Major League Soccer Preview: 30 players to watch ahead of the 2025 season

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Season starts Saturday 

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On Saturday, Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United will kick off the 30th Major League Soccer season (4:30 p.m. ET). Expansion team San Diego FC becomes the 30th team to join the league. The Southern California-based club will play their first-ever game on the road against last year’s champion  Los Angeles Galaxy on Sunday, Feb. 23. San Diego will then host St. Louis CITY SC on Mar. 1 in their first-ever game at Snapdragon Stadium (all MLS stadiums at a glance).

With the MLS season kicking off in February, Transfermarkt has compiled a list of 30 players to watch throughout the 2025 MLS season. The clubs on the list below are sorted by squad values, with the most valuable squad ranked at the top. You can find that statistic and much more on the Major League Soccer landing page on our site. 

Major League Soccer Preview: 30 Players to watch

Los Angeles Galaxy: Elijah Wynder

It would be easy to focus on top stars Marco Reus, Riqui Puig, Gabriel Pec or Joseph Paintsil when discussing champions LA Galaxy. Without a doubt, those four will be crucial if the Galaxy want to defend their title. Furthermore, will Puig overcome his cruciate ligament injury suffered in the MLS Cup Playoffs? But among the top stars, one low-key signing could become a breakout star in MLS this season: Elijah Wynder. Wynder arrived from side Louisville City in the winter and was among the best players in the USL Championship last season. A tidy midfielder with great vision, Wynder could become central for the Galaxy’s title defense. 

Inter Miami: Lionel Messi

It is hard to look beyond Lionel Messi at Inter Miami CF. The Argentine is going into what could be his final season in MLS and there are some significant questions ahead of the season. Can Messi finally win the MLS Cup but also if he does, has it moved the needle for Inter Miami and the league in a significant enough way that it will lead to sustainable growth? On the field, Messi has shown signs of age, missing a significant part of last season with injuries and then struggling to have an impact during the playoffs. Messi will turn 38 this summer, and Inter Miami will also participate in the Club World Cup. That’s a lot of football for the Argentine legend to deal with. 

FC Cincinnati: Evander

For a moment there, Kévin Denkey was the most expensive signing in MLS history. That is until Atlanta United took that record back by signing Emmanuel Latte Lath. Signed for €15.3m from Cercle Brugge, Denkey is the most expensive signing in FC Cincy’s history. The Ohio-based club also brought in Evander in a deal worth $12m from league competitor Portland Timbers and the hope is that the two can create a deadly partnership that can turn regular season success into playoff success and a first league title. 

Atlanta United: Emmanuel Latte Lath

All eyes will be on MLS record-signing Emmanuel Latte Lath this season. Atlanta United paid a league-record $22 million (€21.25m) for the Ivorian striker. Signed from Championship side Middlesbrough, Latte Lath scored 11 goals and three assists in 29 league games this season. Together with returnee Miguel Almirón and last year’s addition Aleksey Miranchuk, Latte Lath is expected to provide the sort of goalscoring that will see Atlanta return to the elite clubs in MLS. 

Seattle Sounders: Obed Vargas

In Obed Vargas, the Seattle Sounders the Seattle Sounders have one of the biggest talents in MLS in their midst. But for how much longer? The 19-year-old central midfielder was born in Anchorage, Alaska, but represents Mexico internationally. That Mexican passport could become a major asset. During the winter, several Liga MX clubs were interested in signing Vargas, and the Sounders are expected to demand north of $10m for the midfielder. For good reason, Vargas can play and has the potential to become a significant star beyond MLS and Concacaf.

Los Angeles FC: Denis Bouanga

There has been a bit of a surprising turnover at LAFC. Ahead of the season, the club sold Mateusz Bogusz for €8.5m to Cruz Azul and Cristian Olivera for €4.3m to Grêmio. Rumors have also linked  Denis Bouanga with a move back to Europe. But by the time of writing, it appeared likely that the 30-year-old Gabonese striker would remain in LA. In Bouanga, the league will keep one of its star attractions. Under contract still, until 2027, Bouanga has managed 69 goals and 32 assists in 107 games across all competitions for LAFC. 

