While the primary transfer window in MLS does not close until April 23rd, plenty of high-profile and high-quality signings have come into the league since the window opened on January 31st. Each club has looked to improve, with signings ranging from experienced internationals to young, up-and-coming talent from all over the world.
This tactical analysis will look at five of these higher-profile signings who we believe have the potential to make the most impact at their new clubs. These player profiles will be scout reports, where we will do a quick analysis of each player’s strengths and weaknesses and how they fit into their new side.
Emil Forsberg – New York Red Bulls
The first player we will analyse in more detail is Emil Forsberg, with the 32-year-old Swedish international midfielder joining New York Red Bulls from sister club RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga before the start of the 2024 MLS season. Forsberg joined the MLS side after a prolific eight years in Saxony, with the Swede joining an RBNY group going through a change in leadership, with German tactician Sandro Schwarz being named the club’s new head coach in the offseason.
The early returns have looked promising for Forsberg, with RBNY having gained 7 points from their opening three matches in the 2024 MLS season, with Forsberg scoring his first goal for the club from the penalty spot in their recent 2-1 win against FC Dallas. In regards to formational fit, Schwarz started the season opting to play a 4-4-2 shape, with Forsberg tending to start more off the left side than playing in his more preferred central position. However, in their last match against FC Dallas, the German coach opted for more of a 4-2-3-1, allowing Forsberg to be at his very best playing in a central #10 position and having the freedom and flexibility to roam around the pitch.
The image above shows an example of what Emil Forsberg is capable of, which will make RBNY and MLS fans very excited. Chance creation is one of the main strengths that the 32-year-old brings to the Red Bulls, with Forsberg contributing 71 goals and 68 assists in all competitions during his time with RB Leipzig. The Swedish international is capable of being exceptional on the ball, making passes that sometimes seem impossible, using his vision and range of passing to pick out teammates all over the pitch.
Forsberg demonstrated what he will bring to his new side in this phase of play above from RBNY’s match against the Dynamo. As the ball is circulated to this nearside after a cross from the opposition flank, the ball falls to Red Bulls forward Elias Manoel just inside the penalty area. He is closed down by the three Dynamo defenders closest to him, with all of them getting sucked towards the ball. Forsberg is able to display his off-the-ball intelligence by backtracking away from the defenders and into the more favourable position he is currently occupying. He is able to receive the ball from Manoel, with the Swede playing a first-time chipped ball outside of his right foot behind the defence and into the forward’s path. Unfortunately, Manoel whiffs on his shot, with a Dynamo centre-back able to get a touch and send the ball out for a corner.
Another attribute that fans of MLS will get accustomed to while watching Forsberg is his ball control, with the Swedish international possessing a high level of dribbling ability. The image above is a good example of ball control and dribbling that the 32-year-old possesses, again from RBNY’s recent match against the Houston Dynamo. In this phase of play above, Forsberg receives possession from his defensive midfielder with his back to the opposition defender, though crucially, he is able to use his peripheral vision to keep an eye on the player.
Forsberg waits for the defender to commit to attempting a tackle. Once he does, the former RB Leipzig player turns to the inside and looks to use a burst of acceleration to drive past the defender and into the vacant space behind him. He is successful, and Forsberg is allowed to run at the opposition defence as they look to drop off and defend the space. This allows Forsberg to progress the game into the attacking half, with the Red Bulls eventually winning a throw deep in the opponent’s half.
When it comes to what fans should expect of Emil Forsberg in MLS, chance creation and quality dribbling with the ball at his feet are the two biggest assets he will bring to the New York Red Bulls. Through the first three matches, the Swedish international has already seemed to hit the ground running, with 1 goal & 1 assist through these three games, as well as being given the captain’s armband by Sandro Schwarz.
Liel Abada – Charlotte FC
A rather recent signing, and one who has not yet featured for his new club, is Liel Abada. The Israeli international winger joined Dean Smith’s Charlotte FC from Scottish powerhouse Celtic for a reported club-record fee of around $8 million. The 22-year-old brings plenty of attacking quality to Charlotte, with Abada contributing to 29 goals and 22 assists during his time with Celtic, which included time in the UEFA Champions League.
