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2022 core
Goalkeeper:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
33 Sean Johnson (2017, trade from Chicago Fire) USA
Defenders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
24 Malte Amundsen (2021, transfer from Vejle, Denmark) Denmark
30 Alexander Callens (2017, free agent from Numancia, Spain) Peru
32 Maxime Chanot (2016, transfer from Kortrijk, Belgium) Luxembourg
20 Tayvon Gray (2019, Homegrown Player signing from NYCFC academy) USA
27 Thiago Martins (2022, transfer from Yokohama F. Marinos, Japan) Brazil
30 Anton Tinnerholm (2018, free agent from Malmo, Sweden) Sweden
Midfielders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
23 Nicolas Acevedo (2020, transfer from Liverpool Montevideo) Uruguay
21 Justin Haak (2019, Homegrown Player signing from NYCFC academy) USA
32 Alfredo Morales (2021, transfer from Fortuna Dusseldorf, Germany) USA
35 Maxi Moralez (2017, transfer from Leon, Mexico) Argentina
25 Keaton Parks (2019, transfer from Benfica, Portugal) USA
Forwards:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
31 Heber (2019, transfer from Rijeka, Croatia) Brazil
20 Talles Magno (2021, transfer from Vasco da Gama, Brazil) Brazil
23 Kevin O’Toole (2022, SuperDraft pick from Princeton University) USA
21 Gabriel Pereira (2022, transfer from Corinthians, Brazil) Brazil
22 Santiago Rodriguez (2021, loan from Montevideo City, Uruguay) Uruguay
21 Thiago (2021, transfer from Bahia, Brazil) Brazil
Philadelphia Union
Despite having one of the deepest squads in MLS with four starters on the U.S. U-20 national team, the Union enjoyed its best season ever with the league’s best offense and best defense and a near-record goal difference of +46 by playing with the same starting lineup most weeks.
No MLS team has hit the mark with obscure imports like the Union has with Kai Wagner, Leon Flach and Kacper Przybylko, all signed from lower-division German teams. Wagner and Flach both start and will generate nice profits when they return to Europe, while Przybylko was traded to the Chicago Fire for $1.15 million in GAM. (In July, the Union used $500,000 of the GAM to acquire Julian Carranza on a permanent transfer from Inter Miami — a steal.)
Besides its academy signings, the Union has promoted three players from Bethlehem Steel (its former USL second team) and signed two of the best SuperDraft picks of the last decade: Andre Blake and Jack Elliott.
All in all, a great job of bargain shopping.
2022 core
Goalkeeper:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
31 Andre Blake (2014, SuperDraft pick from UConn) Jamaica
Defenders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
27 Jack Elliott (2017, SuperDraft pick from West Virginia University) England
28 Jakob Glesnes (2020, transfer from Strømsgodset, Norway) Norway
21 *Nathan Harriel (2021, Homegrown Player signing from Union Academy) USA
*Homegrown rights acquired from Orlando City.
25 Olivier Mbaizo (2018, USL signing from Bethlehem Steel) Cameroon
23 Matthew Real (2018, USL signing from Bethlehem Steel) USA
25 Kai Wagner (2019, transfer from Wurzburger Kickers, Germany) Germany
Midfielders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
19 Paxten Aaronson (2021, Homegrown Player signing from Union Academy) USA
35 Alejandro Bedoya (2016, transfer from Nantes, France) USA
26 Daniel Gazdag (2021, transfer from Budapest Honved, Hungary) Hungary
21 Leon Flach (2021, transfer from St. Paul, Germany) USA
28 Jose Martínez (2020, transfer from Zulia, Venezuela) Venezuela
19 Jack McGlynn (2021, Homegrown Player signing from Union Academy) USA
Forwards:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
30 Cory Burke (2018, USL signing from Bethlehem Steel) Jamaica
22 Julian Carranza (2022, trade from Inter Miami) Argentina
18 Quinn Sullivan (2021, Homegrown Player signing from Union Academy) USA
28 Mikael Uhre (2022, transfer from Brondby, Denmark), Denmark
LAFC
LAFC was rebuilt quickly after it failed to make the 2021 MLS playoffs.
Four starters against LA Galaxy in the Western Conference semifinals were acquired in trades or as free agents from other MLS teams in the offseason.
That was a departure from the first four seasons when LAFC invested heavily in young players from Uruguay, Colombia and Ecuador, which could take as many as three LAFC players to the World Cup.
Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini were big-name summer signings, but the most important 2022 addition might be Denis Bouanga, a Designated Player signing from French Ligue 2 club St. Etienne. The Gabonese winger scored two against the Galaxy and set up the winning goal in stoppage time.