Portland Timbers: David Pereira da Costa

The Portland Timbers paid RC Lens $6 million (€5.74m) for Portuguese attacking midfielder  David Pereira da Costa last week. That fee makes Da Costa the fourth most expensive signing in club history. The 24-year-old is expected to fill the void left by Brazilian Evander, who was sold for $12m to league competitor Cincinnati. Those are big shoes to fill; Evander managed an impressive 15 goals and 15 assists last season. Da Costa has been less prolific for Lens, scoring just one assist in 11 Ligue 1 games this season. 

Orlando City: Marco Pasalic 

Orlando City paid $5m (€4.8m) to sign  Marco Pasalic from HNK Rijeka this winter. The German-born Croatian national team winger replaces Facundo Torres, who was sold to Brazilian giants Palmeiras in the offseason. A Borussia Dortmund product, Pasalic managed seven goals and four assists in 27 games across all competitions this season. A little less prolific than Torres but tactically more disciplined, Pasalic might actually have a higher ceiling than the Uruguayan winger. 

San Diego FC: Hirving Lozano

Expansion side  San Diego FC have quietly put together a very competitive roster ahead of their inaugural season. The Southern California side have the eighth most valuable squad in MLS (overview) to start the season. One big reason is Mexican star winger Hirving Lozano. Signed for €12m from PSV Eindhoven, Lozano is still in his prime. This season, the 29-year-old Mexican has managed five goals and two assists in 12 games across all competitions for PSV. 

Austin FC: Brandon Vazquez

Brandon Vazquez is back in Major League Soccer. The US men’s national team striker was signed by  Austin FC from CF Monterrey for $10m (€9.6m) ahead of the season. That deal was a record deal until Austin FC signed Albanian forward Myrto Uzuni in a transfer worth €12m from LaLiga 2 side Granada. Together, the two are expected to help Austin return to the playoffs. But Vazquez will have to justify the price tag. The striker managed just eight goals in 29 MLS regular season games in 2023 and then scored just 14 goals in 49 games across all competitions for Monterrey. 

Charlotte FC: Patrick Agyemang

The headliner for Charlotte FC will be, without a doubt, Wilfried Zaha, the new signing. But while it will be interesting to see how Zaha will handle his time in MLS, the player people need to pay attention to is Patrick Agyemang. The East Hartford, Connecticut product scored 10 goals in 31 MLS regular season games last season. Only 24, those goals meant that there was significant interest from Europe in the offseason. For now, Charlotte could hang on to the physical forward with Ghanaian roots, but another strong campaign would make a move to Europe extremely likely. 

St. Louis CITY SC: Marcel Hartel

Signed on a free transfer from 2. Bundesliga champions St. Pauli last summer,  Marcel Hartel hit the ground running, scoring three goals and five assists in nine MLS games. That productivity, however, shouldn’t have been a massive surprise. Hartel, after all, finished the 2023/24 2. Bundesliga season with an incredible 17 goals and 13 assists as a midfielder. The hope in St. Louis is that he can repeat those numbers this season and lead the club back into the MLS Cup Playoffs. 

New York Red Bulls: Julian Hall

Only 16,  Julian Hall is looking ahead towards a massive season. The forward who has both a US and Polish passport, models his game after Robert Lewandowski. “He is someone I have looked up to now and in the past,” Hall said in an interview with Transfermarkt in December. Not surprisingly, Barcelona have already scouted the striker. But as part of the Red Bull system, Hall is already on the radar of Red Bull Salzburg and RB Leipzig. That’s the likely next step for Hall when he opts to head to Europe.

Minnesota United: Tani Oluwaseyi

Last year was a breakout campaign for Minnesota United forward Tani Oluwaseyi. The 24-year-old striker not only scored eight goals and five assists in 25 MLS regular season games but also made his debut for the Canadian men’s national team and has since featured in nine games. An imposing center-forward, Oluwaseyi was initially drafted in 2022 and scored 16 goals in 25 USL Championship games while on loan at San Antonio FC. This year, the expectation is that Oluwaseyi will take the next step in his development and then perhaps move on to Europe ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America. 

