On Wednesday, MLS announced its clubs now have the option to retain the services of as many as three Designated Players. That got us salivating for more international stars of the caliber of David Beckham, Juan Pablo Ángel and Freddie Ljungberg. Which big names would be perfect fits for MLS teams? We asked MLSsoccer.com’s beat writers to draw up their wish lists for their respective clubs.
Chicago: Cuauhtémoc Blanco. His deal with Mexico’s Veracruz expires this spring, and the Fire say they’d consider bringing the team’s original DP back after the World Cup. They could use him. At 30, Ronaldinho probably has a few years left he would consider and MLS move, but if the price is right? How about Leo Messi? We can always dream... -- Sam Stejskal
Chivas USA: Omar Bravo made 258 appearances for sister club Chivas de Guadalajara from 2001-2008, scoring 101 goals, not to mention the 15 goals in 63 appearances for El Tri. Then there's Javier “Chicharito” Hernández. The new young gun for Guadalajara has already scored 28 goals for the Mexican giants in just 68 games. That’s an average of just less than one goal every two matches. -- Jeffrey King
Columbus: The one, the only Diego Maradona. So what that he's fat and retired? There are some really good restaurants and pastry shops in Columbus. He could join countrymen Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Gino Padula and assistant coach Ricardo Iribarren for Buenos Aires North. -- Craig Merz
Colorado: Michael Owen would be a great signing for the Rapids. His England days are done and he's injury-prone, but he can still score. Pippo Inzaghi could possibly net a ton of goals in MLS, even if he is frequently in an offside position. Creatively, a midfield general would be perhaps even more important. How about someone like Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes? -- Nick Thomas
D.C. United: The club has a fondness for classy Latin American playmakers and will surely remember Argentine Christian Giménez from its unhappy CONCACAF meetings with his former club, Pachuca. Juan Arango is another South American whose style is easy on the eyes. The Venezuelan plays alongside U.S. international Michael Bradley at Borussia Mönchengladbach and if he's tired of frigid German winters, the Yank might offer advice on an MLS alternative. Then again, league original Jaime Moreno probably deserves an extra kickback or two for lifetime achievement. -- Charles Boehm
FC Dallas:Jared Borgetti, Salvador Cabañas or Guillermo Ochoa would give FCD instant credibility in Dallas’ sizeable Latin community. Borgetti is 36 but would still be a big draw, but Cabañas is on the shelf for a while after his off-field incident in Mexico City. Ochoa, however, is just 24 years old and already a regular for the Mexican national team. FCD is pretty set at ‘keeper with Darío Sala and Kevin Hartman, but "Memo" would sell some tickets. -- Steve Hunt
Houston: Ronaldinho. Quality attacking central midfielders, let alone ones that would impact the bottom line in terms of seat sales, are few and far between. Mexican star Adolfo "Bofo" Bautista reportedly considered a move to MLS, but he has re-settled comfortably at Chivas. How about Freddy Adu? If he falls out of favor with another European club, would he consider returning to MLS? -- Dwain Capodice
Kansas City: Ruud van Nistelrooy is still finding the back of the net on a regular basis in the Bundesliga and has enough name recognition. The thought of Roberto Carlos marauding down MLS sidelines and crushing trademark free kicks for a couple years is salivating. Could his 36-year-old body take the pounding? Honduran star David Suazo isn't likely to get another chance at Inter Milan, but still has the skill to be a prolific scorer in MLS. -- Andrew Wiebe
Los Angeles: Clarence Seedorf. SoCal would appeal to the erudite AC Milan midfielder. He's friends with Beckham, has other prominent friends in the LA area and would add quality in the midfield. -- Luis Bueno
New England: The Revs want a world-class player who can move the needle on and off the field and could use additional options in the attacking third. Robbie Keane might turn into the talk of a town that loves its Irishmen with his outgoing personality and his penchant to score boatloads of goals, while Deco could appeal to the significant Brazilian and Portuguese communities in the area and give New England a true creative presence. -- Kyle McCarthy
New York: Thierry Henry is clearly on the wish list for the Red Bulls and would be the biggest splash for the club, partnering with Juan Pablo Ángel to form the best strike partnership in the league. If the club moved for a third big-name player, then two-way midfielder Patrick Vieira, whose Manchester City deal is up in June, would be the ideal late-summer signing. -- Kristian Dyer
Philadelphia: Raúl is on the outs at Real Madrid and fancies a shot at playing in America. If Henry went to New York, Philly is perfect fit. Guti, another Madrid player in the twilight of his career, would do some serious damage in MLS, too. But you want a fit in Philly? The aggressive, nearly unhinged behavior of Marco Materazzi is made for the Union. -- Shane Evans
Real Salt Lake: Van Nistelrooy has been to Salt Lake before when RSL took on Real Madrid in a friendly. Owner Dave Checketts has mentioned that they struck up a friendship, and that he has been trying to lure him. A finisher of that caliber would do wonders for RSL. What about a Mexican player to attract the fans and bag some goals? Would "Chicharito" Hernández make the jump, or is Europe calling? -- Randy Davis
San Jose: Vieira says this is his last season of top-flight European soccer and that he'd like to come to the U.S. -- Quakes defender Jason Hernandez says he’d be all in favor. GuillermoFranco would be a perfect addition to San Jose’s growing Latin contingent. The Mexican veteran has impressed in his first year at West Ham, who only have him on a one-year deal. Keane has 2½ years left on his current deal with Tottenham, but is on loan to Celtic. Maybe Spurs will do their American partner club a favor and broker a cross-Atlantic move. -- Geoff Lepper
Seattle: Alessandro Nesta. The Milan icon’s experience and guile alongside Jhon Kennedy Hurtado would likely create the best defensive partnership in MLS history. How about ArjenRobben? A do-everything midfielder like the flying Dutchman on the right side would leave acres of space for Steve Zakuani on the left. Maybe bring Michael Bradley back to MLS. A two-way midfielder would free Freddie Ljungberg and Fredy Montero from their defensive duties. -- Andrew Winner
Toronto FC: A rock in central defense would help the Reds prevent many of the late goals they conceded last season. Fabio Cannavaro is physical, active and likes to impose his will on games. He’d be a good leader for TFC's young defense corps despite his advanced age -- not to mention he'd be a hit among Toronto's sizeable Italian-Canadian community. -- Vijay Setlur
