“It’s a big onion that needs to be peeled,” remarked senior Athletic writer Felipe Cardenas while describing Inter Miami’s loan signing of Rodrigo De Paul. Despite already boasting stars like Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba, the Herons raised eyebrows with yet another high-profile foreign arrival. And it’s not just happening in Fort Lauderdale—rival clubs are going big too, whether it’s Son Heung-Min inching closer to a move to LAFC or Thomas Müller being linked with the Vancouver Whitecaps. It’s a sign that there’s more to come—and in some places, it already has, like in Portland, where the Timbers are making moves of their own.

The Oregon-based club is the latest to enter the “big signature” club, as they have allegedly verbally agreed to sign Norway forward Kristoffer Velde from Olympiacos. Now, you may think the entity may not have much of a repo compared to the likes of Son or Muller in that case. But when it comes to his transfer fee, then boy, are we daring to exclude him from the list.

As per the deal announced by Fabrizio Romano on X, Velde—who has played for clubs across Denmark, Poland, and Greece, including FK Haugesund, Lech Poznań, and Olympiacos, respectively—will potentially be brought in by the Timbers as a Designated Player. The move comes after a DP spot opened up due to forward Jonathan Rodríguez being placed on the season-ending injured list, with the transfer valued at a whopping €7 million, or close to $8.1 million.

Now, one may argue that this isn’t much of a transfer fee. Correct—it won’t even make the top 10 most expensive transfers in MLS history, which, by the way, is topped by Atlanta United for the signature of Emmanuel Latte Lath from Middlesbrough for a whopping $22 million. So then, why does the potential arrival of Kristoffer Velde remain a big deal?

Consider it a chain reaction—from Inter Miami bringing in world-class talents like Messi and Co., to LAFC and the Whitecaps dreaming of Son and Müller respectively, and now to the Timbers, who appear to be settling in for a relatively unknown European talent. Big name or small, it doesn’t matter; what truly does is what that particular name can bring to the team.

In the case of the Timbers—who aren’t usually expected to splurge such an amount—it’s obvious that this transfer is making waves online, as fans can’t seem to calm down on X!

MLS community raises the roof over the latest Portland Timbers transfer saga

Reactions like “Wait, what!?” are too obvious for Major League Soccer to hear from their own community after learning about the soon-to-be arrival of Kristoffer Velde at the Portland Timbers. But let’s face it, transfer moves like make it clear that the American men’s league is indeed on a path to excellence. “MLS get ready to witness greatness,” wrote another netizen.

We remember that American entrepreneur and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian once made a huge claim about the MLS, saying, “All of the European leagues are superior to [MLS],” even adding, “Can that change in the next ten years? I do not think so,” insisting the big five are “100%” better than the U.S. men’s league. That’s not all, he even threw a shade at the domestic flight, saying, “The NWSL will be bigger than MLS in 10 years.”

Now, one can’t seemingly compare the men’s and women’s leagues. But from the looks of it, the MLS has definitely taken this claim quite seriously, as one doesn’t need to describe how the arrival of such big names further builds their case for being the part of the best league discussion. Interestingly, one already seems to have begun feeling that way, adding, “Looks like MLS is now top 5 league in the world.”

The MLS loading up on talent across teams reminds us of something else: the Saudi Pro League. Since the arrival of big names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Karim Benzema, and others, there’s been growing discussion among ardent soccer fans comparing the two leagues.

While one boasts immense financial power, the other carries an allure that has existed since David Beckham first opened the doors for European players to embrace the American dream. So, does that mean the MLS is really trying to compete with the Middle Eastern influx? This fan thinks so: “MLS wants to go head to head with the Saudi league dis season“

Then again, not everything would be solved for MLS or even the Saudi Pro League in that case by signing outside names. As senior Athletic writer Felipe Cardenas described how Inter Miami’s transfer boldness affects the other teams, saying, “What’s happening with Miami is a microcosm of what’s happening across the league,” there’s a bigger picture that needs to be understood.

Even former US soccer star Glenn Davis spoke out about MLS’s fixation on signing big names to elevate the league’s status, rather than focusing on the development of its own homegrown talent. “I’m seeing a lot of games where I don’t see enough Americans on the field certainly not in positions of influence on some of these teams,” he said.

This is exactly what this netizen echoes, questioning the Portland Timbers over this latest move: “Why are MLS clubs still overpaying for mid-tier European talent instead of developing local stars?”