Who's Adding Who - LA Galaxy

In:

GK Dan Kennedy (12/15/15 - trade from Dallas) - The 33 year-old Kennedy will be an upgrade over the declining Donovan Ricketts in net. Kennedy allowed just 19 goals in 16 starts for FC Dallas last season before getting replaced by 20 year old phenom Jesse Gonzalez down the stretch. The former Chivas USA number 1 now returns to Southern California where he spent his first seven MLS seasons.
GK Clément Diop (12/16/15 - USL) - Diop spent the 2015 season with LA Galaxy II, serving as the club's starting keeper an helping them reach the League Championship. The 22 year-old Frenchman recorded 8 shutouts and posted a 1.12 GAA during the regular season for Los Dos and allowed just one goal in four postseason matches.
D Daniel Steres (12/17/15 - USL) - Steres, an All-League selection in the USL the past three seasons, captained LA Galaxy II in 2015. The LA Galaxy II Defender of the Year the past two seasons was drafted by Chivas USA in 2012, but failed to make the club before signing with Seattle in June of that year. He has yet to appear in an MLS match.
M/D Jeff Larentowicz (1/6/16 - free agent) - The Ginja Ninja will begin his 12th MLS season as one of only 30 field players with over 300 career appearances. He ranks 17th all-time among field players with 26,139 minutes played. Now 32, Larentowicz is coming off back-to-back six goal seasons for the Chicago Fire..
F Mike Magee (1/14/16 - free agent) - Magee has struggled with injuries the past two seasons, but makes his return to LA where he won a pair of MLS Cups earlier in his career. Magee should be a clear upgrade as a reserve striker seeing as the Galaxy saw an aged Edson Buddle get into 12 regular season matches in 2015 in which he did not score, or earn an assist. Magee is just two years removed from a 2013 campaign when he split time between the Galaxy and Chicago Fire and combined to score 21 goals on his way to being named the league's MVP. He's a proven scorer, a clutch performer (8 postseason goals from 2009-2012) and he's shown he can handle playing in LA.
F Emmanuel Boateng (1/14/16 - free) - In 2012, Boateng joined the likes of Chris Henderson, Ned Grabavoy, Lee Nguyen, and Dillon Powers when he won the Gatorade Player of the Year Award. He spent just one year with UC Santa Barbara before heading to Europe where he played with Helsingborgs IF in Sweden. Now 22, the Ghanaian-born striker will add depth to the Galaxy's already prolific attack.
D Jelle Van Damme (1/26/16 - free) - A versatile lefty, the Belgian-born Van Damme can play left back, left midfield or central defense. Van Damme has been Capped 31 times by Belgium and his club career has taken him from Belgium to the Netherlands, England, and Germany. Most recently Van Damme was in uniform for Standard Liège (Belgium) where he was teammates with Montreal Impact defender Laurent Ciman.
D Ashley Cole (1/27/16 - free) - With nearly 400 English Premier League matches under his belt with Arsenal and Chelsea, the English international and veteran of three World Cups looks to slot in at left back for the Galaxy. Cole has 107 Caps with England and was England's Player of the Year in 2010.
D Nigel de Jong (2/3/16 - free) - The 31 year-old Dutch defensive midfielder has an impressive pedigree that includes stints with Ajax, Manchester City, and A.C. Milan, as well as 80 Caps for the Netherlands. A physical player who is perhaps best known to American fans as the guy who broke Stuart Holden's leg the first time, de Jong's ability to mesh with Steven Gerrard in central midfield will go a long way in determining how far the Galaxy can go this year.

Out:

D Todd Dunivant (10/29/15 - retired)
F Edson Buddle (12/7/15 - option declined)
D Tommy Meyer (12/7/15 - option declined) - Swope Park Rangers (USL)
GK Brian Perk (12/7/15 - option declined)
GK Donovan Ricketts (12/7/15 - option declined)
F Charlie Rugg (12/7/15 - option declined)
M Mika Vayrynen (12/7/15 - option declined)
M Kenney Walker (12/7/15 - option declined) - FC Cincinnati (USL)
GK Andrew Wolverton (12/7/15 - option declined)
D Omar Gonzalez (12/22/15 - transferred to Pachuca) - Pachuca (Mexico)
M Juninho (12/24/15 - transferred to Club Tijuana) - Club Tijuana (Mexico)

Who's Adding Who - Houston Dynamo

In:

