Colorado sign USMNT defender Cannon
The Colorado Rapids have signed US men's national team defender Reggie Cannon through 2027 with an option for 2028. Cannon, 26, was out of contract after last playing for EFL Championship side Queens Park Rangers. MLS teams can sign free agents through the Roster Freeze Date on Sept. 13.
LAFC sign Brazilian defender Marlon
LAFC have signed center back Marlon through 2024 with an option for 2025. The 29-year-old former Brazil youth international was a free agent, allowing the Black & Gold to sign him before the Roster Freeze Date (Sept. 13). He will occupy an international roster spot.
The Secondary Transfer Window is closed, but free agents are available through Sept. 13 to whatever team needs a boost. A few may play a huge role down the stretch. Starting with…
Reggie Cannon
It feels like forever ago when we watched Cannon become a standout with FC Dallas. Since then, things haven’t gone his way. A… we’ll call it “odd” stint with Boavista didn’t work out and his time with QPR didn’t last long. Now, four years later, he’s back in MLS. And he’s in a great situation for the first time in a while.
The Rapids are one of the hottest teams in the league and have totally reshaped their roster over the last couple of transfer windows. Cannon joins a group that’s on the verge of becoming a real contender for trophies.
He doesn’t put them over the line, but he does get them closer. He’s a solid addition to their back line and it wouldn’t be surprising to see him become a regular for a Rapids side with a lot of inertia.
Marlon
Marlon is new to MLS, but arrives with a ton of experience. To quote a website called Major League Soccer soccer dot com, “Marlon has 258 club appearances over a 10-plus-year career which began at famed Brazilian side Fluminense. He's made additional stops at LaLiga titans FC Barcelona, Ligue 1 side OGC Nice, Italian clubs Sassuolo and Monza, and Ukrainian powerhouse Shakhtar Donetsk.”
That’s an impressive resume. At the very least, he’ll add depth and experience to LAFC’s back line and he can apparently even fill in as a six. That may not be enough to push LAFC past Columbus when the time comes, but it does make them better. They don’t have to stress quite as much if they pick up a center back injury between now and the big games on the way.
Stuart Armstrong
I feel like we’ve written about Armstrong in the last five newsletters. We’ll be brief.
To recap: From Southampton. DP attacker/midfielder. Very, very impressive statistics. Like a 10% chance he turns Vancouver into a bonafide contender for the first time literally ever. That’s 10% more of a chance than they had before him though!
Teenage Hadebe
Ever since they lost Matt Miazga, Nick Hagglund and Aaron Boupendza, Cincy have been focused on performing emergency surgery on their roster while Lucho Acosta is still around and their championship window is still open. They’ve already brought in center back Chidozie Awaziem, and now Hadebe seems like another solid pickup on the surface.
Don’t forget, he earned a DP deal with Houston. Things didn’t quite work out there, but Houston didn’t just hand him a DP deal for nothing. If you’re picking up former DPs as emergency free agent deals, you’re doing something right. The 28-year-old already has 51 MLS appearances under his belt, too. He’s a known quantity and that’s exactly what Cincy need right now.
By the way, quick check in on Cincy since they lost Miazga. He played his last match on June 15. Before that, Cincinnati allowed 0.94 goals per game over 17 games. That was the best mark in the league. Since then, they’ve allowed 1.8 goals per game over 10 games. That’s decidedly not the best mark in the league. In fact, it’s up there with FC Dallas and Toronto. The list of teams that have allowed more than 1.8 goals per game in that span is a very bad list. Cincy need Hadebe to click quickly.
Oscar Ustari
Ustari has over 390 professional appearances as a goalkeeper for clubs like Getafe, Sunderland and Boca Juniors. He won’t start over Drake Callender. But, Miami can feel a little more comfortable if something happens to Callender in a critical moment. If you’ve got the roster space, why not add more depth, right? Ustari is also an old pal of Leo Messi’s. That counts for something!
Jamie Paterson
Paterson is 32 years old, but he still has some juice. The attacker played 44 matches for Swansea City in the Championship during the 2023-24 season and picked up seven goals and six assists. That’s the kind of signing that would have gotten more attention if Charlotte didn’t already make two of the biggest signings of the window in new DP No. 10 Pep Biel and longtime USMNT center back Tim Ream.
He’s another free agent signing with a ton of experience — over 440 professional appearances — and he’s another attacking piece Charlotte can look to as they head down the stretch. In theory, he could be put opposite DP winger Liel Abada to make a front four of DP Karol Swiderski, DP Pep Biel, Abada and Paterson. They aren’t suddenly Inter Miami in attack or anything, but, on paper, that seems like a group that’s good enough to win games with an outstanding defense behind them.
Charlotte have allowed the fewest goals of any team in MLS. They don’t need Paterson and company to be incredible to make a run. They just need to be a more well-rounded version of the Nashville teams we’ve seen over the last few years. No one is going to want any part of The Crown in the postseason.
MLS terminates Hernández's contract: Major League Soccer has terminated the contract of Sporting Kansas City midfielder Felipe Hernández following a probe into allegations that he violated the league’s gambling policies for the second time. Hernández, who was suspended in 2021 for violating the league’s gambling policy, will be eligible for reinstatement on January 1, 2026, on application to the Commissioner’s office.
- St. Louis CITY's Simon Becher won the AT&T Goal of the Matchday.
- Take a look at the top international window performers from MLS.
- Diego Gómez lifted Paraguay over Brazil with a must-see goal.
Good luck out there. Let your art speak for you.
