Major League Soccer’s primary transfer window closed with a flourish on Tuesday night, as roughly half the league made deals aimed to either bolster their current rosters or better position themselves for potential summertime signings.



What do all the moves mean? Let’s dive in.



Timbers bet big on Fernandez



It didn’t go down on deadline day, but Portland signing attacker Brian Fernandez to a designated-player contract was by far the biggest move of the week.



The Timbers shelled out serious cash to land the 24-year-old from Liga MX club Necaxa. Sources said the transfer fee wasn’t quite as high as the $10-12 million reported in the Mexican press, but they confirmed that it easily eclipsed the previous club record of $5 million paid for Lucas Melano in 2015. That puts it among the priciest transfers in MLS history.



That’s massive, particularly for a smaller-market club like Portland. And it means massive...