USMNT Players and MLS in 2024

By Charles Boehm – WASHINGTON, DC (Feb 23, 2024) US Soccer Players – In the wake of its longest-ever season and shortest-ever offseason, Major League Soccer goes again this week, starting a marathon 2024 with its earliest-ever start to a new campaign. Lionel Messi and the star-driven Miami project he spearheads have dominated the headlines and look likely to do so for the foreseeable future. That’s one of many storylines to track in the top flight’s 29th year of existence, with USMNTers prominent in many. Here are a few worth keeping an eye on.

Messi’s Miami

North American soccer hasn’t seen anything quite like it since David Beckham, maybe not even since Pele and the New York Cosmos. A truly global icon had landed, backed by an aggressive organization with an ambitious vision for reaching new levels.

With US wide man Julian Gressel, Argentine prospect Federico Redondo, and Luis Suarez climbing on board alongside old FC Barcelona friends Messi, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, some consider it the most talented roster ever constructed in MLS. Others even wonder if the league’s enduring commitment to parity might finally be ebbing.

All that said, it’s not a sure thing that Inter Miami will reach any of the lofty goals it’s targeted. The concept itself is a test of MLS roster fundamentals designed to control spending and foster league-wide competitiveness. An unprecedented round-the-world preseason exhibition tour courted controversy and piled some 24,000 miles on the minds and bodies of the group.

The latter seemed to show itself in their season-opener win over Real Salt Lake as Miami’s energy levels dipped in the second half. As coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino aims to replicate the magic he made with Atlanta United in 2018, he will seek significant contributions from Gressel, veteran USMNT fullback DeAndre Yedlin, and teenage phenom Benja Cremaschi in addition to Messi and friends.

Beastly East

Miami could very conceivably put it all together and still not top the Eastern Conference standings. That’s how much quality is stacked up on the right side of the MLS bracket.

One of their fiercest challenges sits just up Florida’s Turnpike. Orlando City took a big step forward under Oscar Pareja in 2023, mounting strong pushes for both MLS Cup and the Supporters’ Shield with an organized, pragmatic approach. Duncan McGuire was the surprise breakout performer, and the US striker is chasing big dreams after coming so close to a transfer move to England over the winter. His productivity could benefit if the Lions’ corps of South American creators churn out more end product this season.

FC Cincinnati are hungry to kick on from last year’s Shield capture, and they took a big step towards doing so by signing prized free agent Miles Robinson. His presence alongside Matt Miazga makes Cincy arguably the league’s most talent-rich defense. Corey Baird is another free-agent catch, with the weighty task of filling some of the gap left by the transfer of Brandon Vazquez to CF Monterrey.

FCC’s Ohio rivals, the Columbus Crew, were worthy MLS Cup champions last autumn and there’s ample reason to believe they can climb the mountain again. Paced by the Aidan Morris-Darlington Nagbe central midfield axis, the Crew plays attractive soccer while also growing into a player development hub as the progress of Morris, Patrick Schulte, and Sean Zawadski shows. Christian Ramirez’s evolution into a supersub was a game-changer and he may be called upon even more as Columbus wades into the extra labor of Concacaf Champions Cup.

Further north, a USMNT-dominated backline undergirds the New England Revolution’s legitimate title hopes under new coach and two-time MLS Cup winner Caleb Porter, with Nick Lima joining DeJuan Jones and Henry Kessler. Spanish playmaker Carles Gil is the Revs’ undisputed linchpin. His freedom to influence matches relies on the box-to-box work of Matt Polster and Bobby Wood’s target-man skill set up top. All of them will look to craft chemistry with Esmir Bajraktarevic, the teenage inverted winger who made a promising US debut in January camp.

With Giorgios Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada orchestrating a menacing attack, Atlanta’s legions of fans expect a return to the MLS elite with high-octane scoring on par with Martino’s tenure. To do so, the Five Stripes will rely on end-to-end contributions from wide men Brooks Lennon and Caleb Wiley and continue to be captained by goalkeeper Brad Guzan.

Then there’s the Philadelphia Union. Jim Curtin’s rugged pressing team has been the most consistently competitive side in the league for the past half-decade and kept together the core that fell inches short of the 2022 MLS Cup trophy. The ageless, influential Alejandro Bedoya is running it back for at least one more season. Across from him in Philly’s midfield is Jack McGlynn, the young homegrown with a superb passing range. Like several others around MLS, including creators Diego Luna of Real Salt Lake and St. Louis City SC’s Aziel Jackson, McGlynn is in the mix for a starring role at the Olympics in France this summer.