M Christian Lucatero (8/18/15 - Homegrown) - The 2013 Dynamo Academy Player of the Year and the Academy's 2014 Players' Player of the Year, Lucatero was committed to Oregon State before signing a professional contract with the Dynamo. Lucatero has been a part of camps for both the U.S. and Mexican U-18 squads in the past year.
M Cristian Maidana (12/7/15 - trade from Philadelphia) - In two seasons with the Union, Maidana notched 26 assists including 15 in 2015. With plenty of attacking options in Giles Barnes, Will Bruin and Cubo Torres, Maidana should have no problem reaching double digit assists for a third straight season and should help improve an attack that was limited to just 42 goals in 2015.
M Andrew Wenger (12/7/15 - trade from Philadelphia) - The first overall pick in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft joins his third MLS club in five seasons. His best season came in 2014, split between Montreal and Philadelphia, when he tallied 7 goals and 4 assists in 32 matches. He has 13 goals and 9 assists in 105 career appearances, 59 starts.
GK Calle Brown (12/17/15 - free) - Brown, 23, spent the 2015 season with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL. He made 13 starts and recorded 5 shutouts while posting a 1.14 GAA. Standing 6'5", Brown spent his college career at the University of Virginia and was the 2014 College Cup Most Valuable Defensive Player.
D Bradley Bourgeois (12/23/15 - Homegrown) - The 2011 Dynamo Academy Players' Player of the Year, Bourgeois joins the Dynamo after being a 4-year letter winner with Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes' Defensive Player of the Year for the past three seasons, he led Tulsa to the 2014 and 2015 American Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and was the 2015 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
D Jalil Anibaba (1/11/16 - free) - The 27 year-old Anibaba gets set to join his fourth MLS team in four years (his fifth if you count his momentary stint with Orlando City following last year's expansion draft). Anibaba, depite appearing just 16 matches in 2015, set a career-high with four assists with Sporting Kansas City. In total he has five goals and ten assists in 128 career appearances for the Chicago Fire, Seattle Sounders and Sporting.
D Sebastien Ibeagha (1/26/16 - free) - The former Duke Blue Devil is a prior member of the Dynamo Academy. After college, Ibeagha pursued a career in Europe that saw him make stops in Denmark and Iceland before returning to the U.S. this offseason. Ibeagha will add further depth to Houston's central defender pool.
D Agus (1/27/16 - free) - A left-footed central defender, Agustín Íñiguez - or Agus - spent early parts of his career with Real Madrid's "B" side and most recently played with Albacete Balompié in Spain's second division. With the exception of a season with Orduspor in Turkey, his entire pro career has been in Spain.
M David Rocha (1/27/16 - free) - Rocha captained Club Gimnàstic de Tarragona the past two seasons while helping them earn a promotion to Spain's second division. A central midfielder, the 30 year-old Rocha has spent his entire professional career to this point in Spain.

Out:

GK Michael Lisch (11/30/15 - option declined)
D AJ Cochran (11/30/15 - option declined)
D Jermaine Taylor (11/30/15 - option declined) - Portland Timbers
M Luis Garrido (11/30/15 - option declined)
M Alex López (11/30/15 - option declined)
M Nathan Sturgis (11/30/15 - option declined)
F Chandler Hoffman (11/30/15 - option declined) - Louisville City (USL)
D Kofi Sarkodie (11/30/15 - out of contract)
M Brad Davis (1/7/15 - traded to Sporting KC) - Sporting Kansas City

Who's Adding Who - FC Dallas

In:
 

F Maximiliano Urruti (12/11/15 - Re-Entry Draft) - One of a number of Timbers postseason heroes, it was Urruti's extra time equalizer in the wildcard round that sent the Timbers to a shootout against Sporting Kansas City and propelling their postseason run. Despite just 28 career starts in MLS, the 24 year-old Urruti already has 15 goals including a career-high 10 in just 12 starts in 2014.
D Aaron Guillen (1/5/16 - Homegrown) - The 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and a three-time member of the All Conference First Team, Guillen joins FC Dallas after a solid college career where he was a four-year starter at Florida Gulf Coast University.
M Juan Esteban Ortiz (1/20/16 - free) - A defensive midfielder by trade, the 28 year-old veteran has upwards of 240 appearances in the Colombian First Division. Ortiz, whose most recent club was Atlético Huila, becomes the third Colombian player on the FC Dallas roster joining Michael Barrios and Fabián Castillo.
M Carlos Gruezo (1/23/16 - transfer from Stuttgart) - Despite being a few months shy of his 21st birthday, Gruezo already has double-digit CAPs for the Ecuadorian National Team. The first Ecuadorian to ever score in the Bundesliga when he did so in 2014 with VfB Stuttgart, Gruezo was also the second youngest player to start a match during the 2014 FIFA World Cup (behind only England's Luke Shaw).
D Maynor Figueroa (1/26/16 - trade from Colorado) - Only two players have appeared in more matches for Honduras then the 32 year-old veteran, Figueroa. A serviceable left back or central defender, Figueroa made his MLS debut with the Rapids in 2015 making 10 starts and scoring a goal against Sporting Kansas City.

