The 2026 MLS regular season gets underway in 20 days and plenty of the league’s newest arrivals will hope to hit the ground running.
Timo Werner, German Berterame, and Guilherme are just three of the league’s newest faces after making the move to MLS this winter. While many of these players will not be unknowns to many international soccer fans, they will be to some of the fanbases that they now play for.
Many of the world’s well-known players have come to MLS in the past few seasons including Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Son Heung-Min, among others. Now there will be early pressure on the newest crop of internationals to make a major splash with their new clubs.
Here is a closer look at the top new arrivals to MLS:
Timo Werner, San Jose Earthquakes
German international Timo Werner will be hoping that a move to MLS gets his career back on track.
The longtime RB Leipzig legend has made the move to San Jose, with hopes of getting back amongst the goals. After producing seven-straight seasons of 10+ goals or more, Werner has struggled to find the back of the net since 2023.
Since the start of the 2023-24 campaign, Werner has tallied just five goals in 58 appearances, with most of those coming at Tottenham.
The 29-year-old will hope a strong winter/spring propels him back into the German national team picture, especially ahead of the FIFA World Cup.
German Berterame, Inter Miami
The rich continued to get richer ahead of their MLS Cup defense.
Inter Miami acquired Mexican international forward German Berterame in a permanent deal from Liga MX club Monterrey. Berterame has been one of the more prolific strikers in Mexico over the past five seasons, totaling 85 goals since the start of the 2021-22 campaign.
After tallying 19 goals last season for Monterrey, Berterame now heads to Inter Miami to team up with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and others. He easily becomes a Golden Boot candidate given his continued production in his native Mexico over the past few years.
Sergio Reguillon, Inter Miami
Goodbye Jordi Alba, hello Sergio Reguillon.
Reguillon joined the Herons on a free transfer after making just six appearances for Tottenham during the 2024-25 campaign. The 29-year-old had found it tough for consistent playing time over the past few seasons, heading out on loan to Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford before returning to North London last season.
Although he doesn’t bring the same pedigree that Alba had, Reguillon should jump right into the starting lineup and adjust quickly to the MLS style of play.
Guilherme, Houston Dynamo
The Houston Dynamo’s attacking front is looking a lot different compared to 2025.
Guilherme made the move to the Texas-based club in a permanent deal from Brazilian club Santos. The 30-year-old winger scored 27 goals and added 19 assists over the past two seasons for Santos, making the jump up from Fortaleza.
Mainly used on the left side, Guilherme brings veteran experience and an eye for goal to the Dynamo attack.
Silvan Hefti, DC United
DC United added key veteran help to its worrying defense this winter.
Silvan Hefti made the move from Bundesliga side Hamburg in a permanent move. Hefti, 28, only made 20 appearances for Hamburg since August 2024, but has made over 350 combined appearances to date across all competitions in his club career.
A former Switzerland youth national team player, Hefti made his name for St. Gallen and Young Boys before eventually moving on to Genoa and Montpellier respectively. He could feature as a left or right back this season for DC United.
Amin Boudri, LAFC
LAFC bolstered its midfield options in the form of a Swedish youth national team player.
Amin Boudri made the move to California from Swedish side GAIS, becoming one of the newest faces in Marc Dos Santos’ squad. The 21-year-old scored eight goals in 53 appearances for GAIS, earning valuable playing time as a young player.
Used traditionally as a central midfielder, Boudri could also float out wide if needed.
Warren Madrigal, Nashville SC
It’s not often that a 21-year-old already has 20+ caps for his country but Warren Madrigal is a rare exception.
Madrigal made the move to Nashville SC in a permanent move to Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa this winter. The young striker scored 19 goals in 98 appearances for Saprissa while also spending time with La Liga side Valencia during the 2024-25 campaign.
He’s already earned 26 caps for Los Ticos to date, scoring six goals.
Now he heads to Nashville where he will link up with Hany Mukhtar in B.J. Callaghan’s attack.
Ezekiel Alladoh, Philadelphia Union
The Philadelphia Union will hope that 20-year-old Ezekiel Alladoh can hit the ground running after the loss of several key attackers this winter.
Alladoh joined Bradley Carnell’s squad in a permanent deal from Swedish side Brommapojkarna. The young Ghanian forward made his first team debut in January 2025 and tallied eight goals in 32 appearances since for the club.
He now heads to Philadelphia looking to help replace the losses of Tai Baribo and Mikael Uhre.
Dante Polvara, St. Louis CITY SC
From Mac Hermann award winner to Scottish Cup hero, Dante Polvara is heading back to the United States.
Polvara recently joined St. Louis CITY SC in a permanent deal from Scottish club Aberdeen. The 25-year-old midfielder made 93 appearances for Aberdeen in all competitions, scoring six goals and helping the Dons break their lengthy trophy drought last spring.
A hardworking midfielder with good range, Polvara turned down a contract extension abroad to head back home for the next chapter in his career. New St. Louis CITY SC head coach Yoann Damet will surely enjoy Polvara’s style of play, especially with the Western Conference club looking to get back on track in 2026.
Stijn Spierings, Real Salt Lake
Real Salt Lake will have plenty of veteran experience in its midfield for 2026.
Stijn Spierings made the move to Utah from Danish club Brondby, bringing more than 320 club appearances with him. The 29-year-old began his career in his native Netherlands, excelling for Sparta Rotterdam and RKC Waalwijk before eventually making the jump to Ligue 1 side Toulouse.
Spierings scored 15 goals in 138 appearances for Toulouse before later joining Brondby for the most recent chapter of his career. Pablo Mastroeni will love Spierings’ energy and work rate in midfield, especially with RSL wanting to play on the front foot a lot more this season.
Here is a rundown of the other new faces to watch out for this season:
Maxwell Woledzi, Nashville SC
Ivan Losenko, CF Montreal
Tomás Jacob, Atlanta United
Bryan Ramírez, FC Cincinnati
Matheus Pereira, Toronto FC
Bruno Caicedo, Vancouver Whitecaps
Kai Trewin, NYCFC
Japhet Sery Larsen, Philadelphia Union
Osvald Søe, San Diego FC
Alex Bonetig, Portland Timbers
Luis Otávio, Orlando City
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