In many ways, the 2025 MLS season was defined by teams taking big swings.
Last winter, the new cash trade mechanism opened the door for FC Cincinnati to add Evander. San Diego FC brought in Chucky Lozano, and Anders Dreyer turned out to be an A-tier signing. Son Heung-Min supercharged LAFC when he arrived from Tottenham in the summer, and the same goes for Thomas Müller in Vancouver. Then, of course, Inter Miami added Rodrigo De Paul from Atlético Madrid en route to their MLS Cup 2025 presented by Audi victory.
With the offseason now officially underway, which teams could (or should) take a big swing this winter to fuel themselves for 2026? Let’s dive in.
If you think Inter Miami will spend weeks basking in the glory of their MLS Cup win over Vancouver, think again.
With both Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets now retired, Miami have more than 5,000 regular-season minutes to replace – and that’s before factoring in a potential exit for Luis Suárez. The good news for Miami? They have a healthy salary cap situation and will have one open Designated Player spot, even after factoring in De Paul’s presumed shift into a DP designation this winter (he was on loan from Atlético Madrid with a purchase option).
With Miami, it’s not so much a matter of “will they take a big swing?” Rather, it’s a matter of “what will that swing look like?” Will they go for another big-name superstar? Or will they try to get younger? We’ll soon find out, and it's all with glittering new Miami Freedom Park set to open in April.
There may not be an attacking pair in MLS history better than the one LAFC assembled in Son and Denis Bouanga. Those two thrived under now-former head coach Steve Cherundolo and helped push the eventual Western Conference-winning Whitecaps to the absolute brink in the semifinals. There’s little doubt that those two will be downright brutal for opposing defenses to deal with in 2026… but what if it wasn’t just those two?
With an open DP spot, should the front office choose to go down the three DP/three U22 Initiative roster-building route, LAFC could sign a big-time difference-maker this winter. With Son capable of leading the line and Bouanga best on the left, a new right winger could provide the finishing touches to the start of the Marc Dos Santos era. Or, perhaps a high-level central midfielder would give just the right amount of balance.
Regardless, LAFC have options. That’s exactly what you want heading into an offseason.
This one doesn’t need much explanation.
Over the last year, the Chicago Fire reportedly held talks with both Kevin De Bruyne and Neymar. They’re clearly interested in snagging a big name before their new stadium opens in 2028. But because neither De Bruyne nor Neymar ended up in the Windy City, the Fire still have a DP spot to utilize either this winter or in the summer.
With Philip Zinckernagel and Jonathan Bamba already on the wings and Hugo Cuypers up top, it would seem that either a No. 10 or a No. 8 would make the most positional sense in Chicago. This team's ready to take another leap after returning to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2017.
We should note as well: Gregg Berhalter's side has already been busy this winter, acquiring Swedish international midfielder Anton Salétros and South African international center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi.
Fresh off the best expansion season in modern MLS history and a run to the Western Conference Final, San Diego have already built an incredible foundation. With a clear style of play, impressive on-field execution, and elite recruitment, there’s every reason to expect more success for SDFC in the coming seasons. Their debut campaign wasn’t just a one-off.
But imagine what San Diego could do with one more heavy-hitter in the attack. With Dreyer and Lozano occupying two DP spots, San Diego could opt to sign another DP ahead of their sophomore season. Perhaps a No. 9 after a year of rotating players in and out of that spot?
While signs point to San Diego being careful with their big-time outlays, they’ll be ready to act if the right player comes along.
After kickstarting their rebuild last summer by signing Djordje Mihailovic and moving on from their two highest earners (Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi), general manager Jason Hernandez has plenty of room to maneuver this winter.
With up to two open DP spots to play with, Toronto will have the chance to find Mihailovic at least one running mate in the attack. According to Hernandez, signing a DP striker is a “top priority” for the club during the offseason.
As TFC work to put a core group of players in place down their spine, they could also sign a game-changing winger to provide balance within head coach Robin Fraser’s system. Whatever their moves, though, one thing is certain: Toronto FC will look very different in 2026.
With a new coach on the way and a stated desire to become a more ball-dominant team while shifting away from classic Red Bull-style pressing, this winter is a perfect time for the New York branch of the Red Bull family to add a big-time attacker.
If the expectation is to start using the ball to break down defensive blocks, Red Bull will need more attacking verve to accomplish that goal. With Emil Forsberg and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting occupying the No. 10 and No. 9 spots, there’s room for a DP winger to provide danger in a way that Wiki Carmona and Mohammed Sofo simply couldn’t in 2025.
Looming in the background is how New York missed the playoffs for only the second time since 2009. They're not used to this vantage point.
With Cristian Espinoza and Josef Martínez free agents, and reports connecting Chicho Arango to a possible transfer to Mexico, the San Jose Earthquakes may have plenty of room to add to the top of their roster.
Should Arango depart and Espinoza not re-sign, Bruce Arena will have at least two DP spots to work with and likely will look to invest right back into the attack.
Whether that investment takes the form of a striker, winger, No. 10, or some combination of those three things, the Quakes have a huge opportunity to continue improving their squad after something of a bounce-back campaign in 2025.
- The LA Galaxy need a No. 9 if they can’t agree to a deal with Botafogo to make Matheus Nascimento a permanent signing. Could they look somewhere within the league? Or does that front office have another card up their sleeve?
- FC Dallas have a star in Petar Musa, and he’s their only Designated Player. After sneaking into the playoffs, could they look to add real talent around him, either in the form of a No. 10 or a winger?
- Houston Dynamo FC, Colorado Rapids, Real Salt Lake, and St. Louis CITY SC all finished below the West’s automatic postseason positions last season, and all have at least one DP spot to play with. Will any of those teams see a path to contention in the West and make a hard push this winter?
