Major League Soccer is back, which means that Lionel Messi is back. This is not about him though.
There has been a lot of transfer activity ahead of the 2025 campaign, with some familiar faces set to make their debut this weekend.
Here are eight former Premier League stars we are particularly looking forward to seeing in MLS this season…
Wilfried Zaha (Charlotte FC)
Crystal Palace legend Wilfried Zaha has failed to settle since leaving SE25, making a huge jump to Turkish giants Galatasaray in 2023 after years of being linked with Arsenal, Chelsea and other Premier League clubs.
It’s not worked out for Zaha in Istanbul and he sought more regular playing time at Lyon in France with a season-long loan agreed last summer. He lasted until January and has now joined MLS side Charlotte on loan until January 2026, with the option to extend for another six months.
Game time was difficult to come by in Turkey and France but we have every chance of seeing the best of Zaha post-Crystal Palace in the United States.
Managed by ex-Aston Villa boss Dean Smith, Charlotte also have former Premier League players Tim Ream and Ashley Westwood. They are a middle-of-the-road team and Zaha has the ability to make a huge difference.
Miguel Almiron (Atlanta United)
Almiron returned to Atlanta this month, six years after leaving the MLS side for Newcastle in what was a club-record deal for the Magpies at the time.
The one purple patch Almiron enjoyed will never be forgotten and was the reason Newcastle gave him a new contract and kept hold of him for so long. They were eager to sell him last summer but finally got rid when the Paraguayan’s former club came calling.
MLS is about the right level for Almiron and we can see him replicating the sort of form that encouraged Newcastle to sign him for £20million in January 2019.
Atlanta are one of the favourites to win the lot this season and also landed former Leeds United midfielder Mateusz Klich from domestic rivals D.C. United in a trade two months ago. Captained by 41-year-old Brad Guzan, they have some decent players but don’t strike us as a team on a different level to Charlotte.
Cengiz Under (Los Angeles FC)
Former Leicester City winger Under only made nine appearances in the Premier League and has been quite the journeyman since leaving Turkey for the first time back in July 2017. He has played for AS Roma, Leicester, Marseille, Fenerbahce and now represents LAFC in MLS.
The 51-cap Turkey international might finally settle down after hopping around Europe for the last five years, though he is only in Los Angeles on loan with a $25m buy option included.
LAFC are a very strong side and second favourites to win the MLS Cup behind Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, the season after both teams flopped in the playoffs.
Under adds some nice attacking depth after the sale of Mateusz Bogusz, who was brilliant last season, scoring 14 goals, but recently left for Mexican side Cruz Azul.
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Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting (New York Red Bulls)
The man with the greatest agent in football is finally where he belongs: MLS.
After somehow landing a move to Paris Saint-Germain despite a rubbish stint at Stoke City, Choupo Moting then enjoyed success with Bayern Munich, winning three Bundesliga titles after losing a Champions League final with PSG against the German giants.
The 35-year-old Cameroonian will be playing his football this year with New York Red Bulls, who finished runners-up to LA Galaxy in the 2024 MLS Cup. He joins Emil Forsberg in the Big Apple and should be a pretty decent signing but will likely take a while to get up to speed having been a free agent until December after leaving Bayern at the end of 2023/24.
Christian Benteke (D.C. United)
After four new signings, we are on to a few players who have already played in MLS and Benteke is someone who has established himself as one of the best strikers in the division.
Benteke burst onto the scene at Aston Villa and earned a huge move to Liverpool, where he flopped badly. The Reds did recoup the vast majority of the £32.5m they spent on the Belgian when he was sold to Crystal Palace, before he left them to join D.C. United in 2022.
The 34-year-old scored an impressive 23 goals in 30 MLS appearances last term but D.C. as a whole weren’t great, missing out on the playoffs on goal difference. They conceded a silly 70 regular season goals, keeping a grand total of two clean sheets in 34 matches.
Benteke will hope his defenders don’t let him down as much in 2025, as long as he keeps doing his thing at the other end of the pitch.
Luis Suarez (Inter Miami)
With an attack of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, Inter Miami are rightly MLS Cup favourites. A supporting cast including Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba certainly helps.
Suarez netted 20 times in 27 appearances during his debut MLS campaign and is ready to shine again after a hitting the ground running.
Olivier Giroud (Los Angeles FC)
Speaking of dangerous attacks, LAFC will score goals for fun with Giroud up front and Denis Bouanga and Under either side of him.
The 2018 World Cup winner was hit and miss for Arsenal in the Premier League, before joining London rivals Chelsea and helping the Blues beat his former side in the 2019 Europa League final. He also won the Champions League in 2021.
Giroud was a huge success at AC Milan after leaving England but is still waiting for his first MLS goal after drawing a blank in 10 appearances last season.
It has been a slow start but we have faith the handsome Frenchman will pick things up.
Patrick McNair (San Diego)
We are stretching ridiculously by saying there is any chance McNair will ‘rip up MLS’ but we felt inclined to include a San Diego player as they are an expansion team.
They have been linked with some big names, such as Kevin De Bruyne, but there are almost always teething issues for expansion teams and the fact we have singled out McNair hints that San Diego will be no different.
Oh well, it’ll be fun to see how they – and the ex-Manchester United youngster – get on.
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