Vancouver Whitecaps: Jayden Nelson

After stints with Rosenborg in Norway and Ulm in Germany,  Jayden Nelson is back in Canada. The 22-year-old winger saw both the good and the bad in Europe; the Toronto FC product experienced a strong first campaign in Norway but saw his playing time limited in his second year. A loan to Ulm didn’t see his playing time improve, and, as a result, Nelson opted to return to Canada to play for the Vancouver Whitecaps. At his best, Nelson can help the Whitecaps with his creativity and ideas on the pitch. But he must rediscover his form and work hard to make the move work.

Nashville SC: Matthew Corcoran

The USL Championship has produced some excellent talents in recent years, and Matthew Corcoran is among them. Signed by  Nashville SC in a deal worth around $100,000 from Birmingham Legion, the 19-year-old US youth national team player managed one goal and five assists in 30 league games last season. A tidy defensive midfielder, Corcoran had offers from Europe and several MLS clubs, but ultimately Nashville won out in securing a player with star potential. 

FC Dallas: Luciano Acosta

It was one of the biggest transfer sagas of the offseason. At the end of the 2024 season, Lucho Acosta told reporters he wanted to leave FC Cincinnati. His preferred destination? Argentina and Boca Juniors. But a deal with Boca never came together. Instead, Acosta remained within MLS, joining  FC Dallas in a cash-for-player trade worth $5 million (€4.8m). Without a doubt, Acosta is a significant addition to Dallas. After all, the 30-year-old has scored 54 goals and 53 assists in 151 games across all competitions for Cincinnati. 

New York City FC: Máximo Carrizo

The sense is that  Máximo Carrizo has been around forever. Carrizo, after all, became the youngest player in MLS history to sign a pro contract back in February 2022. That feels like ages ago in pro soccer, but the New York City FC wonderkid is still only 16 years old. Furthermore, we are yet to await the debut of the New York native, who has US and Argentine citizenship. But Carrizo has featured for the first team last season. The midfielder, who has played 48 games in MLS Next Pro, is expected to make his highly anticipated first-team debut at some point this season, which would make Carrizo the second-youngest player in club history. 

Colorado Rapids: Theodore Ku-DiPietro

Acquired from D.C. United, Theodore Ku-DiPietro is looking to restart his career at the Colorado Rapids. The 23-year-old central midfielder arrived in a General Allocation Money (GAM) deal worth $1.25m and will significantly add depth to a midfield that already includes Cole Bassett, Djordje Mihailovic and Josh Atencio. The latter arrived from the Seattle Sounders. 

Philadelphia Union: Cavan Sullivan

Cavan Sullivan made history last season when he became the youngest player in MLS history, aged 14 years, nine months, and 20 days. Indeed, there hasn’t been more hype surrounding a young MLS talent since the previous record holder, Fredy Adu, burst onto the scene 20 years ago. Now 15, Sullivan is headed into his first entire MLS season. Sullivan will join Man City once he turns 18 in a deal worth around $5m (€4.6m). The attacking midfielder also holds a German passport, and Transfermarkt understands that the German Football Federation (DFB) is keeping an eye on Sullivan’s development. 

Chicago Fire: Jonathan Bamba

Jonathan Bamba is the latest attempt by the Chicago Fire to find a prolific Designated Player. Signed in a deal worth €3.5m from Celta de Vigo, Bamba takes over the DP slot left empty by Xherdan Shaqiri, who mostly disappointed during his time in MLS. Whether the Ivorian forward will work out any better remains to be seen. But his recent spell in LaLiga where he scored just one goal and two assists in 14 games across all competitions isn’t promising. There is some hope, though; Bamba managed to score six goals and seven assists in 2022/23 in Ligue 1 for Lille. If he can regain that form, Bamba will be sensational in MLS. 

Columbus Crew: Diego Rossi

In Cucho Hernández, the Columbus Crew lost their most prolific goalscorer this winter. The Colombian forward joined Real Betis in a deal worth €13m on European deadline day. With Hernández gone and no new striker signed by the time of writing, much of the Crew’s attacking production will fall on the shoulder of Uruguayan playmaker Diego Rossi. Rossi did manage 12 goals and eight assists in 34 MLS regular season games last season. Although impressive, that production will have to go up if the Crew hope to fill the void left by Hernández. 

