MLS Offseason Wrap Up: Rodolfo Pizarro to join Inter Miami

Toronto FC aren’t the only ones making a significant splash lately.

As I’m sure you know by now, Major League Soccer has two teams joining the party this season. The most talked about of the two, Inter Miami, seemed to lack acquisitions. After finally naming a head coach, it seems like the ball is rolling for them now, as they are close to finishing a deal with Mexico international forward Rodolfo Pizarro to boost their starting lineup as opening day approaches.

Here’s what Inter Miami and the rest of our rivals have been up to.

Atlanta United: Atlanta United have hit the market. They added Matheus Rossetto to their roster only to face visa roadblocks that will have him sidelined for the start of the season. This week they brought winger Manual Castro to the states on loan from Estudiantes. The loan will have him in Atlanta until June with an option for the team to renew it through the rest of the season. The club is also the first MLS team to reach 1 million Twitter followers if that means anything to you.

Chicago Fire: Chicago Fire and Minnesota United did a nice little swap this week. The Fire sent Canadian Raheem Edwards, who made his debut with Toronto FC, to Minnesota. In exchange, defender Wyatt Omsberg will be joining the club. They added another asset to their backline. Veteran goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth is headed to Chicago after spending last season with Sacramento Republic FC.

FC Cincinnati: FC Cincinnati added an English Premier League player to their squad this week. Forward Jurgen Locadia from Brighton will be the team’s second Designated Player contract. The first was the transfer of Yuya Kubo back in January. They also picked up Adrien Regattin, a Moroccan midfielder, on an international roster spot.

Columbus Crew: The Crew also bid farewell to their captain. Will Trapp, who spent seven seasons with the club, is headed to Inter Miami. Also, former New York Red Bulls homegrown player, Derrick Etienne Jr. has officially signed with the Columbus Crew after a preseason trail with the club. The Crew are hoping the addition of Etienne Jr. will add depth to their lineup after impressing with a goal in their first preseason match.

D.C. United: D.C. United has made quite a few moves during the offseason, but it seems the signing and dealing aspect for the club has died down. Their preseason start has been rocky. They lost their first preseason game 3-1 to the Montreal Impact.

Inter Miami: The signing of Rodolfo Pizarro was a major talking point this week. The Midfielder is headed to the states from Mexican club Monterrey. The club is expected to announce the signing sometime this week. He is in Miami currently finalizing the contract. They also picked up some young additions. Andres Reyes and Jairo Quinteros, nineteen and twenty respectively, have been added to the team’s backline.

Montreal Impact: The Impact have parted ways with one of their top players. Ignacio Piatti has left MLS to join Argentina club San Lorenzo. He was a huge part of the club and several interviews with teammates prove his presence will be missed. Keeper Evan Bush said, “Obviously it’s a huge loss for us. The reality is you can’t replace a guy like that overnight. What we’ll miss obviously is that creativity around the box when he got into good spots and that killer instinct he had to put the ball into the back of the net.” (via Montreal Gazette). In return, they acquired Emanuel Maciel, a midfielder, from San Lorenzo. He has some big boots to fill.

New England Revolution: The New England Revolution’s second team has made quite a few moves, but the first club has gone stagnant with new signings. They lost their first preseason game against the LA Galaxy 2-1 but recovered against the Colorado Rapids with a 3-1 victory.

New York City FC: Aside from some intense stadium drama with the New York Red Bulls, not much has changed for NYC FC since we last spoke. They’ve won only one of their preseason matches and are set to begin the CONCACAF Champions League matches on Thursday against San Carlos.

New York Red Bulls: When looking for news about the Red Bulls, I stumbled on a great headline from our friends at Once A Metro that read, “The New York Red Bulls are a truly dysfunctional organization.” I had a quick laugh and realized they’re probably right. They have several issues you can read about in the link above. Aside from internal problems, the team also continues to strike out when trying to obtain new players. They’ve had two unsuccessful bids for Hull City midfielder Leonardo de Silva Lopes. They did, however, add goalkeeper David Jensen to their lineup and sent Kemar Lawrence to Belgium on a transfer.

Orlando City: It seems likely Orlando City will start the season with Dom Dwyer. He suffered a lower-body injury in preseason and is week-to-week. The team has been fairly quiet when it comes to transfers and signings, but CEO Alex Leitao has said the team are not done with offseason moves just yet.

Philadelphia Union: Jamiro Monteiro will wear number ten for the Union this season. He has rejoined the squad after immigration delays caused roadblocks. Meanwhile, Kai Wenger is still not practicing with the team. He’s been dealing with a calf injury. That seems to be about it for them as of right now.