Welcome to MLS: Top 5 newcomers heading into the 2016 season

On Sunday, the 2016 MLS season kicks off and with it, a whole new host of players will compete in North America's premier footballing competition.

Every team has been quite busy in the offseason as rosters were trimmed, positions of need reinforced, and big-money deals were signed and sealed. A fresh injection of salary funds in the form of targeted allocation money gave each team plenty of wiggle room when it came to bringing in new talent and some teams took full advantage of the $1.6-million gift.

Last season, a number of superstar players with established names made their way to MLS and this season offered the same bang for each team's buck, albeit on a smaller scale. Here's our take on the top five newcomers to MLS for the 2016 season:

5. Antonio Nocerino

• Club: Orlando City SC
• Age: 30
• Position: Central Midfielder
• Arrived from: AC Milan (terminated contract), then D.C. United (discovery rights)

Analysis: Nocerino joins an Orlando City side with a familiar face in midfield in the form of club captain Kaka. He and the club's coaching staff will hope that chemistry is rekindled right off the bat this season as Nocerino prepares for his MLS adventure.

Nocerino is a bit of an interesting character, having emerged in 2011-12 with AC Milan, before going to West Ham on loan the next year. Since then, Nocerino fell out of favor at the Rossoneri and rarely featured.

However, he joins a league that has seen some of Italy's fringe talent thrive tremendously, with Marco Donadel, Marco Di Vaio, and Sebastian Giovinco all proving that a Serie A-quality player can be an integral part of their respective team, to varying degrees of success; that's what Orlando is banking on, too.

4. Luciano Acosta

• Club: D.C. United
• Age: 21
• Position: Central Attacking Midfielder
• Arrived from: Boca Juniors on 1-year loan

Analysis: Luciano Acosta is nicknamed La Joya ("the Jewel") in his native Argentina, and that's exactly what D.C. United hope this crafty attacking midfielder turns out to be on his one-year loan with the club.

He has lots of potential upside and will occupy the maestro role in the pocket of D.C. United's midfield, surrounded by hard-working talent in Ben Olsen's smart footballing team. Acosta fits the mold of the exact kind of player Olsen needed, but whether he lives up to those expectations remains to be seen.

There's a good precedent for Argentine attacking midfielders in MLS, though, something Federico Higuain would be the first in line to tell you.

Related: Prized jewel Acosta completes D.C. United's midfield transformation

3. Shkelzen Gashi

• Club: Colorado Rapids
• Age: 27
• Position: Central Attacking Midfielder
• Arrived from: FC Basel as a Designated Player

Analysis: The Colorado Rapids were in desperate need for a new attacking talent around which to build their 2016 roster. The Rapids found their man in the Swiss league with Albanian international Shkelzen Gashi.

Gashi is both a goal-scorer and a creator, having notched 27 goals in 43 games for FC Basel over the last two seasons. Having shed itself of a number of players, Gashi will be the top dog in Colorado.

He has a tremendous amount of pressure to face as the Rapids faithful grow more and more upset with each passing month.

2. Jordan Morris

• Club: Seattle Sounders
• Age: 21
• Position: Striker
• Arrived from: Stanford University, signed as a Homegrown Player

Analysis: Morris joins his hometown club Seattle with the lofty weight of expectation thrust upon his shoulders. This youngster, a standout at Stanford University, was making U.S. national team appearances before even signing a pro contract, after all.

Those expectations will be tested in the form of opportunity this season, as the Sounders sold starting striker Obafemi Martins to Chinese outfit Shanghai Shenhua over the offseason. As such, Morris will have a chance to claim a starting spot for himself.

If Morris can replicate the form of Cyle Larin in his rookie season, he'll certainly turn even more heads.

Related: How to Seattle Sounders can adjust after losing Obafemi Martins

1. Nigel de Jong

• Club: LA Galaxy
• Age: 31
• Position: Defensive Midfielder
• Arrived from: AC Milan (terminated contract), signed with TAM funds

Analysis: After selling Juninho to Tijuana, the LA Galaxy were in need of a new defensive midfielder; luckily, with the use of TAM funds and some clever salary cap maneuvering, the club picked up a star man in Dutch international Nigel de Jong.

Steven Gerrard says he'll be hanging up his boots at the end of the year, too, making the need for a central midfielder even more pressing for Bruce Arena's side.

De Jong is already proving to be quite the dangerous player for the LA Galaxy, but not always for the right reasons. Opposition attackers will be quite wary around this bulldog enforcer.

Related - Arena's XI: How the LA Galaxy circumvented the MLS salary cap