Rebuilds in Chicago, Colorado

Kellyn Acosta’s mission is to make sure that the Chicago Fire will sooner or later be in that discussion among the cadre of contenders. The versatile midfielder was another of the league’s most sought-after free agents. The Fire went all-out to bring him to the Windy City, keen to enlist his engine, distribution, and title-winning experience.

Chicago also continued its track record of big spending under owner Joe Mansueto, who took control of the franchise in 2019, made the move back downtown to Soldier Field, and pushed for the new training facility now under construction on the Near West Side. He also set another new club transfer-fee record to acquire Belgian striker Hugo Cuypers, last season’s golden boot winner in the Jupiler Pro League.

Chase Gasper also joined the Men in Red, who are returning to the beloved all-red kits that inspired that nickname. Winger Chris Mueller is back from a long-term hip injury to provide a boost of creativity and dynamism.

An even bigger overhaul took place at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park. The Colorado Rapids made fundamental changes after a last-place finish in the West in ‘23, bringing on Chris Armas to oversee a shift towards a high-tempo, high-pressing philosophy.

The Rapids also set a new club-record transfer fee to bring Djordje Mihailovic home from the Netherlands. They also welcomed Zack Steffen from Manchester City and Sam Vines from Royal Antwerp to bolster the rearguard. Meanwhile, Colorado signed attacking midfielder Cole Bassett to a new contract and kept hold of winger Jonathan Lewis. All of them will be targeting roles in the USMNT’s Copa America campaign this summer among their goals in the Rockies.

LAFC, Seattle try to stay on top

LAFC and the Seattle Sounders established themselves as the class of the West in recent seasons. Until someone knocks them out of pole position, they deserve to be viewed similarly in ‘24. Model organizations who’ve married smart leadership with financial muscle, they’ve defied MLS conventional wisdom in the process.

Jordan Morris and Cristian Roldan remain vital to both the Sounders’ culture and prospects for success, as is veteran goalkeeper Stefan Frei. With Raul Ruidiaz searching to reproduce his previous best, Morris seems set to log time up top in addition to his usual role out wide left. Roldan and his brother Alex have been an ever-present two-way threat along the Seattle right flank. With the exit of Nico Lodeiro, the Rave Green set a new club record to sign young Argentine winger Pedro de la Vega.

For Timmy Tillman, Aaron Long, and USMNT great Steve Cherundolo, the Concacaf Champions League and MLS Cup final heartbreaks of last year will serve as motivation to sustain LAFC’s impressive longevity of the past two seasons. The Angelenos have seen significant roster churn, however, and a resolution of the future of founding figure Carlos Vela still hasn’t been reached as of this week.

Dallas, Galaxy, Nashville, Red Bulls look to level up

There’s a band of clubs with aspirations to climb from mid-tier status into the upper crust. Most will lean on USMNTers as they make that push.

FC Dallas looks to be set on a 3-4-2-1 formation to get the most out of striker Jesus Ferreira, new record transfer Petar Musa from Benfica, and the hard-running Paul Arriola and Bernie Kamungo. The ‘box’ shape at its center also plays to the strengths of Sebastian Lletget, Paxton Pomykal, and classy Spanish tempo-setter Asier Illaramendi. Center back Omar Gonzalez makes a long-awaited homecoming to join Marco Farfan and company in defense.

Nashville SC has been one of the most consistently competitive expansion projects in league history. All that has only sharpened their hunger for taking the next step. That hinges on their ability to evolve into a more dangerous attacking team, and winger Tyler Boyd was signed for just that purpose. Walker Zimmerman is working back from an Achilles injury which forced him to play through pain for the back half of 2023. Once he does, he and Shaq Moore will again anchor the Coyotes’ stingy defense.

The New York Red Bulls have pulled off a comparable feat of being playoff regulars without displacing the East elite. So they welcomed Swedish international Emil Forsberg from their sibling club in Germany in order to provide both end product and star power. Homegrown left back John Tolkin can easily be considered just as much a face of the franchise at just 21 years of age, and is ready to pursue a place with both the Olympic team and the full USMNT.

It may flatter the LA Galaxy to include it in this company. The Galaxy finished much closer to the bottom of the overall table last year than the top despite one of the most expensively-assembled rosters. Those struggles prompted a major splash on the transfer market this winter, with reportedly more than $20 million in fees alone spent on wingers Gabriel Pec and Joseph Paintsil and right back Miki Yamane. As dramatic as that investment is, defensive solidity looks even more important considering the Galaxy’s difficulties in that department. Rising young homegrown center back Jalen Neal plans to be part of the solution as he continues his upward trajectory for both club and country.