The MLS is returning! Yes, the World Cup isn’t over, but starting Thursday the second half of the season will kick off. We’re exploring some of the big news that occurred while the rest of the globe was busy with that other thing.
Antoine Griezmann
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d have heard that Antoine Griezmann had left Atlético Madrid and was transferring to MLS’ Orlando City. But did you know that he’s already played a game for the Lions?
You’d be excused for missing that, given that the World Cup hoopla is dominating the soccer news. Hell, even the soccer stat websites like FotMob don’t list the game in their data, but that’s because it wasn’t technically a real game. It was a friendly match against the USL Championship Tampa Bay Rowdies, played behind closed doors on July 8th at Inter&Co stadium. However, we do know from social media that Griezmann scored once and provided an assist.
Griezmann’s move is huge news for Orlando and MLS, but he’s far from the only bid mid-season transfer story around.
Robert Lewandowski & Chicago Fire
This nugget was pinging around the rumor mill for a long while, but appears to be the real deal. The legendary Polish striker is leaving Barcelona’s Camp Nou for Chicago’s Soldier Field, and he ain’t taking place kicks for Da Bears.
Honestly, I have no idea how he’s slot into the current line-up, outside of making Maxim De Cuyper’s job less secure. But it certainly won’t hurt Chicago. Lewandowski is a straight up goal scoring phenomenon, third on the all-time goal scoring list among active players (behind Messi and Ronaldo).
Gregg Berhalter has to be salivating at his side’s offensive firepower when they kick off the second half of the season against Vancouver Whitecaps. The prospect of former Bayern Munich teammates Lewandowski and Thomas Müller facing off is a delicious one.
Columbus Crew Shake Up their DPs
Sitting in 10th place after a lackluster first half of the season, the Crew braintrust figured a shake-up would do the side some good. So they traded Uruguayan attacker Diego Rossi to CF Monterrey of LigaMX. The transfer fee is a reported $8M, which will go to immediately offset the $6.8M cost of signing midfielder Brais Méndez from Real Sociedad. These are simply the two biggest moves in a very busy summer transfer season for Columbus (nine total so far).
LA Galaxy Trades Gabriel Pec
Last year the Galaxy were handcuffed after spending ALL their GAM cash. This year they’re raking in some serious bank after they arranged a transfer of Gabiel Pec to Brazilian club Cruziero.
The fee is a cool $12M, well above his current valuation on Transfermarkt. Pec was a major factor in Galaxy’s storied 2024 MLS Cup winning playoff run, with 3g/3a over five games. He had 5g/4a in 2026 before the World Cup break.
Charlotte FC Shuffles Some Old Guys
Wilfried Zaha’s loan with Charlotte FC expired on June 30, sending the former Crystal Palace man back to his parent club Galatasaray. They promptly terminated his contract.
Charlotte wasted no time crying over their decision, and welcomed into their fold yet another veteran (a.k.a. old) attacker: Allan Saint-Maximin. Since his academy days with Saint Étienne, Saint-Maximin has been with nine different clubs in eleven seasons. Charlotte will be his tenth. Given Zaha’s underwhelming impact with Charlotte, the club’s brass must be thinking that the 29-year old winger can’t be any worse.
