Grading a busy 2025 secondary transfer window for the 3 Canadian MLS teams
After a frenetic finish, MLS’s secondary transfer window is now closed, meaning that teams will no longer be able to bring in any new transfers until the offseason.
That doesn’t mean that teams are done wheeling and dealing, as sides can still sell players and sign free agents until the league’s roster freeze on September 12th, but most of the big business is now done - especially in terms of incoming players.
Certainly, this ended up being a huge window up north, too, as all three Canadian MLS teams ended up making big moves to bolster their sides.
Despite all being in different phases of their evolutions, with the Vancouver Whitecaps set to go all-in as they chase an MLS Cup, Toronto jumpstarting a new era, and CF Montréal embarking on a rebuild, all three made significant moves that should help them with their respective goals.
With that in mind, here’s a look at how all three sides did, along with a letter grade to assess their efforts - with both incoming and outgoing transfers factoring into that grade.
CF Montréal:![Canada: CF Montreal V Austin FC - Major League Soccer]()
In: GK - Thomas Gillier (Loan), CB - Efraín Morales (trade), CM - Matty Longstaff (trade), RB - Bode Hidalgo (trade), AM - Iván Jaime (loan)
Out: GK - Emil Gazdov (Loan), CB - Joel Waterman (trade), CB - George Campbell (transfer), CM - Nathan Saliba (transfer), CM - Michael Adedokun (transfer), AM - Dominik Iankov (transfer), AM - Caden Clark (trade), ST - Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (trade)
As expected, for a club that publicly announced they were about to start a rebuild in July, this transfer window was a lot more about clearing out than bringing in for Montréal, which isn’t a bad thing for them.
Selling George Campbell to West Bromwich Albion and Nathan Saliba to RSC Anderlecht is good business, showing Montréal’s continued ability to move players on outside MLS, while intra-league moves to trade Caden Clark to D.C. United for cash and to trade Joel Waterman for GAM are also decent deals for them to make. It sucks for Montréal to lose that quartet, who were key contributors to their team, but they’ll be pleased with the windfall they received.
Merci Nathan 💙
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) June 26, 2025
Nathan Saliba transféré au R.S.C. Anderlecht >>> https://t.co/Y8p1R1O22a
Nathan Saliba transferred to R.S.C. Anderlecht >>> https://t.co/LSUjye0BQU#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/LvrXqYSpRN
Otherwise, getting a fee for Dominik Iankov, who wasn’t playing much, is another good piece of business - although the jury is still out on their decision to trade Jules-Anthony Vilsaint, who struggled to get minutes with Montréal, as they didn’t receive much for him and traded him to a rival in Toronto FC.
All things considered, though, Montréal did pretty well in terms of their outgoings, which they’ll be pleased to see, even if it has weakened the squad interim head coach Marco Donadel has to work with.
Of course, part of rebuilding requires acquiring talent, and Montréal did just okay there - although it’s worth noting that they left their best business for late.
As it stood, bringing in goalkeeper Thomas Gillier on loan from Bologna, centre back Efraín Morales in a trade from Atlanta United and midfielder Matty Longstaff in a trade from Toronto FC was an unspectacular window. Morales is a pretty exciting acquisition given his age and the departure of both Campbell and Waterman, but Gillier has joined an already crowded Montréal goalkeeping group, while Longstaff was a bit of a strange arrival.
At the end of the window, though, Montréal did well to bring in a pair of new faces - Bode Hidalgo via a trade from RSL, and Iván Jaime on loan from Porto.
La carrière de notre nouveau Joueur Désigné Iván Jaime jusqu'ici ⏭️
— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) August 26, 2025
Our new signing Iván Jaime's road to Montreal 🛣️#CFMTL pic.twitter.com/gDYMAimhM2
In particular, Jaime’s acquisition might’ve been the biggest one they’ve made in some while, as he’s a 24-year-old attacking midfielder who has just under 100 appearances in Portugal’s top flight with Famalicão and Porto, along with 10 La Liga appearances with Valencia, having also featured in the Champions League and Europa League during his time in Portugal.
Brought in a Designated Player, Montréal also has the option to make the deal permanent, so they’ll hope he can hit the ground running and provide the sort of impact Montréal has struggled to get from their DPs in recent years - in the rare instances that they’ve splashed the cash for those sorts of players, that is.
To their credit, they appear set to finally reinvest some of the funds they received this summer with this move, which is exactly what you want to see for a club that has otherwise done such a good job of selling players on in recent years for significant windfalls (and what you want to see more going forawrd) - because of that, this move alone has pushed their grade up from somewhere around a high-D/low-C up to a high-C, as a result.
Grade: C+
Toronto FC:![MLS: Toronto FC at Atlanta United FC]()
In: CM - José Cifuentes (loan), AM - Djordje Mihailović (trade), ST - Jules-Anthony Vilsaint (trade)
Out: CM - Matty Longstaff (trade), CM - Deybi Flores (transfer), W - Tyrese Spicer (trade), W- Federico Bernardeschi (contract termination), W - Lorenzo Insigne (contract termination), ST - Hugo Mbongue (loan), ST - Charlie Sharp (loan),
Finally, Toronto FC is set to start a new era as a club, as they made the bold move to free themselves of the contracts of Federico Bernardeschi and Lorenzo Insigne, buying out their deals earlier this summer.
Two ‘addition by subtraction’ moves, that set the tone for what was to come for Toronto, who also transferred out Deybi Flores to Saudi Arabia, traded Tyrese Spicer to Orlando City and traded Matty Longstaff to Montréal, as they continue to rebuild their side under head coach Robin Fraser.
