Poll: Which MLS team has improved the most ahead of the 2018 season?
The 2018 MLS season is only one week away, and many teams have all but concluded their offseason transfer business in anticipation of a fresh campaign for MLS Cup glory. While expansion outfit Los Angeles FC has understandably been the busiest of the bunch, there were a few other clubs who made notable moves to improve their rosters in significant ways.
Which team is most improved for 2018? We've whittled it down to four:
Atlanta United
Gerardo Martino went into the offseason boasting one of the deepest pools of talent in MLS, and added significant pieces to it ahead of the 2018 campaign. Signing Ezequiel Barco as a Designated Player was a blockbuster deal, and it will be particularly interesting to see how he combines with Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron. But Martino also bolstered his full-backs with Franco Escobar, Jose Hernandez, and Sal Zizzo, and also locked down Greg Garza as well.
The one question Atlanta faces is the state of its core - selling Carlos Carmona to Colo Colo leaves a rather considerable gap in center midfield, and while the trade to bring Darlington Nagbe to the Five Stripes certainly caused waves in MLS, it's unlikely that the U.S. international will offer a similar defensive output.
But, Atlanta has a lot of allocation money to play with after trading the rights of Yamil Asad - a player it didn't want - to D.C. United, so it's all peachy here.
LA Galaxy
The masterstroke of the LA Galaxy's offseason may have been to somehow convince the Montreal Impact to take Clement Diop off their hands, but head coach Sigi Schmid also made a number of smart acquisitions, too. Bringing back Perry Kitchen from Randers alongside Servando Carrasco from Orlando instantly reinforced a midfield that absolutely needed it, while the addition of David Bingham restores a sense of calm and composure between the sticks.
Signing Chris Pontius for free helps alleviate some of the goal-scoring duties from the bench, which will help as Gyasi Zardes heads to Columbus in a trade for one of the league's most effective strikers Ola Kamara. He's the exact kind of outlet that players like Romain Alessandrini and Giovani Dos Santos need.
There are whispers of a possible Zlatan Ibrahimovic signing, but even without the services of the big Swede, the LA Galaxy are significantly improved for 2018.
Orlando City
Orlando City might have been forgiven for enduring a poor offseason, having been caught in the middle of a controversial deal gone wrong (and then fixed) as Cyle Larin pushed for his move to Besiktas. With Kaka retiring at the end of the 2017 season, there were some significant shoes to fill in the Lions' ranks.
But head coach Jason Kreis and the club's brass methodically added a number of key pieces to not only mitigate those losses, but also strengthen the team in a number of other positions, too. The big move? Trading Tommy Redding and Carlos Rivas to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for Sacha Kljestan. It was a shock trade, but one that sees Orlando add a creative No. 10 to its team.
The Lions then got to work plugging other holes, adding center-back Lamine Sane from Werder Bremen, adding MLS regulars like R.J. Allen and Jose Villarreal via trades, plucking Justin Meram out of the Columbus Crew, bringing Oriol Rosell back to MLS from Sporting CP, and to round it all off, signing a new Designated Player in Josue Colman. There's a lot to play with in Orlando.
Toronto FC
How do you improve the greatest team in MLS history? Toronto FC figures you add even more quality pieces in a bid to break more records and challenge for the CONCACAF Champions League.
The Reds kept the majority of their treble-winning squad in tact, save for one: Steven Beitashour opted to head over to LAFC, leaving a hole at right-back. In keeping with a desire for dominance, TFC reached out to Dutch international and former Paris Saint-Germain man Gregory van der Wiel, then phoned up Sao Paulo and added another right-back Auro on loan. That's how it's done.
TFC then looked at its midfield and thought "Why can't we be great(er)?" before signing Ager Aketxe from Athletic Bilbao. Is there any stopping the Reds?
(Photos courtesy: Getty)