Out:
 

D Bakary Soumare (11/30/15 - retired)
D Otis Earle (12/3/15 - option declined)
M Danny Garcia (12/3/15 - option declined)
F David Texeira (12/3/15 - option declined) - Sivasspor (Turkey)
M Michel (12/3/15 - option declined) - Rayo OKC (NASL)
D Walker Zimmerman (12/3/15 - option declined)
F Blas Pérez (12/3/15 - out of contract)
D Stephen Keel (12/3/15 - out of contract)
GK Dan Kennedy (12/15/15 - traded to LA Galaxy) - LA Galaxy
M Rolando Escobar (1/22/16 - waived) -
M Ezequiel Cirigliano (1/22/16 - waived) - River Plate (Argentina)

Who's Adding Who - DC United

In:

M Lamar Neagle (12/7/15 - trade from Seattle) - Neagle delivered a career year in 2014 with 9 goals and 9 assists en route to a Seattle Sounders Supporters' Shield and U.S. Open Cup Title, but he struggled to have the same impact in 2015. Despite making 23 starts, Neagle had just four goals and two assists last season. Now 28, Neagle joins a DC United attack that tied for the second fewest goals in the Eastern Conference last year.
M Patrick Nyarko (1/6/16 - trade from Chicago) - Nyarko spent his first 8 MLS seasons with the Chicago Fire logging 196 appearances. During a three-year stretch from 2010-2012, he averaged nearly nine assists a year with a career best of 10 in 2010. Nyarko made his international debut with Ghana in 2012.
M Marcelo Sarvas (2/1/16 - trade from Colorado) - A two-time MLS Champion with the LA Galaxy, Sarvas delivered two goals and two assists during the 2014 postseason after an 11-assist regular season. Sarvas joined the Rapids before the 2015 season and was unable to duplicate the success he found in LA scoring just twice and adding only one assist in 25 appearances. The 34 Brazilian has played professionally in Brazil, Sweden, Poland and Costa Rica before coming to MLS before the 2012 season.

Out:
 

F Eddie Johnson (11/1/15 - retired)
F Jairo Arrieta (12/7/15 - option declined) - New York Cosmos (NASL)
M Michael Farfan (12/7/15 - option declined) - Seattle Sounders
M Facundo Coria (12/7/15 - waived)
M Perry Kitchen (12/7/15 - out of conract)
M Chris Pontius (12/7/15 - traded to Philadelphia) - Philadelphia Union

Who's Adding Who - Colorado Rapids - Update 1

Latest moves in red.

In:

M Micheal Azira (12/9/15 - Waiver Draft) - The Ugandan-born Azira spent the last two seasons with the Seattle Sounders appearing in 25 regular season matches including 11 in 2015. Now 28, Azira has yet to notch a goal or an assist in MLS.

M Marco Pappa (12/15/15 - trade from Seattle) - The veteran Guatemalan midfielder is entering his eighth MLS season, the last two of which were spent with the Sounders. Pappa has scored at least five goals five times, and recorded as least five assists four times including a career-best six in 2015. Pappa has scored 11 goals for Guatemala an was named the Golden Ball Winner at the 2014 Copa Centroamericana as the tournament's best player.

M Zach Pfeffer (1/15/16 - trade from Philadelphia) - Pfeffer is getting ready for his sixth MLS season despite just turning 21 earlier this month. Signed to a homegrown player deal at the age of 15 with the Union, Pfeffer had his best MLS season in 2015 appearing in 21 matches while also getting playing time for the USMNT U-23s.
F Shkëlzen Gashi (2/1/16 - transfer from Basel) - The 27 year old Albanian striker joins the Rapids from FC Basel on a designated player contract after spending the past 10 seasons in Switzerland. The Swiss Super League Golden Boot Winner for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 campaigns combined to score 41 regular season goals in that two-year stretch.

Out:

D James Riley (12/3/15 - option declined)

D Drew Moor (12/3/15 - option declined) - Toronto FC

M Nick LaBrocca (12/3/15 - option declined) - Chicago Fire

M Lucas Pittinari (12/3/15 - option declined) - Belgrano (Argentina)

M Vicente Sánchez (12/3/15 - option declined)

M Carlos Alvarez (12/3/15 - option declined)

F Charles Eloundou (12/3/15 - option declined)

F Gabriel Torres (12/3/15 - option declined) - Zamora FC (Venezuela)

D Bobby Burling (12/3/15 - out of contract)

D Michael Harrington (12/3/15 - out of contract) - Chicago Fire
GK Clint Irwin (1/18/16 - traded to Toronto) - Toronto FC

D Maynor Figueroa (1/26/16 - traded to Dallas) - FC Dallas

M Juan Ramirez (1/26/16 - loaned to Almeria) - UD Almería (Spain)

M - Marcelo Sarvas (2/1/16 - traded to D.C. United - DC United

Who's Adding Who - Chicago Fire - Update 1

Latest moves in red.

