Inter Miami’s Dayne St. Clair, Austin FC’s Facundo Torres, Toronto FC's Walker Zimmerman headline MLS stars in new places

After one year out of MLS, Torres is back and, if his last stint in the league is any indication, he'll be a menace for Austin FC.

Torres was a star with Orlando City, hitting double-digit goals in each of his three seasons in Florida before making the big move to Palmeiras in 2025. He spent one season in Brazil, playing in the Club World Cup and Copa Libertadores, before making the big move to Austin this offseason on a four-and-a-half-year deal that makes him one of the club's key players.

After coming to MLS on loan with San Diego FC last season, USMNT midfielder De la Torre is now with Charlotte FC as he pushes for a World Cup spot. His transition to Charlotte should be seamless, too, as the midfielder seems to be a perfect fit in the center of the pitch for a Charlotte team that needed just one or two more pieces to really contend.

The hope is that De la Torre can be one of those pieces that allows creative midfielder Pep Biel to thrive, which would make Dean Smith's side one of the more dynamic attacking teams in MLS.

It's not often that a team trades one of the league's best strikers to what is essentially a local rival, but that's exactly what happened with Baribo this offseason.

After scoring 16 goals last season with the Philadelphia Union, Baribo was sent to D.C. in a deal with an initial $4 million with potential bonuses on the way. In Baribo, D.C. now have one of the league's best focal points to help move on from the Christian Benteke era after the Belgian star left this winter.

Another player back in MLS after just one year away, Polish international Bogusz gives instant credibility to the Dynamo midfield. Capable of playing a more attacking or defensive role, Bogusz starred for LAFC in 2024 before making his move to Cruz Azul, scoring 15 goals that season. 

Now, after winning the CONCACAF Champions Cup during his time in Mexico, he's back in MLS with a Dynamo team that could surely use his creativity after missing the playoffs last season.

We'll group these together because the Galaxy essentially rebuilt their team in one offseason by bringing in these proven MLS stars.

Glesnes had been a mainstay for the Union, emerging as one of the best defenders in MLS. Haak, meanwhile, blossomed as a Homegrown Player with New York City FC before becoming a free agent this offseason. With these two signings, the Galaxy upgraded their defense in a big way. These weren't the only moves they made, though. The signing of Klauss helps make up for the absence of Riqui Puig, giving the Galaxy a balanced, MLS-proven team that will surely be much better than last year.

It could be argued that Espinoza was the biggest get of the offseason. That's how talented he is and how important it was for Nashville to sign him.

Partnering Espinoza, who was dominant for a struggling San Jose Earthquakes team, with Hany Mukhtar and Sam Surridge should take Nashville to a whole new level. If he can hit double-digit goal contributions, as he has in each of his seven MLS seasons, Nashville will be tough to beat.

He's already one of the best defenders in MLS history, and Zimmerman's new task is a big one: helping usher in Toronto FC's rebuild.

The Lorenzo Insigne/Federico Bernardeschi experiment went up in flames, which has brought in a new era in Toronto. After taking a big swing to sign Djordje Mihailovic last season, the club took another by adding Zimmerman, who brings both MLS and World Cup experience to the club's backline.

Most teams struggle to keep it all together after winning an MLS Cup, but not Inter Miami. How did they respond to their big trophy win? Well, they went out and got the league's best goalkeeper to make the team that much better.

In St. Clair, Miami have an elite shot-stopper that could make all the difference in 2026. After papering over the goalkeeper spot in recent years, Miami now have the reigning MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. That means that, even if Lionel Messi doesn't fully blow teams away on his own, the Herons have a guy between the posts that can earn three points all on his own, too.

The former Earthquakes starlet is now back in MLS after several years in Mexico. 

There were highs and lows at Chivas for Cowell, but now with the Red Bulls, he'll be tasked with creating space on the wing for a team that already has some good attackers. With Emil Forsberg feeding him the ball, Cowell, who is known for his pace, should have room to run into. That makes his fit easy to see for a Red Bulls team that is due for a bounce-back year.

The rich get richer, right?

It's easy to see why LAFC went out and signed Shaffelburg from Nashville SC for $1 million in General Allocation Money. The pacey Canadian star is both dangerous and unafraid to do dirty work, which makes him a perfect fit for a team that includes Son Heung-min and Denis Bouanga.