The pie chart above shows how the Israeli international ranks in crucial metrics compared to other players in comparable leagues. As we can gather from the data, Abada does not play a large part defensively for his side, with the 22-year-old rarely getting involved in the defensive side of the game.
The considerable strengths come from his possession and attacking metrics, with Abada ranking above the 90th percentile in virtually every metric in those categories. Key ones that stand out include dangerous passes per 90, opposition penalty area touches per 90, goal contributions per 90, and expected goal contributions per 90. This illustrates the high level that Abada displays when it comes to chance creation and getting the ball from his teammates in dangerous areas often, strengths that will instantly make the Israeli winger one of the most dynamic wide players in MLS.
Liel Abada is a winger who likes to stay forward, sitting off the back shoulder of the last defender, looking to stay wide to take opposition full-backs on 1v1. As the pie chart graphic showed, Abada is not the most impactful in defensive phases of play, which helps to explain his constant forward positioning. One of the most impactful attributes of Abada’s game is his crossing, with the 22-year-old a constant threat in possession from wide areas. In his career at Celtic, across all competitions, Abada averaged 4.59 crosses per 90 minutes, and while a 26.8% success rate is not the best, the sheer number of crosses he puts in makes him such a threat in these positions.
In the phase of play pictured above, Abada is played in behind the opposition defence. The Israeli international deliberately stays in the wide channel, and the full-back does not step out to engage, giving Abada plenty of space to send a first-time cross back across goal for his teammate to score.
Another trait that Liel Abada will bring to Dean Smith’s Charlotte side is his dribbling. The 22-year-old winger averaged 5.25 dribbles per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 59% during his time in Scotland. Abada also possessed a career 5.64 touches in the penalty area per 90 minutes during his time with Celtic, with Abada looking to drive past opposition defenders and into dangerous chance-creation areas inside the 18-yard box.
In this phase of play above, Abada is again positioned in the wide channel, essentially hugging this near touchline. The opposition full-back detaches from the backline as he receives possession, looking to engage Abada and win possession back. However, the Israeli international winger is able to use his close control and dribbling to get past the defender and move into the vacant space behind the backline. As a result, Abada is able to drive into the penalty area before sending a cross towards the back post, resulting in a goalscoring chance for the Scottish side.
While he has yet to make his debut for Charlotte since his signing was announced, Abada is likely to be an instant starter for Dean Smith. Once He makes his debut and begins to play a run of games in the squad, he will be hard to displace. He will likely be one of the most entertaining wingers in MLS this season and beyond.
Federico Redondo – Inter Miami
When fans of MLS and football think of Inter Miami’s most watchable players, most people instantly say Lionel Messi, as well as his other former Barcelona teammates now at the club. However, one player that people should keep an eye on this season is 21-year-old Argentine defensive midfielder Federico Redondo.
Redondo is one of the most highly touted young players to come out of South American football recently, with Inter Miami paying a reported fee of around $8 million to secure the Argentina U23 international’s services from Argentinos Juniors. Redondo is the likely heir in the #6 position at Inter Miami for Sergio Busquets, but the 21-year-old has also played alongside the Spaniard since his arrival in South Florida. His defensive prowess and ball distribution capabilities make him highly rated, with the 21-year-old extremely polished for his age. Let us take a closer look at Redondo’s player profile to examine his style of play in more detail.
The image above shows how Federico Redondo ranks compared to other defensive midfielders in the above metrics. As we can see, the defensive midfielder is an excellent possession-focused midfielder, with the majority of his passing metrics above the average of players in his position in similar-quality leagues. While his defensive metrics rank relatively low compared to other players, it is still one of the stronger attributes in the young Argentine’s locker. Redondo averaged 7.56 defensive duels per 90 minutes during his time with Argentinos Juniors, with a success rate of 64.4%.
One of the biggest strengths of Federico Redondo that has been mentioned is the 21-year-old’s ability in possession — specifically, his range of passing and vision. Throughout his career with Argentinos Juniors, Redondo averaged just under 56 passes per 90 minutes, with a pass completion rate of 88.2%. This was all with the Argentine youth international operating from a deeper position, with Redondo normally playing just in front of the defence during his time in Argentina.
