Just eight days remain in Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window, but as the season’s first deadline day nears, many around the league are anticipating a quiet close to the window.
Multiple team officials said they expect the majority of moves to come in the secondary transfer window, which runs from July 10 through Aug. 8, though a few teams may look to make depth moves before May 1.
One team official said he expects a few trades to be executed in the final day or two of the window, but he would be surprised if a team made a big-splash signing before July. Salary budget space may factor in for teams looking to add Designated Players, as it makes more budgetary sense to wait until the summer. Designated Players signed in the summer window count as a mid-season DP budget charge, or $252,188, half of the full-season DP budget charge.
In addition, teams looking to sign players from Europe are in limbo as those seasons come to a close. Many teams in Europe are fighting for promotion or relegation, or for a spot in European competition. Even teams with Champions League or Europa League bids locked up may be looking to win a championship and battling for points.
Few teams in MLS have yet reached a point of desperation where a move is necessary to stay in the hunt ahead of the secondary window opening.
In the East, the last-place team is Toronto FC, who have sputtered in league play as they focus on the Concacaf Champions League final. TFC are just six points off the playoff line with a game in hand. Ahead of them, D.C. United and Philadelphia remain four points below the playoff line.
In the West, the last-place Seattle Sounders have three games in hand on sixth-placed Vancouver, while San Jose and Minnesota are five and four points behind the 'Caps with games in hand.
Teams that may look to make a move in the next week include Minnesota, Seattle and Chicago, all of whom have been forthright about their current roster needs.
