2018 General MLS Transfer Rumors
- Thread starter NYCFC_Dan
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So I get your point with the post, but Villa clearly stated in an interview that he never retired. He just said he was taking a break after they crashed out in 2014. The retirement narrative was a media construct. He himself clearly addressed this in an interview with Wahl, I think it was.
Ahhh, I must have missed that before. So that is more along the lines of what Howard/Donovan (before he actually retired) did?
Nice article on all the Orlando moves. This has been the league's biggest roster overhaul, with the core of the team completely replaced. Further, they are doing it in a different manner than the rest of the league. They are buying veteran domestic talent in an attempt to win now, rather than taking on promising youngsters they hope to sell down the line.
It may not prove to be the best off season, but it is and will be the most interesting.
Jason Kreis going all-in with big winter for Orlando City SC
Jason Kreis just went all-in with Orlando City SC.
The Lions’ winter of win-now took a huge leap forward Monday, when the club acquired Justin Meram in a trade with Columbus Crew SC and moved closer to acquiring talented former Sporting Kansas City holding midfielder Uri Rosell from Sporting CP.
* * *
The moves are the latest in an incredibly busy offseason in Orlando, who are undergoing a major makeover as they look to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history.
Gone are Kaká, Giles Barnes, Antonio Nocerino, Carlos Rivas, Tommy Redding and, presumably, Cyle Larin, who, according to a Pro Soccer USA report, is in the process of finalizing a transfer to Besiktas. Replacing them are Meram, (likely) Rosell, back-to-back MLS assist king Sacha Kljestan, acquired in a trade from the New York Red Bulls, and 19-year-old Paraguayan attacker Josue Colman, who signed a Young Designated Player deal earlier this month.
* * *
Kreis and Orlando should feel good about their winter, but, apart from signing Colman, most of their big moves have been made with an eye on the short term. They traded a promising youngster in Redding for the 32-year-old Kljestan, then signed him to an extension that added an extra year onto his contract. They sent a staggering amount of allocation money to SKC to acquire Dwyer last summer, then re-upped him to a deal this winter that, according to sources, will pay him $1.5 million in 2018. On Monday, they spent another huge haul of allocation money to land the 29-year-old Meram.
Kljestan, Dwyer and Meram are talented, proven, productive attackers. But their profiles – somewhat older, somewhat expensive and with no serious potential for a sell-on – are at odds with where the rest of the league seems to be headed. Where other teams are using their new TAM to almost exclusively sign younger players like Colman, Orlando, for the most part, are spending theirs to acquire and re-sign MLS vets to pricey deals.
Jason Kreis just went all-in with Orlando City SC.
The Lions’ winter of win-now took a huge leap forward Monday, when the club acquired Justin Meram in a trade with Columbus Crew SC and moved closer to acquiring talented former Sporting Kansas City holding midfielder Uri Rosell from Sporting CP.
* * *
The moves are the latest in an incredibly busy offseason in Orlando, who are undergoing a major makeover as they look to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs for the first time in club history.
Gone are Kaká, Giles Barnes, Antonio Nocerino, Carlos Rivas, Tommy Redding and, presumably, Cyle Larin, who, according to a Pro Soccer USA report, is in the process of finalizing a transfer to Besiktas. Replacing them are Meram, (likely) Rosell, back-to-back MLS assist king Sacha Kljestan, acquired in a trade from the New York Red Bulls, and 19-year-old Paraguayan attacker Josue Colman, who signed a Young Designated Player deal earlier this month.
* * *
Kreis and Orlando should feel good about their winter, but, apart from signing Colman, most of their big moves have been made with an eye on the short term. They traded a promising youngster in Redding for the 32-year-old Kljestan, then signed him to an extension that added an extra year onto his contract. They sent a staggering amount of allocation money to SKC to acquire Dwyer last summer, then re-upped him to a deal this winter that, according to sources, will pay him $1.5 million in 2018. On Monday, they spent another huge haul of allocation money to land the 29-year-old Meram.