The image above shows an example of Redondo’s passing range. In this phase of play above, Redondo receives possession from one of his defenders, with the Argentine given the time and space to turn and drive to just about the opposition’s half. Redondo is able to spot the run of the winger on the far side, with the midfielder able to play a pass over the top of the opposition defence and into the space for his teammate to run onto, resulting in a goalscoring chance. This is a good example of Redondo’s deep-lying playmaking ability, which he will bring to Inter Miami, where he will be able to play passes like this into the feet of Lionel Messi.
The image above shows an example of the quality Federico Redondo displays in defensive duels. While it is still an area he could use some improvement on, he has shown glimpses of his potential as the long-term replacement for Sergio Busquets in his early matches so far in Miami. In the phase of play above from the Concacaf Champions Cup match against Nashville SC, Redondo gets tight to the Nashville player as he receives possession, preventing the attacker from being able to turn him to the inside and drive forward into the vacant space towards the Inter Miami backline.
As a result, Redondo is able to dispossess the attacker, winning possession and able to play a pass back to his defensive line, allowing Inter Miami to start an attacking build and relieve the pressure on the Inter Miami midfield. Federico Redondo is another new signing in MLS that fans should keep an eye on, with the 21-year-old the likely long-term successor to Spanish legend Sergio Busquets in the Inter Miami midfield, as well as likely getting his first cap with the senior Argentina national team in the very near future.
Joseph Paintsil – LA Galaxy
The last new MLS signing that could make the biggest impact that we will look at is Joseph Paintsil, with the Ghanaian winger joining from Belgian Pro League side Genk for a fee of close to $9 million. The speedy winger was brought in to bring a different dimension to the LA Galaxy attack, with head coach Greg Vanney looking to add pace to the wide positions and offer more dynamic options out wide to support striker Dejan Joveljić and Spanish designated player midfielder Riqui Puig. The 26-year-old has had an instant impact with the Galaxy, with Paintsil being an undisputed starter for Vanney since his arrival and one goal already to his name in his first three matches with the club.
As the pie chart graphic above illustrates, Paintsil tends to excel most in the attacking side of the game while also being above average in the more chance creation-based possession metrics. The 26-year-old Ghana international is not the best from a defensive perspective, though he has the potential to track back and support in defensive phases of play if that is what the current situation calls for.
The image above displays one of the key attributes and strengths that Joseph Painstil possesses: his dribbling ability and ability to take opposition defenders on 1v1. In the phase of play above from a Belgian league match against Leuven earlier in this season, the 26-year-old receives possession in a wider position outside of the penalty box, with Paintsil able to get faced up and take the opposition defender on.
As the Ghanaian drives into the penalty box, he looks to go to the inside, forcing the defender to go with him and getting him off balance before quickly changing directions and proceeding to drive past the defender on the outside and into the six-yard box. Unfortunately, Paintsil ends up skying his effort on goal. However, this example still demonstrates the dribbling ability that the 26-year-old winger possesses in tighter spaces, as well as his strength to take opposition defenders on 1v1 and get past them.
As mentioned at the beginning of this section, probably one of the most dangerous attributes that Paintsil brings to this LA Galaxy side is his rapid pace and acceleration. Once he is able to get going into space, the 26-year-old will be hard to catch up to. The image above shows a good example of the pace and acceleration that the Ghana international is going to bring to MLS.
The phase of play above shows the danger that Paintsil possesses, specifically on counterattacking moves, with this resulting from the opposition turning possession over in an advanced area with all of their numbers forward. As the ball is turned over, the Genk player who wins possession is able to find Paintsil, with the Ghanaian winger able to take a heavy touch into the space and get past the opposition midfielder with ease, allowing him to accelerate away into the attacking half. Paintsil ends up being able to progress the ball well into the opponent’s final third before creating a chance with the onrushing runs of his teammates from deeper positions.
All in all, Joseph Paintsil will be able to bring a different dynamic to an LA Galaxy attack that lacked pace and acceleration, as well as dynamic playmaking abilities, in the wide areas last season. The early returns are promising, with the 26-year-old already causing opposition sides plenty of danger when allowed to run at opposition defences and be one of the main outlets in counter-attacking sequences.
Conclusion
As this tactical analysis and scout report piece has been able to illustrate, there have been plenty of new signings that have come into MLS in this primary transfer window period, and while plenty of more signings will likely make a significant impact with their new side, these four signings are the ones we believe have the capability to make the biggest difference for their respective MLS side.
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