"FINALLY."
— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) July 2, 2025
Lorenzo Insigne & Federico Bernardeschi have been CUT by Toronto FC, and @GarethWheeler reveals more details on how #TFClive orchestrated their exit... and what happens next 👀
FULL ▶️ https://t.co/lreQvKeFiZ pic.twitter.com/Q4OTQCCeTA
Then, not content with just hitting the reset button, TFC also kickstarted this new era under Fraser by bringing in two cornerstone pieces to help lead them forward, trading a hefty chunk of cash to the Colorado Rapids for Djordje Mihailović ($8 million+add-ons) before bringing in a former MLS Cup and Supporters Shield winner José Cifuentes on loan from Rangers (with a purchase option).
Welcoming Cifu to the squad 👋
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) August 22, 2025
Toronto FC acquire Ecuadorian international midfielder José Cifuentes on loan from @RangersFC
Player Arrival presented by @KLM
Read More 📰: https://t.co/vV0qj9mOOm pic.twitter.com/7ZH8hEd4E0
Those moves are quite massive, as they now give Toronto a pair of players who both know the league quite well and are still young, which helps them a lot both in the short and long term. In particular, they’ll be pleased that Mihailović gives them the sort of attacking piece they haven't had for years, while Cifuentes is a big addition to a team that has never seemed to properly replace Michael Bradley after his late-career decline and retirement.
Along with the shrewd acquisition of Jules-Anthony Vilsaint in the Longstaff trade, Toronto can be quite pleased with the business they did, especially in the context of those big buyouts they made earlier this summer.
Jules-Anthony Vilsaint scores a late equalizer on his @TorontoFC debut! pic.twitter.com/LAchKhy1Pw
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 17, 2025
Overall, the only reason their grade isn’t higher is because of their volume of deals - while Mihailović and Cifuentes are two strong acquisitions, this team still has a lot of holes to fill, namely up front and at the back, but they’re now set up to potentially be dangerous next year if they can build off this and have a strong winter window as they look to chase more high-end pieces - especially when considering all of the GAM they’ve quietly been stockpiling this summer, making several deals to load up their coffers in that department.
Grade: B
Vancouver Whitecaps:![MLS: St. Louis CITY SC at Vancouver Whitecaps FC]()
In: CB - Joedrick Pupe (transfer), CB - Sebastian Schonlau (transfer), AM - Thomas Müller (free agent), W - Kenji Cabrera (transfer), ST - Nelson Pierre (trade)
Out: CB - Bjørn Inge Utvik (transfer), CM - Pedro Vite (transfer), AM - Damir Kreilach (buyout)
It’s no secret - the Whitecaps are going all-in this year, as they showed what they’re capable of during their run to the final of the Concacaf Champions Cup - which they made despite missing captain and best player Ryan Gauld for a large chunk of that run (and he’s still yet to return since).
Thanks to the arrival of new head coach Jesper Sørensen, they’ve hit a new level as a team, as years of growth have set them up to be MLS Cup contenders.
Unfortunately, they suffered a big blow in that quest to start this window, as Pedro Vite was sold for a large sum to Pumas UNAM after the Liga MX side came in with an offer, which, along with the long-term injury suffered by centre back Ranko Veselinović, were significant blows to this Whitecaps team.
🇪🇨 Pedro Vite is headed to LIGA MX. 🤝
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) July 18, 2025
🗞️: https://t.co/jzNqMCEZL8 pic.twitter.com/W5RZzFteZg
To their credit, though, they’ve responded to those moves excellently, as they came out swinging in their hunt for replacements.
First, they made their big splash, making one of the biggest moves in all of MLS by signing free agent Thomas Müller, bringing in the German legend on a short-term deal. Now, that’s given them a star unlike one they’ve ever had in their MLS era, one that looks to be a big win for them on and off the pitch - safe to say, he appears to be a decent Vite replacement even if they’re not like-for-like players. That he’s hit the ground running in his first few games with the club backs up that sentiment.
Müller Mania Baby. 🔥 #TM13 opens his ‘Caps account with a scorcher! #VWFC | #VANvSTL pic.twitter.com/jOjvcObAHB
— Vancouver Whitecaps FC (@WhitecapsFC) August 24, 2025
Then, for good measure, the Whitecaps have also replaced Vite with a more natural replacement in Peruvian youngster Kenji Cabrera, who can play out wide and in midfield, before shoring up their centre back depth by bringing in Joedrick Pupe from FCV Dender and Sebastian Schonlau from Hamburger SV. In particular, the centre back acquisitions are quite big given that Veselinović’s injury wasn’t the only blow the backline suffered this summer - the Whitecaps also sold centre back Bjørn Inge Utvik to Sarpsborg earlier this month, further limiting their centre back depth.
Overall, though, the Whitecaps have done an excellent job of shoring up their roster, as it’s hard to see many weaknesses in their team - bar maybe their midfield and full back depth - especially when everyone’s available. Because of that, their big goal will be to get everyone back and healthy over the next few weeks (the return of Gauld, in particular, would feel like a new signing), and to get their mojo back after struggling to turn good performances into results over their last handful of games.
Plus, they do appear poised to potentially still add to this team, too, as they still have an extra international spot, so it’s possible that they’re not done throwing all of their chips in the middle as they continue to go all-in, which would only make this a better window for them.
Grade: A-
