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Biggest signings of the offseason. Graded. Yesterday we did the East. Today the West. Reverse standings order.
Colorado Rapids - Kévin Cabral
Grade: D+
Everyone knew the inherent risk in trading for Cabral. The Galaxy were happy to see him go and clear a DP spot despite quality underlying numbers. His inability to finish chances doomed his time in LA. But still, hope remained that he might put it together in Colorado. Perhaps, just maybe, he needed a change of scenery.
Nope.
Still just not very good. Cabral has two goals across 11 starts this year. At least that’s double his 2022 output.
LA Galaxy - Tyler Boyd
Grade: B+
The Galaxy pulled in Boyd on a free after his time with Beşiktaş came to an end. It made a lot of sense on paper. Boyd is a prime-age player with plenty of experience across leagues, and winger has been a position of need for LA since… like 2014, as far as I can remember.
So far… yeah, a totally fine season. Nothing insane but six goals and an assist is decent enough. It helps that it seems like all six have been AT&T 5G Goal of the Matchday contenders. Not bad. At the same time, it feels like the Galaxy were lacking the ability to swing for more than “not bad” due to previous bad decisions. There’s a reason they’re second-to-last in the conference.
Sporting KC - Dany Rosero
Grade: B
Rosero arrived for a fee reported around $1.0 million. The center back hasn’t singlehandedly solved all of SKC’s defensive issues, but he has made 20 starts so far this season. I won’t pretend to have kept a close eye on Rosero in every SKC game this season, but it seems like he’s been decent defensively, even if he’s not the strongest on-ball center back. A solid signing from what I can tell.
Portland Timbers - Evander
Grade: B
The grading curve for the most expensive signing in club history is a steep one. So far he’s put up seven goals and four assists, but it also feels like he has a lot more to offer. To be fair, he’s been offering a lot lately. Evander has scored four times in his last six starts across all competitions, so this grade could be much higher by the end of the season. And it wouldn’t be surprising in the end if Evander lived up to his hefty price tag. Things are at least trending in the right direction.
Austin FC - Gyasi Zardes
Grade: C+
Zardes came in with the expectation that he could be a potential solution for Austin at striker. So far he’s been pretty much more of the same. He has six goals on the season, but Maxi Urruti put up nine last year in his own very Maxi Urruti way. Now, obviously, Austin have far bigger problems than what’s happened at striker this year. But that doesn’t mean the signing has been a resounding success.
FC Dallas - Sebastien Ibeagha
Grade: B-
It was tough to pick out FC Dallas’ biggest signing of the offseason, but Ibeagha has been a capable enough replacement for Matt Hedges. He’s started 19 games, and all is about the same for FC Dallas defensively. That’s a decent compliment.
San Jose Earthquakes - Carlos Gruezo
Grade: C
It’s always tough to assess defensive midfielders, but the grading curve for DP defensive midfielders is another steep one. Gruezo has largely seemed reliable this season and has at least been a generally effective ball winner. But it’s difficult to say he’s lived up to a DP price tag. His numbers don’t paint the prettiest picture either. Per ASA’s goals added metric, he’s 25th among 28 defensive midfielders with over 1500 minutes this year.
Minnesota United - Sang Bin Jeong
Grade: C-
The U22 forward has scored one goal in eight starts this year. U22s are far from sure things, and Sang Bin Jeong is just another example of that. The Loons are going to be just fine in attack though.
Vancouver Whitecaps - Sergio Córdova
Grade: D-
I know that grade seems harsh, but Córdova has made nine starts as a DP forward. After a nine-goal season with RSL last year, it’s not entirely clear why the 'Caps even felt the need to make him a DP. At least Brian White has been around to have a career year.
Houston Dynamo FC - Amine Bassi
Grade: B
Bassi arrived from FC Metz in the offseason without a ton of fanfair. Since then he’s gone out and put up a 9g/3a season in his first year in MLS.
It’s not quite as good as it sounds. Bassi has converted six penalties, the second-highest mark in the league. But still, someone had to be around to convert those penalties, right?
Real Salt Lake - Andrés Gómez
Grade: C
RSL reportedly paid a hefty fee for the U22 winger. Like, the largest fee in RSL history at the time. So far, he’s played in 23 games and made 12 starts while scoring just one goal and delivering five assists. On a good team, he hasn’t turned into a major contributor yet. RSL have still managed to find their way though. It helps they broke their transfer record again a few months later for Chicho Arango.
LAFC - Aaron Long
Grade: C+
Long signed a high-priced free agent deal in the offseason and, so far, hasn’t truly lived up to it. He’s made 13 starts in MLS and started multiple games in Leagues Cup and CCL, but LAFC haven’t been up to the level of defensive solidity they’re aiming for, even when he’s been on the field.
Seattle Sounders - Héber
Grade: C-
Seattle traded for Héber (and his TAM-level salary) to fill in for Raúl Ruidíaz when Ruidíaz inevitably missed time. Héber has done that (starting 11 games for Seattle), but he’s only produced two goals and an assist. Last year, in virtually the same amount of minutes, he scored eight times.
St. Louis CITY SC - Roman Bürki
Grade: A+
We obviously had a lot of options to choose from on an expansion team. So we’ll just take the opportunity to point out that Bürki has lived up to a price tag that everyone (me!) balked at when St. Louis announced the signing. He’s been the best keeper in the league by a significant margin and a critical piece of St. Louis’ success.
Sounders sign homegrown defender Stuart Hawkins: Seattle Sounders FC have signed homegrown defender Stuart Hawkins through the 2026 season with club options for 2027 and 2028. The 16-year-old from Fox Island, Washington makes the leap to the first team after playing nearly two seasons for the club's MLS NEXT Pro affiliate, Tacoma Defiance.
- The New England Revolution are looking to tune out "all the baloney" amid their coaching changes.
- Power Rankings.
- Take a look at what the expected goals numbers say about each team’s hopes to sustain their attacking success down the stretch.
Good luck out there. Here is a picture of a dog.
