winter transfer window

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National Writer: Charles Boehm

MLS Transfers: Austin land Facundo Torres,winter transfer window Galaxy add João Klauss

Charles Boehm

Your calendar eyes don’t deceive you: February looms, which means opening day 2026 is almost upon us.

In fact, we’re less than a WEEK away from the first matchnight of Concacaf Champions Cup, which features San Diego FC vs. Pumas UNAM, the year’s first competitive fixture involving an MLS club.

Old heads know the real transfer-window action tends to run late, though – procrastination and brinkmanship are just human nature. That’s a big part of why the league just announced adjusted dates for this year’s windows, along with a raft of amendments to the 2026 Roster Rules and Regulations that, in essence, make it easier and more attractive to get deals done.

You can find plenty of in-depth analysis of this news elsewhere. The bottom line for our purposes? The primary (winter) window is shortening, so the secondary (summer) window can extend into September, allowing MLS teams to stay in the European game until closing time, when bargains and bombazos often materialize. It’s what many chief soccer officers have been crying out for. Case in point: Charlotte FC’s Zoran Krneta to this correspondent in August 2024.

READ MORE:MLS Transfer Tracker updates

1 Facu lands in Austin

It seems Austin FC have well and truly clambered into the ranks of MLS’s big-time spenders. After splashing north of $30 million on transfer fees over the past few windows, they just dropped another $10 million or thereabouts to bring Uruguayan winger Facundo Torres back to MLS in a deal made official last Friday.

‘El Cuervo’ lit it up in his three seasons at Orlando City, bagging 47g/25a in 123 matches across all competitions as the Lions won the 2022 US Open Cup, enough to earn a big move to Brazilian heavyweights Palmeiras just over a year ago. That proven MLS productivity is a major plus, and at 25, he’s still young, at least in Designated Player terms.

Still… some doubts linger around the Verde & Black. ATX’s issue in 2025 wasn’t the attacking talent available to head coach Nico Estévez so much as the way it all fit together – or didn’t, as it were. They seem to be crying out for an orchestrating presence to sustain possessions and deliver quality service, and as the above numbers suggest, Torres is more of a box arriver than a string-puller. Let’s see how it goes!

Welcome to the 512, @facutorresss! pic.twitter.com/E3s6Xbnjmj
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) January 27, 2026

2 Galaxy go Brazilian up top

After the difficult news of another season without Catalan maestro Riqui Puig, the LA Galaxy seem to have (understandably) concluded there’s little sense in attempting to replace one of MLS’s most unique stars, and have tacked in another direction entirely.

How else to contextualize the Gs’ intriguing move for St. Louis CITY SC No. 9 João Klauss, who will fill Puig’s DP slot but is a completely different sort of player?

The cash-for-player trade is made that much more intriguing by LA’s extension of their loan of Klauss’ younger countryman, Matheus Nascimento, from Botafogo. Nascimento’s 6g/4a in 28 appearances last year wasn’t exactly all-conquering, but perhaps he’ll be more settled in ‘26 and benefit from the mentorship of a well-traveled compatriot.

Welcome to Los Angeles, @joaoklauss 💫 pic.twitter.com/QV03cGwNEP
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) January 27, 2026

3 Freeman gets his move

Alex Freeman’s quantum leap from unknown youngster to MLS All-Star and potential FIFA World Cup starter for the US men’s national team was easily one of North American soccer’s best stories of 2025.

A good kid grinding through adversity – remember, in his teens the marauding right back didn’t make the cut at his hometown club, Miami, and so moved up Florida’s Turnpike to join the academy of rivals Orlando City – and putting it all together in the year of his 21st birthday? That’s the good stuff, y’all. And now Freeman’s making the logical next step, reportedly jumping to Villarreal CF, a Spanish side with a track record of player development and competing on a budget.

The presence of MLS alums Tani Oluwaseyi and Tajon Buchanan at Villarreal should help him adjust to a new language and culture, and doing this deal now – reportedly $4 million up front, plus $3 million in add-ons and a sell-on clause – ensures Orlando get some return on investment before he enters the final year of his contract.

A star born in the City Beautiful 🤩

Alex Freeman is the MLS Young Player of the Year 👏 pic.twitter.com/LcaHxEctv8
— Orlando City SC (@OrlandoCitySC) October 30, 2025

4 NYCFC shuffle DP deck

New York City FC have a reputation as something of a black box in MLS circles, where not much transfer gossip leaks and their access to City Football Group’s global scouting network makes for a different approach to recruitment. Yet we’ve finally gotten a few scraps of information about how last year’s Audi MLS Cup Playoffs overachievers might be reinforcing.

The Pigeons are said to have nearly completed a swoop for French-Malian striker Moussa Sylla from Schalke 04, the fallen German giants currently leading the promotion race in the 2. Bundesliga, for a fee reportedly in the neighborhood of $7-8 million or so. Not a bad response to the severe knee injury that will sideline Alonso Martínez for months to come.

On the other side of the ball, Kai Trewin, a defensive midfielder who can also play center back, is leaving CFG sibling club Melbourne City to become the Cityzens’ second Aussie alongside Aiden O’Neill.

There are outgoings, too. Julián Fernández, the talented but inconsistent winger who never quite hit full stride in Gotham, is returning to Argentina to join Rosario Central. And pricey U22 Initiative spearhead Jovan Mijatović, who played just 262 league minutes for NYCFC in 2024 before heading off to Belgium on loan, has reportedly cut short his time at OH Leuven to start a new loan at 2. Bundesliga side Eintracht Braunschweig.

ℹ️ Moussa Sylla is close to completing a move abroad and is not included in our squad today. FC Schalke 04 and his future club have reached a basic agreement.#S04 pic.twitter.com/37lxqlFixQ
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) January 25, 2026

5 Miami’s message

We recognize this winter’s Transfer Roundups have spent a lot of time on the litany of winter moves made by the MLS Cup 2025 champs, and how this risks antagonizing those among us who may be suffering from Inter Miami fatigue.

But look, if you’re one of those… just imagine how their MLS counterparts feel! So far, the Herons have added Dayne St. Clair, Micael, David Ayala, Sergio Reguilón and Facundo Mura, completed the permanent acquisitions of Rodrigo De Paul and Tadeo Allende, the latter without requiring a Designated Player slot. Now, The Athletic's Tom Bogert reports they’re shipping a cool $15 million to LIGA MX giants CF Monterrey for Germán Berterame.

Oh! And before settling on the Mexican-Argentine striker, Bogert adds, they cheekily tried to reel in Denis Bouanga from LAFC with a comparably sized offer, which the Angelenos summarily rejected. The writing on the wall: IMCF aspire to dominate this (parity-oriented) league like Bayern Munich do the Bundesliga, or Paris Saint-Germain do Ligue 1. I’ll quote our own Armchair Analyst Matt Doyle: “Miami managing owner Jorge Mas is very pointedly trying to build the best club in the Americas.”

That’s a sobering thought for the competition.