MLS Transfer Guide: Where every team’s roster stands entering 2025

Here’s a team-by-team look at where all 30 MLS clubs stand re: how they’re using their Designated Player and U22 Initiative slots, as well as what their biggest transfer window needs are before the calendar flips to 2025.

It’s all based on press releases; some reporting of my own; cribbing from local coverage; and the official club roster profiles (they were current as of September, so again, take some of these designations with a grain of salt). Plus a dash of Tommy Scoops, the Backheeled gang and everyone else who covers the whole league tossed in.

Bear in mind three big things as you read this:

1. MLS teams decide between building with 3 DPs/3 U22 slots, or 2 DPs/4 U22s/$2 million extra General Allocation Money (GAM). Throughout this column (and henceforth in all columns, really), I’ll be referring to this as 3/3 or 2/4/GAM.
2. Many of these DP designations and literally all of the U22 designations are fungible. As such, teams often move guys into and out of these slots throughout the year to maximize cap space or limit allocation money usage.
3. The GAM amounts are what the teams have right now, before applying to any players. So a ton of this is already spoken for.

Also, this is my last column of 2024. See you all in the new year.

• DP slots: 3/3 – Ryan Gauld, Andrés Cubas, Stuart Armstrong
• U22 slots: 3/3 – Déiber Caicedo, Édier Ocampo, Pedro Vite
• Available GAM: $3,658,458

As of 2024, none of the three DPs can be bought down. That might change in 2025, depending on how Cubas‘ original transfer fee is pro-rated. So there’s a chance for Vancouver to go 2/4/GAM, or to move Cubas into a TAM slot and add a third true DP. Given the shape of the roster – there aren’t a lot of guys who make more than the max salary – they could pretty easily do that.

I don’t really expect that to happen, though. And so as-is, their most pressing need (besides a head coach) is a young, high-upside No. 9 who can develop behind Brian White. Guys like that don’t grow on trees, but they can be found in the SuperDraft (as White himself was, once upon a time).

• DP slots: 3/3 – Lorenzo Insigne, Federico Bernardeschi, Richie Laryea
• U22 slots: 1/3 – Cassius Mailula
• Available…