MLS Transfers: Houston's signing spree, San Diego's Chucky bombshell | OneFootball

By Charles Boehm

Another day, another transfer window drama, amirite?

Even with large swathes of the continent shivering in dead-of-winter cold, the rumor mill runs red-hot around MLS as technical staffers labor to upgrade their squads in the early days of preseason.

The clock is ticking loudly as opening day approaches. Stay abreast with our latest rundown of offseason transfer activity.

1. Shifts and tweaks in San Diego

Tyler Heaps’ tone was almost casual as he dropped one of the bigger bombs of the MLS offseason to date.

“We have communicated with Hirving and his representatives that he will not be part of the sporting plans moving forward,” San Diego FC’s sporting director told reporters on Jan. 9, revealing that Mexican winger Hirving ‘Chucky’ Lozano, one of MLS’s most prominent, highest-paid stars, would sooner or later be on his way out this winter.

“We think it’s best for both parties to find a new solution.”

A parting of the ways with their biggest name – who was limited to 22 league starts due to injuries, but still finished third on the team in goals (nine) and fourth in assists (10) last year – might just be the only blemish on SDFC’s record-breaking first season of existence. The Chrome-and-Azul appear to be moving on at a brisk pace despite the likelihood of a financial loss, given Chucky’s salary and the reported $12 million transfer paid to acquire him from Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

A few days later, Los Niños announced a contract extension for their other Designated Player, MLS Best XI honoree Anders Dreyer; they’d already re-signed Amahl Pellegrino and swung a trade for Lewis Morgan from Red Bull New York. True to their development-centric identity, they’ve also stocked up on a few more young talents with high upside.

Is SDFC’s collective-oriented outlook enough to sustain growth in year two, or will another big name be needed in a 2026 which includes the rigors of Concacaf Champions Cup?

2. Veteran heads in H-Town

A quartet of proven Latin American talent marched into a Thursday press conference at Houston Dynamo FC’s training facility and sat down at a table together to field questions from reporters: Agustín Bouzat, Guilherme, Lucas Halter and – making an unexpected return after a year away – Héctor Herrera.

If things go to plan for La Naranja, these four will anchor a renaissance in the Bayou City this season and return the Dynamo to trophy contention right as their city steps into the global spotlight as a 2026 FIFA World Cup host city. If myriad media reports in both Mexico and the US are accurate, they aim to add a fifth elite reinforcement in the form of LAFC ex Mateus Bogusz, who could soon be back in MLS should Houston swing an eight-figure transfer deal with LIGA MX powerhouse Cruz Azul.

After a tough 2025, Htown are thinking big.

“All four of them are captains. All four of them are natural leaders. All four of them are champions,” said president of soccer Pat Onstad. “That is what this team wants to be this year. We want to go and we want to push, as the expectation for us now is to be successful. We have given Ben Olsen a team that he is really excited to coach.”

3. Quakes make waves

After nearly doubling their 2024 points total in year one under Bruce Arena, the San Jose Earthquakes’ offseason did not start auspiciously: Losing Cristian Espinoza, their best player of the past half-decade, to free agency after his 2026 contract option reportedly wasn’t picked up before its deadline expired.

Meanwhile, LIGA MX clubs were said to be sniffing around star striker Chicho Arango, probing the prospects of another poach job.

Yet Arena & Co. have turned the page impressively. The charismatic Arango signed a new contract through December 2027 with club options through June 2028 and the 2028-29. And now multiple media reports on both sides of the Atlantic say the NorCal side are deep into talks with German international Timo Werner on a Designated Player deal.

While he’s been marooned on the RB Leipzig bench for months, the pacey frontrunner cost Chelsea upwards of $60 million not so long ago, and his athletic skill set looks well-suited to MLS. A Werner-Chicho strike duo could pose difficult problems for Western Conference defenses in ‘26.

4. Toronto ruffle some feathers

Almost exactly 12 years ago, Toronto FC boldly stepped into the ranks of MLS’s biggest spenders with stunning swoops for Michael Bradley and English Premier League luminary Jermain Defoe playfully dubbed “A Bloody Big Deal.” Similar swings on Sebastian Giovinco and Jozy Altidore followed, eventually delivering a historic treble triumph to BMO Field in 2017, among several other cup final runs.

Determined to return to those salad days after several down seasons, the Reds are going big again this January, it seems, with a reported $18 million offer to English Championship side Norwich City for striker Josh Sargent. The St. Louis native has scored 56 goals for the Canaries since arriving from Werder Bremen in 2021 and started two of the US men’s national team’s four matches at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and is said to be ready to return to North America as TFC’s new talisman up top.

Norwich aren’t so keen, however, and have expressed their determination to keep hold of Sargent as they face a Champo relegation scrap. Stay tuned: This one could rumble on and on.

5. Domestic gems on the move

Big additions from abroad are all the rage at this time of year, and always will be. Smart clubs know, however, that accruing productive homegrowns and domestic players to fill out the roster is every bit as crucial for competitiveness in the MLS landscape.

That’s why fans should take notice of recent transactions like FC Cincinnati’s acquisition of D.C. United homegrown Kristian Fletcher – a classic buy-low/big-upside gambit on a blue-chip prospect laid low by injury – St. Louis CITY SC’s $700,000-plus swoop for RBNY academy product Daniel Edelman and the Columbus Crew’s extension of trusted homegrown Sean Zawadzki.

The amounts involved in these moves won’t draw as many eyeballs as the items we’ve already covered above, though they are substantial enough to drive home the point: Good teams draw from many buckets to build sustainable contenders.

Odds & ends

Chicago's South African contingent

Intriguingly, Chicago Fire FC just picked up their second South African of the winter, winger Puso Dithejane, on a U22 Initiative deal. He's their second such dip into that often-overlooked market this winter after a similar bet on center back Mbekezeli Mbokazi from Orlando Pirates. Having a compatriot alongside them could help both youngsters adapt to their new surroundings.

Here comes Cristiano

New England keep getting younger as the Marko Mitrović era begins. Their new homegrown signing, 17-year-old Brazilian-American creator Cristiano Oliveira, is one of the most highly-rated teenagers in the United States and has been turning heads at MLS NEXT and MLS NEXT Pro levels for some time now. Might he even blossom into the long-term heir to Revs maestro Carles Gil?