Rais M'Bolhi's benching, and looming departure from the Philadelphia Union, has him looking like one of the worst signings in MLS history. Here is a look at the five worst.

Barring a serious turn of events, Rais M’Bolhi will go down as the worst signing on the relatively brief history of the Philadelphia Union.

The Algerian national team star was supposed to give the Union a difference-making presence in goal, and after the World Cup he enjoyed, it seemed a like a promising, though unnecessary signing. Longtime starter Zac MacMath was coming into his own as a starter, and 2014 No. 1 overall MLS draft pick Andre Blake looked like a potential future star in goal. The goalkeeper position wasn’t a glaring need, but the Union spent big on M’Bolhi anyway and have paid a steep price for a misguided decision.

There is no other way to say it but M’Bolhi has been terrible. As in one of the worst goalkeepers in the league terrible. The fact that he’s also eating up a significant chunk of the Union’s salary cap only serves to magnify the severity of the Union’s mistake. Jim Curtin tried to keep the door open for a potential M’Bolhi reprieve, but nobody would be surprised if we never saw M’Bolhi in goal for the Union ever again.

Barring a movie-like turnaround, M’Bolhi’s signing will remain the worst in Union history and arguably one of the worst in MLS history.

What other high-profile MLS signings would make a list of worst in league history? Excluding the busts who spent less than a season in MLS (like Denilson and Mista), here are the five worst MLS designated player signings since the DP rule was adopted in 2007:

RAFAEL MARQUEZ

Arguably the worst designated player signing in league history, the Mexican national team captain spent three forgettable seasons with the New York Red Bulls (2010-2012). What pushes him ahead of some others on this list is the fact he collected more than $15 million in salary over the course of three years and failed to deliver a playoff victory or any sort of impact at the turnstiles or on the field. In fact, Marquez saw his final two seasons ended with dumb red cards that hurt his team's playoff chances each time. Perhaps the worst part of Marquez's awful time in MLS is the fact he still had plenty left in the tank, as he showed when he moved on to Liga MX side Club Leon and won two titles there before playing in his fourth World Cup in 2014.

JULIAN DE GUZMAN

The great Canadian hope arrived in MLS in 2009 as a potential savior for Toronto FC, but almost from the start he felt like an overpriced player. De Guzman never did play up to his almost $2 million annual salary, spending parts of four seasons either injured or deliver subpar performances. As if De Guzman's signing wasn't bad enough, he also helped pave the way for Toronto FC to sign another awful DP in Spanish forward Mista.

CLAUDIO REYNA

Having the longtime U.S. national team captain come to MLS and play for his hometown New York Red Bulls seemed like a perfect storybook setup, but it was far from ideal. Reyna turned 34 during his first season in MLS (2007) and injuries limited him considerably. By the midway point of his second season, it became clear it was time to hang it up, and Reyna retired after 1.5 seasons at a seven-figure salary that provided very little on the field.

MARCELO GALLARDO

The longtime River Plate star joined D.C. United in 2008 amid much fanfare about his playmaking skills, but his impact on the field was limited even when he wasn’t injured. At $1.9 million a season, Gallardo was a bust, though D.C. United was able to limit the damage to one season after orchestrating a contract settlement that allowed Gallardo to return to River Plate.

KRIS BOYD

The former Glasgow Rangers star was signed by the Portland Timbers for the club’s inaugural season in MLS and was expected to be the lead striker to carry the new club’s attack. He did produce a modest seven goals, but never played like the dominant striker the Timbers were hoping he would be for a price tag of $1.5 million per season. The Timbers cut ties with Boyd after just one season.