|
The MLS offseason is short. It feels like you blink and we go from lifting MLS Cup to the next season kicking off. In reality, it’s about two months, but there are some big moves in those 60 or so days between competitive MLS matches.
Let’s take a look at some of the biggest so far this offseason.
1) FC Cincinnati sign Kévin Denkey
Ever since Brandon Vazquez departed for LIGA MX last winter, FC Cincinnati have needed a No. 9.
It would appear they’ve finally gotten their man when Kévin Denkey arrived from Belgian top-flight side Cercle Brugge for a reported club-record $16.2 million transfer fee. The 24-year-old Togo international, signed as a Designated Player, won the 2023-24 Belgian Pro League scoring title with 27 goals.
He had 34 goals in the Belgian Pro League over the past two seasons. Guys with the last name Kane and Haaland are two of just four from European leagues who have scored more than him during that time.
Will Denkey’s arrival perk up Luciano Acosta, who expressed some uncertainly about his future with Cincinnati following an earlier-than-expected departure from the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs?
No doubt, pairing a proven scorer like Denkey with one of the league’s premier playmakers in Acosta should have Cincy fans buzzing.
2) Bruce Arena takes over in San Jose
It feels like there’s a perennial rebuild in San Jose, the California club that has been stuck in neutral for years. The Earthquakes haven’t finished higher than 11th overall in 11 years, with just three playoff appearances during that time. Meanwhile, LAFC and LA Galaxy have won MLS Cups and there's a buzz about expansion side San Diego FC.
Enter Bruce Arena, the most successful coach in the league’s history. He’s overseen dynasties at D.C. United and the Galaxy, while guiding the New England Revolution to their first-ever Supporters’ Shield.
And now the hierarchy in San Jose is betting Arena can work his magic again, handing him the keys in November.
Can Bruce do it again? That remains to be seen and there's a lot of construction ahead, but there’s no question this was a big move from Quakes management.
3) Javier Mascherano to Miami
Inter Miami moved quickly to find Tata Martino’s replacement, hiring Javier Mascherano as head coach late last month.
The 40-year-old reunites with Lionel Messi, a longtime teammate with Argentina and Barcelona, having most recently guided Argentina’s youth national teams.
While there’ll be familiarity with some of the higher-paid players on the Miami roster, Mascherano is a rookie when it comes to club coaching and a novice in MLS. Good thing Chris Henderson is there to help a new coach navigate the complicated MLS mechanisms.
Oh wait...
4) Chris Henderson to Atlanta United
Atlanta United are also banking on Chris Henderson’s track record of success to continue at the Benz with the announcement Monday he’d become the club’s new chief soccer officer and sporting director.
He moves north from Miami where he oversaw a remarkable transformation, brilliantly navigating the complicated world of MLS rules and regulations to bring in the likes of Messi, Luis Suárez and the boys from Barcelona as the Herons set a league record for points en route to winning the Supporters’ Shield.
And before that, he was part of the architecture firm, along with Garth Lagerwey, in Seattle where the Sounders became the first MLS team to win the Concacaf Champions Cup, to go along with a pair of MLS Cups, one Supporters’ Shield and four U.S. Open Cup titles.
5) Gregg Berhalter takes over in Chicago
Like San Jose, Chicago Fire FC have woefully underachieved. For seven straight seasons, they’ve been near the bottom of the overall table and have made the playoffs just once in the last 12 years... and that was a first-round departure.
So the winds of change bring in former US men’s national team manager Gregg Berhalter. Before leading the USMNT, Berhalter was a successful coach with Columbus Crew, where they qualified for the postseason in four of his five seasons and reaching MLS Cup in 2015.
Can Berhalter restore Fire FC to their previous glory? Or at least a playoff appearance? It begins with an offseason overhaul of the roster, which included signing standout center back Jack Elliott in free agency Monday.
|
