Revolutionizing MLS clubs' transfer business

Major League Soccer has signed a multi-year extension to continue working with TransferRoom, the platform that is revolutionizing the transfer market and is supporting the league's ambitious plans for continued international growth.

MLS teamed up with world soccer’s online marketplace in 2021, granting the 27 clubs in the United States and Canada's elite competition access to real-time market intelligence and the decision makers at over 700 clubs across 100+ leagues.

That number has since grown to 29, with San Diego's MLS expansion club to make it 30in MLS in 2025.

MLS secured the league-wide TransferRoom access as a key tool in their plans to expand and strengthen the export market for its players.

Markus Kaufmann Feigelson, TransferRoom’s Head of Club Relations for the Americas, said: "It has been fascinating to work closely with all MLS clubs and the league office since 2021 in these times of exciting growth for the league."

Bigger network and bigger international deals

Being on TransferRoom has allowed MLS clubs to be even more attractive for international players. It's played a big part in the league's mission to scout and recruit the best talents in the global transfer market and it also supports the league's ambitious development plans for homegrown players.

That has coincided with the significant increase in quality of the league, helped by unrivalled access to transfer market decision makers in 60+ countries.

The average TransferRoom Player Rating for first-team starters in MLS is 69/100, up from 62 in 2021, and the league’s global rank by Average Player Rating has gone up from 31 to 25 in that time.

Being on TransferRoom has also resulted in a number of multi-million dollar transfers being facilitated by the platform.

MLS club directors have found success on the platform and at events to secure all types of international transfers for different MLS Roster categories, including the signing and sale of Designated Players, U22 Initiative players and Homegrown players.

Pec and Evander lead high-profile MLS signings

Most recently in this Primary Window 2024, the Winter Window in Europe, Gabriel Pec moved from Brazil's Vasco da Gama to Los Angeles for $10m, a club record. That's the joint-biggest MLS transfer made possible by TransferRoom to date, matching Portland's $10m transfer of attacking midfielder Evander from FC Midtjylland in Denmark.

Other examples in the 2024 Window include the additions of Lamine Diack (from FC Nantes to Colorado) and Alexandros Katranis (from Piast Gliwice to Salt Lake), while a pitch from TransferRoom Trusted Agency Agencia Secasport led to former MLS Cup MVP Josef Martinez, a free agent, securing a move to Montreal.

And TransferRoom's platform and global connections afforded the opportunity for clubs to recruit experienced international stars like Mateusz Klich (from Leeds United to DC) and Giorgio Chiellini, who moved to Los Angeles as a free agent.

Kaufmann Feigelson added: "MLS Chief Soccer Officers operate around strict roster regulations and recruitment parameters, and nurture the challenging ambition to scout very diverse types of players, in terms of age, nationality and level of playing experience - from world class international players to emerging talents from lower divisions all over the world. At TransferRoom we do our best to ensure they save as much time as possible navigating the global market, by offering direct access to the right decision makers at clubs and agencies, the ability to share their exact recruitment requirements with the market, and access to unique market intelligence on player availability."

Vazquez tops player sales

TransferRoom has also been an important source of opportunities to sell or loan out MLS talents all over the world.

In the 2024 Winter Transfer Window, Cincinnati sold Brandon Vazquez to CF Monterrey in Mexico's Liga MX for $7.5m, the second-biggest player sale in their history, after holding talks at November 2023's TransferRoom Summit in Lisbon.

Elsewhere, Adrien Hunou (from Minnesota to Angers SCO), Adam Buksa (from New England to RC Lens) and Jayden Nelson (from Toronto to Rosenborg BK) have secured transfers to European sides through TransferRoom.

Other recent moves include Gaston Gonzalez being loaned from Orlando for Club Nacional in Uruguay and Salt Lake's loan of Rubio Rubin to Queretaro FC in Mexico.

One of the top transfers out has been done by Orlando, who used TransferRoom to drive interest in Daryl Dike, pitching him to Barnsley FC in a hugely successful loan and using connections through the platform to help facilitate a $9m sale to West Bromwich Albion, a record for a MLS Draft pick.

Watch Orlando's VP of Soccer Operations and Technical Director, Ricardo Moreira, explain how the landmark Dike sale was done.

Jonas Ankersen, the CEO and Founder of TransferRoom, said: "MLS clubs have the ambition to recruit the best, young international players, and they understand rightfully that they need to offer players a clear pathway. The better they sell, the better they will recruit.

"TransferRoom enables club directors to be aware of the buying market's needs and trends at all times, and the ability to proactively promote their talents to relevant buying clubs.

"MLS clubs' directors have attended over 2,000 TransferRoom Summit meetings over the past three years, which demonstrates their methodical ambition to build their own distinctive brand on the global transfer market."

The MLS deal is among several league-wide agreements on TransferRoom, including the Danish Superliga, Polish Ekstraklasa, Norwegian Eliteserien and OBOS-ligaen, Mexico’s Liga MX, Venezuela’s LIGA FUTVE and the 3. Bundesliga in Germany.

What MLS clubs say about TransferRoom