2022 core
Goalkeeper:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
28 Maxime Crepeau (2022, trade from Vancouver Whitecaps) Canada
Defenders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
38 Giorgio Chiellini (2022, free agent signing from Juventus, Italy) Italy
27 Franco Escobar (2022, trade from Atlanta United) Argentina
31 Ryan Hollingshead (2022, trade from FC Dallas) USA
30 Sebastien Ibeagha (2021, trade from New York City FC) USA
28 Jesús David Murillo (2020, transfer from Inde. Medellín, Colombia) Colombia
23 Diego Palacios (2019, transfer from Aucas, Ecuador) Ecuador
25 Eddie Segura (2019, transfer from Atletico Huila, Colombia) Colombia
Midfielders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
27 Kellyn Acosta (2022, trade from Colorado Rapids) USA
25 Latif Blessing (2018, Expansion Draft pick from Sporting KC) Ghana
23 José Cifuentes (2020, transfer from America de Quito, Ecuador) Ecuador
25 Jhegson Mendez (2022, trade from Orlando City), Ecuador
31 Ilie Sánchez (2022, free agent signing from Sporting KC) Spain
Forwards:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
27 Cristian Arango (2021, transfer from Millonarios, Colombia) Colombia
33 Gareth Bale (2022, free agent signing from Real Madrid, Spain) Wales
27 Denis Bouanga (2022, transfer from St. Etienne, France) Gabon
21 Kwadwo Opoku (2020, signing from Attram De Visser Soccer Academy, Ghana) Ghana
33 Carlos Vela (2018, transfer from Real Sociedad, Spain) Mexico
Austin FC
Austin FC tied an MLS record for the biggest improvement by a team from its expansion season to its second season — from 12th place in the Western Conference with 31 points in 2021 to second place with 56 in 2022.
The amazing thing was Coach Josh Wolff worked with almost the same team in Year 2. Only two starters in the Western Conference semifinals against FC Dallas were not with Austin FC in 2021: defender Ruben Gabrielsen and winger Ethan Finlay.
Finlay is one of six players in the Austin FC core who arrived as free agents from other MLS teams.
2022 core
Goalkeeper:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
31 Brad Stuver (2021, free-agent signing from NYCFC) USA
Defenders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
29 Julio Cascante (2021, trade from Portland Timbers) Costa Rica
30 Ruben Gabrielsen (2022, free-agent signing from Toulouse) Norway
26 Jon Gallagher (2021, trade from Atlanta United) Ireland
33 Hector Jimenez (2021, free-agent signing from Columbus Crew) USA
22 Zan Kolmanic (2021, transfer from Maribor, Slovenia) Slovenia
27 Nick Lima (2021, trade from San Jose Earthquakes) USA
Midfielders:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
32 Felipe (2022, free-agent signing from D.C. United) Brazil
22 Daniel Pereira (2021, SuperDraft pick from Virginia Tech) Venezuela
29 Emiliano Rigoni (2022, transfer from Sao Paulo, Brazil) Argentina
31 Alexander Ring (2021, trade from NYCFC) Finland
26 Jhojan Valencia (2022, transfer from Deportivo Cali, Colombia) Colombia
17 Owen Wolff (2021, Homegrown Player signing from Austin FC Academy) USA
Forwards:
AGE PLAYER (FIRST YEAR, HOW ACQUIRED) COUNTRY
23 Moussa Djitte (2021, transfer from Grenoble, France) Senegal
26 Sebastian Driussi (2021, free-agent signing from Zenit St. Petersburg, Russia) Argentina
27 Diego Fagundez (2021, free-agent signing from New England Revolution) Uruguay
32 Ethan Finlay (2022, free-agent signing from Minnesota United) USA
31 Danny Hoesen (2021, Expansion Draft pick from San Jose Earthquakes) Netherlands
31 Maxi Urruti (2022, free-agent signing from Houston Dynamo) Argentina
Photos (top to bottom): Kellyn Acosta, Gabriel Pereira, Jack McGlynn and Leon Flach, Sebastian Driussi.
…there must be a quota on “Americans”, not to exceed 6?
EXCELLENT POINT, BUT i THINK THE QUOTA IS NOT MORE THAN THREE…. IS IT A WONDER WHY THE US DOESN’T MAKE MUCH PROGRESS IN IMPROVING? AT THE RATE IT IS HAPPENING, IT WILL BE ANOTHER 20 YEARS BEFORE WE’RE COMPETITIVE!!! JEEZ WEEZIE LOUIZEEE, LEAVE IT UP TO THE MLS, BUT THEN AGAIN US SOCCER WHIZZEZ KIDZ….
Folks I said this because I vividly remember having the “…in 25 years or so we’ll be internationally competitive, what with the youth programs growing, etc. etc. yada-yada…” and these discussions were a hot topic in the late ’70s, and into the last quarter of the 20th century – I also know ’cause I was very involved in the Cali soccer as well as the US soccer scenes. And now this? Can you see the frustration and why we are continuously looked as the “soccer neophyte orphan” of the soccer world ???
PAUL KENNEDY, Editor in Chief , Soccer America
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