The 2025 MLS season has come and gone for all clubs meaning the roster building for 2026 is underway.
San Diego FC, LAFC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps are three of the latest teams to complete their roster moves ahead of the winter offseason schedule. The Philadelphia Union, DC United, FC Cincinnati, and the Columbus Crew have also been among the clubs reorganizing their rosters ahead of 2026.
Thomas Muller, Wilfried Zaha, Alex Freeman, and Darren Yapi were among several players to see their options exercised.
Hugo Lloris, Christian Benteke, Derrick Jones, and Luca De La Torre are among many players who had their options declined, opening the door for them to potentially seek new opportunities elsewhere. Benteke remains in talks with DC United over a longer stay, as does Lloris, Philadelphia Union midfielder Alejandro Bedoya, and Colorado Rapids forward Oliver Larraz.
Several standout stars are set to see their contracts expire including Hassani Dotson, Carlos Coronel, Pedro Gallese, Stefan Frei, and Walker Zimmerman.
Many more clubs are expected to announce their roster moves over the next month heading into the new year.
Here is where teams stand at the moment, and which teams have reported their roster moves:
*This post will be continuously updated as teams make their announcements.
Atlanta United
Options Exercised: Matthew Edwards, Jay Fortune, Jayden Hibbert, Will Reilly, Jamal Thiaré, Cayman Togashi.
Options Declined: Leo Afonso, Josh Cohen, Brooks Lennon, Ronald Hernández, Nyk Sessock.
**The club remains in negotiations with Hernandez.
Austin FC
Options Exercised: Stefan Cleveland, Dani Pereira, Riley Thomas.
Options Declined: Julio Cascante, Jimmy Farkarlun, and Diego Rubio.
**The club signed Ilie Sanchez to a new contract through 2026.
Charlotte FC
Options Exercised: Pep Biel, Drake Callender, Djibril Diani, Tyger Smalls, Wilfried Zaha.
Options Declined: Jahlane Forbes, Nick Scardina, Bill Tuiloma.
Expired Contracts: David Bingham, Eryk Williamson, Brandon Cambridge.
Expired Loans: Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty, Adilson Malanda.
**The club remains in negotiations with Cambridge.
Chicago Fire
Options Exercised: Jack Elliott, Sam Williams.
Options Declined: Tom Barlow, Bryan Dowd.
Expired Contracts: Chase Gasper.
Expired Loans: Rominigue Kouamé.
FC Cincinnati
Options Exercised: Tah Brian Anunga, Teenage Hadebe, Stiven Jimenez, Evan Louro, Kenji Mboma Dem, Matt Miazga.
Options Declined: Kei Kamara, Yuya Kubo, Brad Smith, Alvas Powell.
Expired Contracts: Chase Gasper.
Expired Loans: Dominik Marczuk, Brenner, Lukas Engel, Ayoub Jabbari.
**The club is in discussions with Powell, as well as the parent clubs’ of Brenner, Engel, and Jabbari.
Colorado Rapids
Options Exercised: Nico Hansen, Jackson Travis, Darren Yapi.
Options Declined: Sam Bassett, Michael Edwards, Nate Jones, Andreas Maxsø, Daouda Amadou, Rafael Santos.
Expired Contracts: Oliver Larraz, Calvin Harris.
**The club is in negotiations with Amadou, Harris, Larraz, and Santos.
Columbus Crew
Options Exercised: Ibrahim Aliyu, Steven Moreira, Jacen Russell-Rowe, Cesar Ruvalcaba, Amar Sejdić.
Options Declined: Derrick Jones, Lassi Lappalainen.
Expired Contracts: Abraham Romero.
**The club is in negotiations with Evan Bush and Rudy Camacho.
FC Dallas
Options Exercised: Sebastien Ibeagha, Anderson Julio, Nolan Norris.
Options Declined: Herbert Endeley, Sebastian Lletget, Pedrinho, Diego Pepi, Tomas Pondeca, Carl Sainté, Anthony Ramirez, Tarik Scott, Alejandro Urzua.
Expired Contracts: Jacob Jackson.
DC United
Options Exercised: Conner Antley, Caden Clark, Jackson Hopkins, Hosei Kijima, Gabriel Pirani, Garrison Tubbs.
Options Declined: Christian Benteke, Kristian Fletcher, Derek Dodson, Randall Leal, Rida Zouhir.
