferring that player again. Botafogo with Almada (then to Atletico Madrid) Boavista with Robert Bozenik (and I'm sure 10 other players)

🇧🇷 FIFA officially hit Botafogo with a transfer ban for failing to pay Atlanta United for 2024 transfer of Thiago Almada - Botafogo needs to pay ATL $22.5m to remove ban (initial $21m fee + $1.5m interest) - Botafogo still owes ATL another $9m in add-ons www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

🇦🇷 Sources: Necaxa finalizing deal to sign Argentine forward Julian Carranza from Feyenoord. I'm told fee around $4m. Feyenoord keep 10% sell-on. Carranza, 25, starred for the Philadelphia Union before heading to Feyenoord. Was on loan at Leicester this season.

🇨🇦 Sources: Orlando City finalizing deal to sign free agent GK Maxime Crepeau. Crepeau, 31, has 29 caps with Canada.

Henrik Rydström in 2024 interview w/ Sky Sports: "Defensively, I wanted us to be close together. Everybody wants that. But then I started to think what if we could be close to each other with the ball as well? Then we can start to connect, find solutions & progress from there."

🇸🇪 Sources: The Columbus Crew are finalizing a deal to name Henrik Rydström the club’s next head coach, as @michaelarace1.bsky.social first reported. Rydström won two league titles with Malmö and is a proponent of attractive, front-footed soccer. www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

🇵🇾 Sources: Orlando City has acquired Paraguay int'l midfielder Braian Ojeda from Real Salt Lake. RSL to receive $1.2m GAM + add-ons. Ojeda, 25, has 14 caps for Paraguay and made 123 appearances for RSL.

🇷🇴 Sources: D.C. United is nearing a club-record deal to acquire Romania international forward Louis Munteanu from CFR Cluj. Deal would be around $7m + add-ons to take total fee to $10m. Not done but close. www.nytimes.com/athletic/693...

🚨🇺🇸 Sources: PSV has rejected a bid from Fulham for USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi. Bid was worth £26million (€30m; $35m). Sources expecting another offer but TBD. Pepi, who turns 23 in January, has 10g/2a in 957 mins this year for PSV. www.nytimes.com/athletic/692...

🟡 Sources: Russell Martin is among finalists to become the next Columbus Crew head coach. Martin was most recently with Rangers and Southampton. www.nytimes.com/athletic/692...

🇯🇲 Sources: Several MLS clubs have inquired for highly-rated NYCFC homegrown and Jamaica int'l forward Seymour Reid. Clubs in MLS ready to make offers north of seven figures for the 17-year-old. Reid had 13 goals in 1,294 MLSNP minutes plus scored his first MLS goal this year

🇨🇦 LAFC set to acquire Canadian int'l winger Jacob Shaffelburg from Nashville SC, sources confirm @benwright.bsky.social's scoop. I'm told Nashville will receive $1m GAM + keep sell-on % in deal. Shaffelburg, 26, had 4g/2a in 1,117 regular season mins for Nashville last year.

🇧🇷 Toronto FC has signed Brazilian left back Matheus Pereira from CD Santa Clara. Pereira, 25, began his career with Cruzeiro, making 61 apps before heading to Portugal. He made 86 apps in Portugal's top flight. Defensive makeover continues for TFC

Sources: Real Salt Lake finalizing a deal to acquire American winger Zach Booth from Excelsior. Deal is a loan with purchase option. Booth, 21, was in RSL’s academy before heading to Leicester City’s academy.

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