In:

F Joey Calistri (12/17/15 - Homegrown) - Calistri was a four-year starter for Northwestern and finished his career as the Wildcats' second all-time leading scorer. In total, Calistri ended up with 30 goals and 14 assists including three goals and a career high six assists as a senior.

M Drew Conner (12/17/15 - Homegrown) - Conner was a four-year starter for the University of Wisconsin and served as the team's captain in 2015. In his four years with the Badgers, he amassed 73 starts scoring six goals while tallying 12 assists.

D Brandon Vincent (1/14/16 - SuperDraft) - One of Jurgen Klinsmann's surprise additions to the January USMNT camp, Vincent enjoyed a stellar senior season for National Champion Stanford that included being named the 2015 College Cup's Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Vincent scored six goals and added two assists in 23 matches for the 18-2-3 Cardinal.

D Jonathan Campbell (1/14/16 - SuperDraft) - A Senior defender from the University of North Carolina, Campbell had a goal and four assists for the 15-2-3 Tarheels who reached the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament before falling 1-0 to Creighton.
D Michael Harrington (1/18/16 - free agency) - The third overall pick in the 2007 SuperDraft, Harrington needs just 4 more starts to reach 200 as he enters his 10th MLS season. Harrington has played with Kansas City, Portland and most recently Colorado for whom he started 14 matches in 2015. Harrington finished third in the 2007 Rookie of the Year voting.
GK Patrick McLain (1/18/16 - free) - McLain was with Chivas USA in 2012 and 2013 and made a pair of MLS appearances for the Goats. He spent the 2015 season with the Sacramento Republic (USL) going 11-8-5 with six shutouts and a 1.25 goals against average.

D João Meira (1/23/16 - free) - Meira is a 28 year-old Portuguese central defender who played most recently for Belenenses, who he helped return to the Portuguese top flight.

M Nick LaBrocca (1/27/16 - free agency) - The 31 year-old LaBrocca gets ready for his 10th MLS season after previous stints with Colorado, Toronto and Chivas USA. An All-Star with Chivas USA in 2011 when he scored a career high eight goals and six assists, LaBrocca made just six starts in 2015 with the Colorado Rapids.
D Johan Kappelhof (2/2/16 - transfer from Groningen) - The 25 year-old former Ajax youth academy member comes to the Fire after spending the past five seasons with Groningen, currently in 10th place in the Dutch Eredivisie. Kappelhof appeared in a handful of matches for the Netherlands U21s between 2011 and 2013.

Out:

D Adaílton (11/30/15 - option declined)

GK Jon Busch (11/30/15 - option declined) - Indy Eleven (NASL)

F Jason Johnson (11/30/15 - option declined)

GK Alec Kann (11/30/15 - option declined) - Sporting Kansas City

D Jeff Larentowicz (11/30/15 - option declined) - LA Galaxy

D Lovel Palmer (11/30/15 - option declined) - Indy Eleven (NASL)

M Chris Ritter (11/30/15 - option declined)

D Daneil Cyrus (11/30/15 - loan expired) - W Connection (Trinidad and Tobago)

D Ty Harden (11/30/15 - out of contract)

F Mike Magee (11/30/15 - out of contract) - LA Galaxy

M Matt Watson (11/30/15 - out of contract) - Carolina RailHawks (NASL)

M Patrick Nyarko (1/6/16 - traded to D.C. United) - DC United

M Jack Harrison (1/14/16 - traded to NYCFC) - New York City FC
D Joevin Jones (1/14/16 - traded to Seattle) - Seattle Sounders

USA vs Iceland Thoughts

1. First and foremost, it was good to see the U.S. start 2016 with a win. After what can only be classified as a disappointing finish to 2015, it's important for the U.S. to turn the page and start fresh. The 3-2 win, during which we twice came from behind, was far from perfect, but a win just the same.

 

2. The U.S. certainly outplayed their European opponents dominating in virtually every statistical category (Corners 8-2, Shots 16-6, Possession 62-38), but despite not having the bulk of the chances, Iceland was still very dangerous. If not for some poor finishing, Iceland could have easily walked away with a 5-3 win. I'd like to point fingers at the defense for sloppy play, but I'll temper that noting that the defense also scored the tying and winning goals. Still, the first Iceland goal - while a result of a lucky deflection - was also a result of ball-watching. And the second goal came as a result of a heady play by Iceland in generating a quick re-start, but also showed a lack of communication and organization along the U.S. backline (it also involved a brilliant finish by Aron Sigurdson). Granted, this was a group that hasn't played together before and it's the January camp when not everyone's at their fittest, but I still didn't think it was great performance from a defensive standpoint.