Expired Contracts: Luis Barraza, Lukas MacNaughton.
**The club is in negotiations with Benteke and Kristian Fletcher.
Houston Dynamo
Options Exercised: Artur, Griffin Dorsey, Blake Gillingham, Nelson Quiñónes, Brooklyn Raines.
Options Declined: Stephen Annor, Obafemi Awodesu, Ethan Bartlow, Erik Dueñas, Michael Halliday, Sebastian Kowalczyk, Damion Lowe, Sergio Santos, Daniel Steres, Júnior Urso.
Expired Contracts: Franco Escobar, Gabe Segal, Andrew Tarbell.
**The club is in talks with Pablo Ortiz and Amine Bassi over future stays.
LAFC
Options Exercised: Adrian Wibowo, Kenny Nielsen, Nkosi Tafari, Thomas Hasal.
Options Declined: Alexandru Bǎluțǎ, Jailson, Ryan Raposo, Adam Saldaña, David Ochoa.
Expired Contracts: Hugo Lloris.
Expired Loans: Frankie Amaya, Odin Thiago Holm, Andrew Moran, Mathieu Choiniere.
**The club remains in discussions with Lloris, Raposo, Amaya, Choiniere, and Moran.
LA Galaxy
Options Exercised: John Nelson, Mauricio Cuevas, Tucker Lepley, Isaiah Parente, Gino Vivi.
Extended Contracts: Christian Ramirez, Brady Scott.
Options Declined: Miguel Berry, Eriq Zavaleta, Diego Fagúndez.
**The club is talks with Botafogo over a longer stay for Matheus Nascimento. The club is also in talks with Fagundez over a 2026 contract.
Minnesota United
Options Exercised: Alec Smir, Wessel Speel, Morris Duggan, Devin Padelford, D.J. Taylor.
Options Declined: Kipp Keller, Robin Lod, Samuel Shashoua, Loïc Mesanvi.
Expired Contracts: Dayne St. Clair, Hassani Dotson.
**The club remains in negotiations with St. Clair, Lod, and Mesanvi.
CF Montreal
Options Exercised: Brandan Craig, Luca Petrasso, Matty Longstaff.
Options Declined: Fernando Álvarez, Bryce Duke, Giacomo Vrioni.
Terminated Contracts: Tom Pearce.
Nashville SC
Options Exercised: Dan Lovitz, Alex Muyl, Woobens Pacius, Xavier Valdez.
Options Declined: Bryan Acosta, Gastón Brugman, Maximus Ekk, Julian Gaines, Wyatt Meyer, Tate Schmitt, Joe Willis.
Terminated Contracts: Teal Bunbury, Walker Zimmerman.
New England Revolution
Options Exercised: Keegan Hughes.
Options Declined: Wyatt Omsberg.
Expired Contracts: Brandon Bye.
Expired Loans: Ignatius Ganago.
**The club remains in negotiations with Bye.
New York Red Bulls
Options Exercised: Peter Stroud, Sean Nealis.
Options Declined: Kyle Duncan, Curtis Ofori.
Expired Contracts: Carlos Coronel.
Orlando City
Options Exercised: Iván Angulo, Eduard Atuesta, Alex Freeman, Joran Gerbet, Martín Ojeda, Tyrese Spicer, Yutaro Tsukada.
Options Declined: Favian Loyola, Carlos Mercado, Shak Mohammed.
Expiring Contracts: César Araújo, Wilder Cartagena, Pedro Gallese.
**The club is in negotiations with Robin Jansson and Kyle Smith.
Philadelphia Union
Options Exercised: Tai Baribo, Nathan Harriel.
Options Declined: Chris Donovan, Isaiah LeFlore, Nicholas Pariano, Oliver Semmle.
Expired Contracts: Alejandro Bedoya, Ben Bender, George Marks, Mikael Uhre.
**The club is in negotiations with Bedoya, Bender, Marks, and Uhre.
Real Salt Lake
Options Exercised: Jesus Barea, Noel Caliskan, Alex Katranis, Braian Ojeda, Philip Quinton, Mason Stajduhar, Brayan Vera, Marcos Zambrano.
Options Declined: Forster Ajago, Matthew Bell, Kevon Lambert, Johnny Russell, Tommy Silva, Jude Wellings.
