2025-26 Roster Movement Thread

He also played wing enough last year that he might be better there. I thought of him more as depth for any of the front 4

 

SIgn them up! We need warm bodies who resemble professional soccer players. He seems to fit that bill. Since he's a free agent still available maybe he'd go for a 1+1 deal?

 

With the mini-season in 2027 before the schedule switch I'm willing to do like we did with Fernandez, give him a 1.5 through that mini season + 1-2 option years

 

Doyle's initial powerranking for 2026 has us, uhm, 30th out of, uhm, 30. Once again, not exactly an exhaustive analysis, but I do think it's dead on this time:
Sporting KC: This roster's in rough shape.

 

Well, we all said this would be like an expansion club remake, from CFO to coach to staff and roster build, and those tend to take a full year to 18 months.
We're a week out from our first game and we do not have an actual first 11. We don't have a gameday 18.
It's not "who should start" it's "do we have anyone who can play that role"
And yet I'm kind of looking forward to the games.
To be fair, I think this one is on me.

 

I'm also oddly looking forward to the games. For the last couple years we've gotten used to watching our team suck so that won't be new. But...I'm excited to see all the new and exciting ways we choose to suck. Occasionally we might also not suck and in those few moments I'm gonna celebrate like its coming home.

 

Worth listening to for any SKC fan, at least the first couple minutes. Building the plane after takeoff is apparently Lee's MO.

 

Yeah that was the only "big" complaint that I saw from NYCFC fans when we hired him.

 

A week from now, we will know the result of our first game of the 2026 season.
Based on the MLSPA numbers for Oct 2025, we are entering the 2026 season with seven returning players making more than the $105,000 senior minimum salary, five earning more than the "average" MLS salary of $354,000.
After Jovelic, $3.3m, Manu $2.3m (both of whom hit the cap at the league max of $803,000 in 2026), Salloi $1.3m, and Shapi $916,000, we have Davis on $412,000, Pulskamp $273,000 and Bassong $114,000.
After that, Afrifa earned $104,000 last year, and everyone else was in the $80,000 to $86,000 range.
Now, we added Cleveland who earned $274,000 in 2025, Harris $152,000, Reynolds and Reid at $104,000, Wyatt Meyer $80,000. Plus the elevated Academy guy who is probably around $80,000 and the GA guy, who is officially zero for the club, but something under $90,000, I think.
So, really, 9 guys at the standard senior roster salary level, though 2 very much on the low end of that.
We have 5 players who would be considered average or above in MLS for players on a roster (unless we subscribe to the "we're just smarter than everyone else, they pay too much" notion). We can sign every single player we are rumored to have been in negotiations with, no matter the outcome, and still have a frighteningly incomplete and (give their current wages) probably inexpensive roster.
So WTF is the strategy here? Is this a game Lee plays, to sign players into the season to save a bit of cap space, so that the transfer fees hit at percentage of what they would? He clearly does not care how his teams start the season. I think there's a strong argument that he doesn't care either how they finish 2026, because this isn't filling in the corners, it's building a full roster.
All I can say is that San Jose better be ready. :/

 

So this could make the summer interesting.
https://www.foxsports.com.mx/2026/0...ideran-fichaje-de-dejan-joveljic-para-verano/

 

Actually ignore this, I didn't realize there was more to the article below the Instagram post. This all stems from a ludicrous rumor late last week that included Philly and Cincy, ignore it.

 

However, if i am Dejan, and I don't see movement to bring in an actual roster that would help me succeed, I think I'd push for the exit.
These are his prime years. Don't want to waste them on a club without ambition.

 

I've spent way too much time lately watching videos of this guy. I LIKE this signing A LOT.

https://www.sportingkc.com/news/spo...-lasse-berg-johnsen-in-transfer-from-malmo-ff

 

Well done, Mr. Burns!
So P-1s are taking a couple to three weeks? Is it optimistic to think he will be in and ready to at least sub on by the LAG match?

 

Just to echo Buzz, this is the signing I feel we most needed. an 8-6 hybrid, who is well suited to sit deep in our new fangled empty bucket with Manu, feeding Jovelic and Salloi up top, protecting, well, whoever we run out on defense.

So now we just need a starting CB (or two/three), a right and left back (I do not hate Davis and Bassong, but Davis is certainly stronger in midfield, still at least strong depth), a wing or two and striker depth.

 

I think you can stop thinking about outside backs, I think the team sees themselves set there with Reynolds and Bassong starting with Davis and Reid in reserve.

 

F-me. I am giddy happy with this signing. He's a line breaking machine. I can see him being and Manu feeding Jovelic so much that he gets fat and happy.

 

Was thinking this exact thing.

Malmö is a Champions League quality team. He should be close to the DJ and Manu level, and plays an important position.

Excellent, Mr. Burns.

 

We cannot actually be happy with Reynolds as an inked-in starter. Okay, only 21, but was he seen as an MLS starter? He didn't seem to be. What am i missing?
Davis has issues at the position, but he's miles more polished. If Reynolds produced a season that was the equivalent of Davis break out year in 2023 (when Davis was younger than Reynolds is now), that would be a best case scenario. IMO, Davis has improved.
If we don't like Davis at the position, that's fine. But that means we have to sign someone much better. I was cool with the idea of Inga, no idea if he could play but he sounded good. Is Reynolds more than a good depth guy at this point?
If you are correct, and he is starting, i will hope I just am not seeing it and he's great.

 

This is just based on everything that's making the rounds, Reynolds is seen as the starter on the right.

 

In a vacuum I don't hate the deal. But in the real world where we have 21 players on the roster, 1 of whom can't play b/c we're waiting on the visa. This doesn't make sense. Especially for that low of an up front payment.

 

Huh. It's not surprising in a big picture sense, but as noted, who TF starts this weekend?