Real Salt Lake City: Diego Luna 

Quietly, Real Salt Lake have built a reputation for finding players and selling them with a profit. The most recent examples include Fidel Barajas and Carlos Andrés Gómez. Diego Luna could soon join that list. The 21-year-old attacking midfielder has been one of the biggest talents in MLS over the last two years, and his ceiling seems unlimited. A typical playmaker, Luna models his game after Marco Reus, and it wouldn’t be a major surprise if a European club tried to sign him very soon.

Houston Dynamo: Jack McGlynn

Houston Dynamo made  Jack McGlynn the first-ever homegrown player to be traded for cash when they acquired him from the Philadelphia Union in a deal worth $2.1m plus $1.3 million in add-ons. Transfermarkt understands that McGlynn would have preferred a move to Europe, but no significant offer ever arrived, and the Union opted to sell him within the league instead. That doesn’t mean McGlynn’s desire to head to Europe is over, quite the contrary. 

New England Revolution: Leonardo Campana

Leonardo Campana was acquired by the New England Revolution from Inter Miami CF. And the Beckham-owned club were indeed not happy about losing the Ecuadorian forward. But salary constraints meant that dealing the striker for $2.5m in GAM became necessary. In 100 games across all competitions for Miami, Campana managed 32 goals and eight assists. Last season, the 24-year-old managed eight goals in 28 MLS regular season games. Often an impact sub, Campana’s minutes were limited to 1277, meaning the striker scored every 159 minutes. Campana was brought in to be a consistent starter at the Revolution and hopefully get the club back to the playoffs.

San Jose Earthquakes: Cristian Arango

Cristian Arango will be on his third MLS club when the 2025 season kicks off this weekend. The 29-year-old Colombian striker has previously been a prolific striker for LAFC and Real Salt Lake City. Despite scoring 17 goals in 30 MLS regular season games, RSL opted to trade Arango for $1.5m GAM to the San Jose Earthquakes, where he will link up with Josef Martínez under experienced head coach Bruce Arena. The Quakes have been lackluster over the last few seasons; perhaps with Arango in the lineup, that might now change. 

Sporting Kansas City: Dejan Joveljic

For a brief moment this offseason, Dejan Joveljic became the most expensive player to be transferred within MLS. Indeed, his $4 million move from the LA Galaxy to  Sporting Kansas City became the first-ever cash-for-player trade in MLS history. The 25-year-old Serbian scored six goals in five MLS Cup Playoff games and helped the LA Galaxy win their sixth league title. Now at SKC, Joveljic is set to replace Alan Pulido, who returned to Mexico this winter. 

CF Montréal: Gennady Synchuk

It was an extraordinary transfer.  Gennadiy Synchuk joined CF Montréal from Metalist Kharkiv this winter in a deal worth $5m (€4.8m). The 18-year-old right winger arrives after scoring one goal and one assist in 37 games across all competitions for the Kharkiv club. Synchuk is considered a massive talent in his native Ukraine and has scored four goals in 12 games for his country’s U19. Montréal is seen as just a stepping stone. The Saputo family, who own the MLS club, also own Serie A side Bologna, and in the medium-term a move to Italy is the goal for Synchuk.

Toronto FC: Ola Brynhildsen

Toronto FC signed  Ola Brynhildsen on loan from FC Midtjylland this winter. The transfer includes an option to buy worth €3.35m. Brynhildsen arrives after scoring two goals in six Superliga games this season. That’s not very impressive, but Brynhildsen has a good track record of scoring in Norway, where he has managed 54 goals and 28 assists in 156 games across all competitions. That includes a loan spell during the 2024 season in which he managed an impressive ten goals in 11 Norwegian Eliteserien games. If Brynhildsen can rediscover that form in MLS, he will be an excellent addition to Toronto FC.

D.C. United: Christian Benteke

Despite being already 34,  Christian Benteke is one of the stars in MLS. The big Belgian striker scored 23 goals in 30 MLS regular season games and was among the finalists for the Player of the Season award on Transfermarkt. The goal output is even more impressive, considering that  D.C. United have struggled in recent seasons. This year, the Washington-based club enters the season with the league’s lowest squad value, and it will be up to Benteke to carry a team that, at least on paper, looks relatively mediocre.