Familiar faces in new places - Nagbe, Kljestan and the biggest MLS names with new homes in 2018

Every year in professional sports brings change, and that change opens up new opportunity for players who have found a new place to call home.

Making the most of a change of scenery is something a host of players in Major League Soccer will be looking to do in 2018 as they have traded their old addresses for new ones.

Some of those players decided to move on via free agency, while others found themselves on the move thanks to trades, with some requested and some not.

But they'll all be looking to make their new teams and new fans happy to see them in their new colors with some likely aiming to make their old employers regret moving them on.

Here is Goal's list of 15 familiar MLS faces who this year will strive to make an impact after changing teams this offseason.

Mark Runnacles
1Perry Kitchen, LA Galaxy
Kitchen isn't an MLS-to-MLS signing as he came back from a two-year trek in Europe, but it will still be different to see him in something other than D.C. United's colors. The midfielder comes in hoping to help stabilize a group that struggled to work well together last year and produced poor results. He'll no doubt enjoy consistent playing time, something that was hard to come by after his first year in Scotland.

Ron Chenoy
2David Ousted, D.C. United
Considered one of the top goalkeepers in the league coming into last season, Ousted lost his job in Vancouver midseason to New Zealand international Stefan Marinovic. Now with D.C. United, he’ll battle with fellow MLS veteran Steve Clark for the right to replace one of the league’s best goalkeepers, Bill Hamid, who headed to Europe after the 2017 season. Whether it’s Ousted or Clark between the sticks, they will have big shoes to fill.
Joe Nicholson
3Brad Evans, Sporting Kansas City
One of the most recognizable faces of the Seattle Sounders since the team joined MLS, Evans moved on as a free agent this winter, signing with Sporting Kansas City. Evans has gained a reputation for his versatility in recent years, capable of filling in across the back line and in the midfield. He won’t be expected to start in Kansas City, but he could see time at any number of positions during the season and, if healthy, could become a very useful piece for Peter Vermes.

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Joe Nicholson
4Ricardo Clark, Columbus Crew
The 35-year-old Georgia native spent his last 10 MLS seasons with the Houston Dynamo with a spell in Europe mixed in. Now he moves to his third MLS franchise, joining the Columbus Crew as a free agent. With the deeper midfield slots going to Wil Trapp and Artur, Clark will be asked to be an option off the bench and a veteran presence in the dressing room.
Kelley L. Cox
5Kei Kamara, Vancouver Whitecaps
Kamara has been a decently productive player the last two seasons, scoring 12 goals each campaign. But those 24 goals are just two more than the 22 he put up in 2015 alone. His trade to New England did not bring him to the same heights he reached in that season with the Columbus Crew and Kamara will look to reclaim his place among the league’s top scorers this year with the Whitecaps.
Kim Klement
6David Accam, Philadelphia Union
The Ghana international produced his best MLS statistical season in 2017, scoring 14 goals and adding eight assists for the resurgent Fire — both MLS bests for Accam. Now the 27-year-old winger will look to bring that production to Philadelphia to help juice up an attack that was good, but not great, last season.
Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports
7Laurent Ciman, LAFC
Ciman had been one of the league’s top defenders since arriving in 2015, but found himself out of new Montreal Impact head coach Remi Garde’s plans as he was shipped out to Los Angeles FC in a move that surprised the center back. Now the Belgian international will aim to form a solid tandem in the center of defense along with Walker Zimmerman as LAFC looks to approach the heights Atlanta United reached in its 2017 debut campaign.
Matthew Emmons
8Walker Zimmerman, LAFC
Los Angeles FC did not skimp when it came to getting talent on their roster, and they made certain to not neglect their back line. Zimmerman looked to be one of the league’s top young defenders but was part of a FC Dallas side that proved a massive disappointment in 2017, missing the playoffs. He’ll look to rebound with a fresh start in LA with the debutants, trading in a pairing with U.S. international Matt Hedges for Belgian international Laurent Ciman.
Gary Rohrman
9Benny Feilhaber, LAFC
After excelling in 2015 and 2016 with Sporting KC, notching 17 goals and 28 assists over that span, Feilhaber’s statistical production fell off in 2017 when he scored five goals and added just three assists — his worst output since 2012. The playmaking midfielder will now look to get his totals back up to his previous standards under his old national team boss Bob Bradley with expansion team Los Angeles FC.
USA Today
10Yamil Asad, D.C. United
While Josef Martinez, Hector Villalba and Miguel Almiron stole the headlines in Atlanta last season, Asad had a pretty impressive MLS debut season himself, notching seven goals and adding 13 assists. Ultimately left without a place in Atlanta with the acquisitions of Darlington Nagbe and Ezequiel Barco, Asad now moves to D.C. United where he’ll get the opportunity to prove he is a budding star in his own right.
Greg Bartram
11Justin Meram, Orlando City
Meram set a career high in goals scored last season with 13 and added seven assists — the second best mark of his career. He now moves to Orlando where he’ll take part in a revamped Lions attack that also features Sacha Kljestan, Dom Dwyer and Josue Colman. All but Dwyer were picked up this winter and Dwyer was a midseason acquisition in 2017. Meram should slot in on the wing, but is capable of filling in as a second striker should Jason Kreis opt for a 4-4-2.
Greg Bartram
12Ola Kamara, LA Galaxy
Kamara has done nothing but score goals since joining the Crew in 2016, finding the net 34 times over that two-year span. Now he’ll see about replicating that production with the big-name players the Galaxy have in their attack as he looks to help spearhead LA’s return to form after a disastrous 2017 MLS campaign.
Crew SC communications
13Gyasi Zardes, Columbus Crew
After seeing his development with the LA Galaxy stall, Zardes gets a fresh start in Columbus where he’ll get the opportunity to primarily play as the team’s No.9 as opposed to on the wing or right back, where he was used at times in LA. The 26-year old striker will try to become the latest player to have a career season in the role under Gregg Berhalter, after the Kamaras, Kei and Ola, excelled there the last three seasons. He has the talent to do just that. Zardes bagged 16 goals in 2014 with the Galaxy.
Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
14Sacha Kljestan, Orlando City
Kljestan became the latest New York Red Bulls veteran to be shipped out in the winter after a very productive season with the club. Former teammate Dax McCarty helped spark a return to postseason for the Chicago Fire and now Kljestan will be looking to guide Orlando City to its first ever playoff appearance. He also has to be one of the players to step in and replace the skill of retired legend Kaka — not easy shoes for anyone to fill - but he has the creativity part down. No player in MLS has has delivered more assists the past two seasons than Kljestan.
Brad Rempel
15Darlington Nagbe, Atlanta United
After spending the entirety of his MLS career in Portland, Nagbe was traded to Atlanta for what was a record amount of allocation money. The 27-year-old versatile midfielder will now slot into one of the most dangerous attacks in the league, where he’ll have the enviable task of combining with the likes of Josef Martinez, Miguel Almiron, Hector Villalba and (when healthy) Ezequiel Barco.