We don't need to use any allocation money of any sort to keep Zardes for 2016. He's under contract and his salary is low enough that with the increase in HG budget (which is $250k now) that his salary is completely covered by that HG budget. If he signs a new contract that's above max, that's a different kettle of fish (it creates so many problems that it's just not a realistic option) but we'll cross that line if/when we get to it. Letting Zardes walk at the end of the year is a far more desirable situation than signing him to a max+ contract in 2016. We don't have the cap room and we still could stand a shot at re-signing him come the end of the year. If we don't, we still retain his MLS rights. The new TAM rules presumably mean that Omar would need to take a paycut, yes. Considering his lack of options and that this is his last year, he may accept a salary cut this year if it meant a few more guaranteed years of a salary he'd not be guaranteed elsewhere. $1m a year for a few more years, guaranteed, is nothing to sneeze at considering he's out of contract at the end of the year and lost a lot of buzz (and fallen out of national team favor) since he signed his contract.
Omar is gone, to Pachuca: http://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2015/1...fender-omar-gonzalez-cf-pachuca?autoplay=true Probably best for all involved. We're lucky to have found a buyer after the crap season he had! Looking forward to see what we do for the coming year.
If the Galaxy keep sacrificing player quality for marketing appeal, I might find myself wandering over to LAFC (and I can't believe I just wrote that).
AJ knows what's up. One last thing before I take a nap... 34-9-16 when paired in central defense 🐸🍺 pic.twitter.com/FwTk2jyawV— AJ DeLaGarza (@AJD_20) December 22, 2015
One (truly) final thing I wanted to say in this thread-- Remember that if Omar badly wanted to stay here, he could have, just with a substantial pay cut for the coming year, the last of his contract. So his leaving is his decision, and rightfully so, to maximize his earnings and possibly develop as a player. As well, in leaving now he gets the club/league a transfer fee. So business wise this is the best for both parties. Also, this whole situation with his DP status changed when Gio came, not Gerrard. So blaming Gerrard only makes sense if you're looking at it from the standpoint of this current offseason, during which you might believe the club should dump Gerrard to make space for Omar at a full DP contract. However obviously I don't believe Omar since the World Cup had justified that level of salary and taking of a full DP spot. Yes I know some of you disagree. Also, the club is not going to dump Gerrard, for a number of unjustifiable reasons, and also a number of justifiable reasons. I would say give Gerrard the standard first full season as a foreign DP to see if he comes good. It's not at all surprising that he ran out of gas last year. Judge him this coming season. For the record, I hated his signing from the start and expected nothing from him, so I was actually pleasantly surprised by his initial production. Let's be honest- we were never winning the Cup last season. Gelling a new squad like that in a few months to ramp up for the playoffs was unrealistic. This season is the true goal. Also, have faith in Romney. And we have a better (at least marginally) keeper this coming year. Lletget is under contract and will have a full preseason under his belt, just like Gerrard. And I'm guessing Gyasi will stay for at least 6 months, probably the whole year, before we sell him. Even if he doesn't, the young attacking players behind him in the squad seem promising. The future looks bright.
Bummed for AJ and for me. It is true that Omar might have been a little overpaid, but it is also true that based on his early career dominance, it wasn't far off what was required to keep him in MLS. And make no mistake, he was an elite MLS CB despite all of the "but he should be doing more" thinking, and a major component to our little run of MLS cups. With Donovan gone from the attack, Sarvas out of the midfield, and now Omar gone, and our GK another twilight veteran, it is official - the spine of our team is gone and it is time to rebuild it. The disappointment for me is that if MLS hadn't cheaped out in the last CBA, Omar would probably be staying. I don't think we were all that far apart in dollar signs - it was more of a salary management issue and it is a shame that our team and in the big picture, the league, is weaker because of some $400K in salary. Keeping great players, especially those developed in MLS, in the domestic league is what will build the league up longterm. Not high profile overpriced signings.