Here are the top 15 stories everyone's talking about this morning:
1. PARADE IN PORTLAND FOR RETURNING TIMBERS
The Portland Timbers returned to Portland on Monday and received a hero’s welcome upon their arrival at PDX Airport. They'll keep the party going on Tuesday with a downtown parade and celebration rally at Providence Park.
2. FREE AGENTS AND RE-ENTRY ELIGIBLE PLAYERS ANNOUNCED
With roster announcements from all 20 clubs now in, MLS revealed the league's first-ever free agent class on Monday, with notable players Mike Magee, Drew Moor and Jeff Larentowicz now free to test the open market. MLS also announced the list of 60 players eligible for the Re-Entry Process, which will begin with Stage 1 of the Re-Entry Draft on Friday afternoon.
3. UNITED MAKE SOME MOVES
The trades we’d been expecting were made official on Monday, as D.C. United sent Chris Pontius to the Philadelphia Union and brought in Lamar Neagle from the Seattle Sounders as his replacement. United also chose to exercise the options on 10 of their players, while negotiations remain ongoing with starting midfielder Perry Kitchen and reserve 'keeper Andrew Dykstra.
4. HOUSTON, UNION MAKE MAJOR DEAL
The Houston Dynamo acquired two Philadelphia Union regulars on Monday, sending their first-round pick in January's SuperDraft and allocation money to Philly in exchange for Cristian Maidana and Andrew Wenger. It was the latest move in what's shaping up to be a significant makeover in Philadelphia, where they also announced that Conor Casey will not return next year.
5. GALAXY STILL IN TALKS WITH GORDON
The LA Galaxy announced their roster moves on Monday, choosing to decline the options on eight players. Forward Alan Gordon remains out of contract, but the club are apparently working to re-sign the veteran striker.
6. CREW SC BRING BACK MAJORITY
Following their successful run to the MLS Cup final, Columbus Crew SC have chosen to exercise their options on 11 of their players, and declining those of just two: Emanuel Pogatetz and Kristinn Steindorsson.
7. TIMBERS STILL TALKING
The MLS Cup champion Portland Timbers have re-signed Timbers MLS-original Jack Jewsbury and picked up the options on four of their players. The MLS Champions turned down options on seven players, but general manager Gavin Wilkinson confirmed they remain in discussions with several of them for new deals.
8. IMPACT EXERCISE OPTIONS
The Montreal Impact have exercised options on 10 of their players from the 2015 season, as well as offering new deals to out of contract players Cameron Porter, Justin Mapp and Dilly Duka. The only two players not to have their options taken up were Hassoun Camara and Kenny Cooper.
9. CREW VOW TO RETURN STRONGER
Rather than let Sunday's MLS Cup disappointment get them down, Columbus Crew SC are vowing to learn from their defeat, vowing that they'll "be back" in 2016.
10. VIEIRA EARMARKED FOR SUCCESS
New York City FC aren't the only ones with high hopes for new head coach Patrick Vieira. NYCFC sister club Manchester City apparently view the former French international as a future manager of the EPL side. Meanwhile, with reports emerging that George John wasn’t officially on NYCFC’s roster this year, what does the future hold for the once promising defender?
11. RED BULLS ACADEMY STAR GRABS ATTENTION
New York Red Bulls players have already been attracting plenty of attention this offseason, and it seems those gazes aren’t limited to the first team, as reports on Monday indicated that Manchester United are interested in RBNY academy product Matthew Olosunde.
12. WATCH IT GROW
Orlando City’s new stadium will soon start to take shape as work on the venue’s underground drainage system nears completion. This means vertical construction will soon begin, with fans able to see visible progress on their new stadium.
13. LAFC SET TO MAKE A HIRE
LAFC are set to make a big announcement on Tuesday, when they'll reveal their executive vice president of soccer operations, the club’s first hire on the soccer side of the business.
14. CINCINNATI STARS
FC Cincinnati have announced the first 11 players for the USL club’s inaugural season and there’s plenty of MLS talent included in the list. Former MLSers Corben Bone, Kenney Walker and Andrew Weideman are all among John Harkes' initial signings, as is former MLS Rookie of the Year and Cincinnati-area native Austin Berry.
15. MEET THE NEW BALL
There’s a brand new Navito in town, as MLS and Adidas unveiled the redesigned soccer ball the league will be use for matches throughout 2016.
MLSsoccer.com Musts
ExtraTime Radio: Timbers triumph, Cascadia trolling and expansion news
2016 MLS Trade Tracker
MLS Cup in pictures: The best images from the Timbers triumph in Columbus.