Kljestan, Dwyer and Meram are talented, proven, productive attackers. But their profiles – somewhat older, somewhat expensive and with no serious potential for a sell-on – are at odds with where the rest of the league seems to be headed. Where other teams are using their new TAM to almost exclusively sign younger players like Colman, Orlando, for the most part, are spending theirs to acquire and re-sign MLS vets to pricey deals.
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018/01/30/stejskal-jason-kreis-going-all-big-winter-orlando-city-sc
Other moves.
Sounders Sign Versatile Norwegian Midfielder
Red Bulls Get a Midfielder from Sister Club in Salzburg
Atlanta Finally Bolsters its Defense
Sounders Sign Versatile Norwegian Midfielder
No, not that versatile Norwegian midfielder.
Red Bulls Get a Midfielder from Sister Club in Salzburg
Atlanta Finally Bolsters its Defense
Okay, maybe not so much
I actually like a lot of the pieces that Orlando has brought in from an attacking perspective. I'm just not certain that Kreis will be able to put it all together or if they have enough defensive presence to make a run to the playoffs.
Spector is nice, but who else do they have defensively? Bendik had some good games last year but I'm not sure he's really a top half of MLS keeper.
ETA: I think Kljestan with Meram, Colman, and Dwyer will be very entertaining to watch.
Seems like Kreis is trying to take pieces that play fast/frenetic and Frankenstein them into his lineup. But all of the uptempo play that those attackers are known for just wont translate to mid-summer Florida heat. Not just on game day, but daily practice. Kreis may start out of the gate in the lead (or not) and then fade in the middle and lose contact by the end.
And does he have any TAM left for the next few years????
So a team (Atlanta) that cannot get a contract done to resign a player still holds his rights and sells them to another team (DC) for $500k in Gam/Tam??? The previous going rate for a non-signed player’s rights was $50k, and this is 10x that. Seems Atlanta is becoming the league’s new golden child now that LAG is a dumpster fire.
Yeah, I find that quite a bit ridiculous.
But what is even more ridiculous about all of this, you kind of miss in your post
Ulrich . You say Atlanta sold him to DCU. They didn't! He's still under contract in Argentina. Velez Sarsfield is now simply loaning him to DCU instead of Atlanta.I seriously can't believe Atlanta is getting this much allocation money for this.
I said they sold his rights (to a player not under contract), and that refers to his MLS rights. Didn’t think the MLS part had to be spelled out.Yeah, I find that quite a bit ridiculous.
But what is even more ridiculous about all of this, you kind of miss in your post
I seriously can't believe Atlanta is getting this much allocation money for this.
But yes, the fact that it’s a Loan makes it an even larger farce.
Ahh, the way I read it was "sells them" was referring to the player, my bad.
Either way, I didn't mean it as to call you out, but moreso to call this specific situation and how ridiculous it is out.
Yeah, if a club can’t get a loan contract worked out, they shouldn’t continue to hold the rights.
It’s a very surprising development but keep in mind all the TAM & GAM sloshing around right now. When the money supply increases, prices will rise. Simple economics.
Someone ought to go after Lazar Markovic. Liverpool gave him to Anderlecht for free, as in still pay his wages, just because they want him to get on the field somewhere.
I think he could do alright in MLS. There was a time he was one of the Next Big Things. His game would probably fit MLS well given that he's fast as hell, and if he got a little confidence, he could turn into a guaranteed starter and maybe hit the back of the net 10 or so times.
I think he could do alright in MLS. There was a time he was one of the Next Big Things. His game would probably fit MLS well given that he's fast as hell, and if he got a little confidence, he could turn into a guaranteed starter and maybe hit the back of the net 10 or so times.
As a Liverpool fan, what do you know about his downfall? I feel like doubts around his temperament / resilience would scare a lot of teams here, off. Especially with salary caps.
I remember him being a higher quality version of Khiry Shelton, but smaller and higher soccer IQ. Just trying to give you an idea of flaws I recall. He's not horrible, he's just on a contract that he can't afford to leave and no place he could play can afford. Liverpool paid ar0und 20M pounds for him, I think. And that was before the market was cra-cra.
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