MLS is Back: 3 new Designated Players to watch

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MLS, Toronto FC, Pablo Piatti (Photo by Quality Sport Images/Getty Images) /

The MLS is Back Tournament is two weeks away. Here are three new Designated Players who have yet to play a single minute in the league to watch.

With the 2020 season only two matches old, we have not yet got to see many of the new faces play. Some arrived injured and did not make their respective teams in the opening two weeks. Others were signed afterwards and have only arrived in the meantime. As such, when Major League Soccer returns to action next month with the MLS is Back Tournament, there are plenty of players to keep a close eye on.

Here are three new Designated Players to watch in MLS is Back.

Siem de Jong of Ajax during the Dutch Eredivisie match between Ajax Amsterdam and sc Heerenveen at the Johan Cruijff Arena on September 14, 2019 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands(Photo by VI Images via Getty Images) /

3. Siem de Jong

FC Cincinnati entirely retooled their roster. After a disastrous first season in MLS, under new management, and now with a new head coach, too, the club replaced all three DP slots with three new DPs ahead of the 2020 season. And of the three, there is one we are yet to see, former Ajax and Dutch star, Siem de Jong.

A heralded creative midfielder, de Jong flourished under Atlanta United head coach Frank de Boer at Ajax. He has struggled with injuries, cutting short a spell in the Premier League in the process, but if he can rediscover his Ajax form, he will immediately become one of the most creative midfielders in the league.

With Jurgen Locadia set to stay as FCC’s new goalscorer and fellow DP Yuya Kubo providing control in a deeper midfield position, the foundation for de Jong to shine in MLS is there. Now, he simply has to deliver on his expectations.

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