Expired Contracts: William Agada, Zack Farnsworth, Zac MacMath.
*The club is in ongoing discussions with Javain Brown, Kobi Henry, and Sam Junqua.
San Diego FC
Options Exercised: Pablo Sisniega, Ian Pilcher, Aníbal Godoy.
Transfer Option Exercised: Onni Valakari.
Trade Option Exercised: David Vazquez.
Options Declined: Luca De La Torre, Franco Negri.
Expired Contracts: Emmanuel Boateng, Corey Baird.
Expired Loans: Aiden Harangi.
**The Club remains in talks to retain Harangi as well as re-sign Boateng and Baird.
San Jose Earthquakes
Options Exercised: Earl Edwards Jr., Francesco Montali, Vítor Costa, Max Floriani, Benji Kikanović, Jamar Ricketts, Reid Roberts, Noel Buck, Nick Fernandez, Beau Leroux, Niko Tsakiris, Jack Skahan.
Options Declined: Wilson Eisner, Rodrigues, Bruno Wilson, Mark-Anthony Kaye, Josef Martínez.
Expired Contracts: Cristian Espinoza.
Seattle Sounders
Options Exercised: Yeimar Gómez Andrade, Osaze De Rosario, Kim Kee-hee, Kalani Kossa-Rienzi, Danny Musovski, Nouhou, Obed Vargas.
Options Declined: Leo Burney, Jacob Castro, Ryan Kent, Travian Sousa.
Expired Contracts: Jonathan Bell, Stefan Frei, João Paulo, Paul Rothrock.
Sporting KC
Options Exercised: Stephen Afrifa, Zorhan Bassong, Jansen Miller, John Pulskamp
Options Declined: Tim Leibold, Nemanja Radoja, Ryan Schewe, Khiry Shelton, Mason Toye.
Expired Contracts: Andrew Brody, Joaquin Fernandez, Logan Ndenbe, Memo Rodriguez, Erik Thommy, Robert Voloder.
Expired Loans: Alan Montes, Santi Munoz
** The club is in negotiation with Schewe and Munoz
St. Louis CITY SC
Options Exercised: Chris Durkin, Sangbin Jeong, João Klauss, Brendan McSorley, Christian Olivares, Jaziel Orozco, Miguel Perez.
Options Declined: Henry Kessler, Michael Wentzel, Josh Yaro, Rasmus Alm, Alfredo Morales, Akil Watts.
Expired Contracts: Ben Lundt, Selmir Pidro.
Expired Loans: Conrad Wallem, Devin Padelford.
*The club is in talks with Kessler, Lundt, and Yaro over potential new deals. The club is in talks with Wallem and Padelford’s parent clubs over potential moves. The club is also in talks with Joey Zalinsky, Jayden Reid, and Seth Antwi over their futures.
Toronto FC
Options Exercised: Kobe Franklin, Nicksoen Gomis, Malik Henry, Kosi Thompson, Deandre Kerr.
Options Declined: Sean Johnson, Kevin Long, Raoul Petretta, Sigurd Rosted, Nathaniel Edwards, Derrick Etienne Jr., Hugo Mbongue, Charlie Sharp.
Expired Loans: Maxime Dominguez.
Exercised Purchase Option: Theo Corbeanu.
**The club remains in contact with multiple players over a potential return for 2026.
Vancouver Whitecaps
Options Exercised: Thomas Muller, Ali Ahmed, Sebastian Berhalter, Mathías Laborda, J.C. Ngando, Ralph Priso, Adrian Zendejas.
Options Declined: Max Anchor, Nicolas Fleuriau Chateau, Mark O’Neill, Belal Halbouni.
Expired Loans: Daniel Rios.
Exercised Contract: Yohei Takaoka.
**The club remains in talks with Takaoka and Halbouni over a potential return.
Hey Philly Union take notes from Bayern Munich who is playing Karl; play Cavan next season. And if you insist on playing a 4-4-2 play him at the second striker spot.
Yeah, because Cavan and his career numbers of 0 goals and 0 assists, in all competitions, is as good as Karl. Not.
One of them is starting in Champions League…the other is starting in the U17 World Cup.
…you just can’t help yourself from saying hyperbolic stuff over and over and over again, huh?
Bayern is actually giving Karl real minutes. Most of Cavan’s appearances came in stints under 10 minutes. There were minutes that they chose to play players that are not good and didn’t produce.
