Top five newcomers of the 2023 MLS season - ranked

Before each season, clubs around Major League Soccer tinker with their squads to bring in fresh faces in hopes of reaching new heights in the forthcoming campaign.

With big name transfers, fans are always keeping a close eye on how their team's newest players will get on in MLS, especially attackers who are expected to make an immediate impact in front of goal.

Here are the top five newcomers from the 2023 MLS season.

5. Yohei Takaoka (GK) - Vancouver Whitecaps

After missing the postseason in 2022, Vancouver couldn't afford to miss out in 2023 with the likes of Ryan Gauld and Brian White up front.

In steps Yohei Takaoka from J1 side Yokohama F. Marinos, a Japan international goalkeeper who fit like a glove in Vanni Sartini's defense that conceded 45 goals during the regular season.

There were countless occasions where Takaoka would pull off an incredible save to keep his team in the game, as his eight clean sheets and 96 saves tell the whole story in the Whitecaps' return to MLS Cup playoffs.

4. Duncan McGuire (F) - Orlando City

Duncan McGuire is a little bit different than the other players on this list in the sense that he was a rookie in his first professional season in his career, but it was still his first campaign in MLS.

Orlando City are known for producing top class strikers, and if McGuire's rookie season told us anything it's that they've done it once again. In 29 appearances (17 starts), McGuire registered 13 goals and three assists in the Lions' second place finish in the Eastern Conference table.

3. Eduard Lowen (M) - St Louis CITY

Even after missing a huge chunk of the 2023 season, Eduard Lowen remained one of the best midfielders and newcomers in MLS in 2023.

His six goals and 14 assists propelled St Louis CITY to first place in the Western Conference standings in their inaugural campaign, and they'll need more of his outstanding play to continue on the right path into the 2024 campaign.

2. Amine Bassi (M) - Houston Dynamo

Houston Dynamo's signing of Amine Bassi may have gone under the radar as one of the best transfers ahead of the 2023 season.

Thanks to the brilliant play of Bassi (along with others such as Hector Herrera) the Dynamo returned to the postseason for the first time since 2017 and captured the US Open Cup trophy along the way. His 10 goals and four assists in 28 appearances were nothing short of impressive in his first season in MLS.

1. Giorgos Giakoumakis (F) - Atlanta United

There were lofty expectations for Giorgos Giakoumakis in his first season in MLS after joining from Scottish giants Celtic to replace the legendary Josef Martinez.

Giakoumakis exceeded those expectations after scoring in his first start against Portland Timbers back in March, as the Greece international went on to tally 17 goals and three assists in Atlanta's return to the playoffs after missing out in 2022. Giakoumakis has proven that with decent service, he can put away half-chances with ease.