Bedoya (38yrs old) 740 mins 1g 1a
Bender 320 mins 0g 0a
Rafanello 279 mins 0g 0a
Donovan 539 mins 0g 0a
That’s over 1800 mins if they’d given Caven 1/3 of them where would he be? Maybe still 0g 0a but you were basically there anyway.
Johnnyrazor,
“Bayern is actually giving Karl real minutes.”
That is false. In professional soccer, nothing is given, especially not at Bayern. Vincent Kompany and the Sporting Team aren’t giving Karl anything…he is earning it…starting with training sessions…and when he’s been on the field, he produced…and he didn’t break into the first team as a starter, he was brought on as a sub and again, he has produced. Cavan has not.
“Most of Cavan’s appearances came in stints under 10 minutes.”
News flash…that is what happens when you are trying to break into a first team, regardless of age. Initially, you get cameo appearances and you have to earn more. Cavan has not.
Bedoya (38yrs old) 740 mins 1g 1a
Bender 320 mins 0g 0a
Rafanello 279 mins 0g 0a
Donovan 539 mins 0g 0a
The fact that these players are getting the minutes you would like Cavan to have tells you everything you need to know about Cavan…he is not ready nor has not earned it. If Cavan could help the Union be better, he would be on the field more…simple as that.
Go establish a contact at the Union and develop the relationship. Soon, you will learn what most already know…Cavan has oodles of potential, but it is just that…potential. In professional soccer, that gets you nothing…production and helping your team win will get you more opportunities. You claimed Cavan was positively impactful when he subbed on vs NYCFC. I saw that game and that is bullshit…he did nothing of any sort that was of a major impact.
You troll IV for his opinion on Cole Campbell and others…you are 10 times worse with Cavan…and the more you talk about Cavan, the more you reveal how little you know.
Only organizations doomed to fail operate only in “earned”. Bayern could have went out and got another W when Musiala went down but instead they said we’ll give Lennart Karl and Wisdom Mike a chance because their potential is high. They figured even if they failed Jamal would be back after the winter break. They could have been conservative and just used Guerreiro as their backup winger, that’s the equivalent of playing Bedoya. Cavan isn’t ready for the NT as IV suggests, but he’d have a much better chance of getting there if Union actually put him in a position to be successful. Go back and look 2tone wanted him included in the U20s and I said he needs to stay with his age group. He’s too good for Next Pro, Union have him for next season and the mini season of ‘27. If Union wait for his potential to be reality they’ll have wasted their opportunity be great by settling for being good.
———————-
Vassilev started at LM in 69 minutes he created 0 chances according to FotMob and had 0.03 expected assists. Sullivan had 1 chance created in 11 mins (30 seconds after he came on) 0.07 expected assists. Both had 1 defensive contribution. Iloski on the other side in 90 minutes 1 chance created 0.09 xG and 0.09 xAssist, with 2 defensive contributions. Cavan was either just as good or just bad as either of the veterans in a fraction of the time.
“You troll IV for his opinion on Cole Campbell and others…you are 10 times worse with Cavan…and the more you talk about Cavan, the more you reveal how little you know.”
-here’s what I’ve said about Cavan:
– he’s needs minutes to develop
– if Philly isn’t going to play him he needs a loan
– the journeyman they play in front of him aren’t good so why not try tap his potential.
– Carnell and his Red Bull system don’t win knockout games. (Please see Marsch, Armas, Carnell’s playoff results)
– I did call him the best 16 yr old in the world, I was being tongue in cheek I should have put it in quotes.
– Cavan doesn’t fit Carnell and Tanner’s Red Bull system. Duh, they like bulldozers that get stuck in and immediately lump it to their forwards.
– I don’t troll IV on Campbell, I actually really liked him, but BvB have mismanaged him and he’s gone 15 months with hardly playing. Hopefully he finds a new home in January and can regain his momentum.
– Do I think today that Cavan is better than Karl? No, Lennart’s a year older, matured more physically. I don’t even think he’s better than Mora in Tijuana today. Cavan is far from a sure thing, and I for sure don’t know everything. You seem to have sources everywhere maybe you should just start your own website.
Good to see Niko Tsakiris finish the season on high not for San Jose. Hockey assist and game winning goal. A player Arena should build around next season.