He just signed a new contract with the Timbers, presumably raising his salary. No idea what it's at now, but, as good as he was this season, the Timbers FO must have a decently calculated risk going. I hope.
I agree that Dike is worth the risk, but in general, I don't see much value on the board. Most of the existing teams have successfully protected what was worth protecting. Incidentally, Montreal came out of the 2011 expansion draft with only two players (Mapp and Sinovic) who are still MLS starters today, and the participants in 2010 expansion each came away with only one current MLS starter, Vancouver (Salinas) and Portland (McCarty). Can't imagine there are many long-term starters on the board this time, either.
At double his last salary he's still a bargain. Left backs are always in demand, and Villafaña might be the best crosser as a fullback in the league.
Collen Warner was drafted from RSL by Montreal in 2011, and started 28 games in 2014 (9 for MTL, 19 for TFC). Still not a great haul at three players, but better.
If I'm the manager of Orlando or NYCFC, here's who I select. General rules the expansion teams should follow: 1) Pick no more than 1 International - no need to waste those spots on hopes and dreams. 2) Pick no more than 1 player making over 200k - most of those are overpaid. 3) Avoid players over 32 (if possible). 4) Don't pick goalkeepers - they are relatively easy to find on the open market. Last year's salary in parentheses. 1. Patrick Ianni (150k) 2. Benji Joya (53k) 3. Jared Jeffrey (71k) 4. Conor Doyle (49k) 5. Corey Ashe (175k) 6. Heath Pearce (100k) 7. Patrick Mullins (100k) 8. Kenny Cooper (265k) - I will be shocked if someone doesn't pick him. Proven goal-scorer at decent price. 9. Sal Zizzo (91k) 10. Tony Cascio (105k)
Actually, Vancouer picked some quality players in their expansion draft - S. Nyassi, Alan Gordon, Joe Cannon, Shea Salinas, Atiba Harris. All solid MLS players. It was almost like Portland didn't even try in theirs, picking two players who were overseas and generally picking up crap. But there are more teams, and more players, and more good players now than in 2010 or 2011. A smart GM could pick up 4-5 real contributors from the group left unprotected.
Why stop at 2010? In the 2008 expansion draft, the Sounders got Brad Evans (still a starter 6 seasons later), Jeff Parke (took a season before he signed with the club, but he was an instant starter when he actually signed with the club), Nate Jaqua (Starter in the inaugural season, but not after that), James Riley (Starter until he was taken by Montreal in the 2011 expansion draft, but continued to be a starter until this season for other teams).
So in the case of Salcedo, he isn't a HG signing. You'll notice Osorio isn't on that list either, which makes sense. I don't see anything anywhere saying that Osorio was signed as a HG. It's important to remember that "HG" is not a roster designation. There is no "graduating" from HG, as least not in the way that GA players graduate. You were either acquired by the HG method or you weren't and that is the sum total of what it means to be HG. However, there are special two HG slots which players acquired by the HG rule may fit into. The rest must fit into the regular roster rules. Outside two those slots, it's purely a method for acquiring players. There is some confusion as to whether a HG player who has signed a second contract is no longer HG. Again, this is not the case. A practical example is Jack McBean. While there wasn't an official mention of him signing a new contract, he certainly signed one in the 2013-2014 Off-Season. He made $55k in 2011, $70k in 2012 and $80k in 2013, with $21k of extra compensation in each of those years (his annualized signing bonus, agent fees, etc). In 2014, he made $48.5k with no annualized compensation. This can only be a new contract. He still is "HG" because he was acquired by the method and no other reason. He is automatically protected still because he's in one of the 21-24 slots. Now, it does appear the second contract means something. My hunch (and reading the wording on the MLS Roster Rules) is that a player on his second contract cannot occupy one of the two special HG slots. McBean is auto protected because he's off budget despite being on his second contract, while Hamid is not auto protected because he's on DC's On-Budget roster. If Hamid had signed a $48.5k contract, he could have occupied one of the 21-24 slots on DC's roster and been automatically protected. That would also explain why Fagundez wasn't automatically protected. I don't have a good answer for why Speas isn't automatically protected, though. Columbus has 4 players on min ($36.5k) contracts who must occupy 4 of the 6 slots that make up the 25-30 range of the roster. The 5th is occupied by Will Trapp via one of the HG slots. The 6th should logically be Speas in the 2nd HG slot but I can't find a good reason why he's not in that slot. Perhaps Trapp's $152k and Speas' $65.1k guaranteed compensations being more than you're able to spread between those two off budget HG slots. That, however, seems unlikely considering McBean and Zardes made $283k combined in 2013.
Russell Teibert also signed a new deal yet is on the exempt list. However, perhaps he is still exempt because that deal doesn't take effect until 2015. (He signed it July 2014.)
It's admittedly subjective, but I don't see a similar level of surplus talent in the current draft. Let's look at the where the players you've listed were in their careers when the Sounders drafted them. Evans was a 23-year-old on a dirt-cheap contract who had been starting for the team that won MLS Cup and the Supporters Shield. Parke was a 26-year-old on a cheap contract who already had 126 career starts. Riley was a 26-year-old on a dirt-cheap contract who already had 77 career starts. Jaqua was a 27-year-old on a moderately expensive contract who already had 32 MLS goals, plus experience with the national team and in Austria. In terms of youth, salary, and accomplishments, where are the players who fit similar profiles in the current draft?
Speas was on the senior roster. - Not sure anyone knows why apart from the previous regime. Trapp, Barson and Lampson are on the supplemental roster.
The overarching rule about HGs seems to be whether or not they are off the "Supplemental Roster". It seems that most, but not all improved contracts push a homegrown player off the Supplemental Roster. Someone like Davy Armstrong, who signed a second contract but isn't exactly making megabucks, would stay on the Supplemental.
Here is a quick mock with some thoughts as to who else might be on OCSC and NYCFC's draft boards: 1. Orlando City - Patrick Mullins - F (NE) (pulls back Steve Neumann - F) 2. New York City - Corey Ashe - D (HOU) (pulls back David Horst - D) 3. Orlando City - Ben Speas - M (CLM) (pulls back Aaron Schoenfeld - F) 4. New York City - A.J. Soares - D (supposedly headed to Europe - could be like Okugo's move to essentially force a trade to get more $ in MLS from a more willing team) - (NE) (NE Out) 5. Orlando City - Kenny Cooper - F (SEA) (pulls back Michael Azira - M) 6. New York City - Ned Grabavoy - M (RSL) (pulls back Chris Wingert - D) 7. Orlando City - Dan Gargan - D (LA) (pills back Alan Gordon - F) 8. New York City - Benji Joya - M (CHI) (pulls back Sanna Nyassi - M) 9. Orlando City - Jorge Villafana - D (POR) (pulls back Jack Jewsbury - M) 10. New York City - Chris Korb - D (DCU) (pulls back Davy Arnaud - M) 11. Orlando City - Jackson - M (TOR) (pulls back Mark Bloom - D) 12. New York City - Jalil Anibaba - D (SEA) (SEA out) 13. Orlando City - Adam Moffat - M (FCD) (pulls back Hendry Thomas - M) 14. New York City - Thomas McNamara - M (DCU) (DCU out) 15. Orlando City - Brian Span - M (FCD) (FCD out) 16. New York City - Zac MacMath - G (PHI) (pulls back Rais M'Bolhi - G) 17. Orlando City - Cordell Cato - M (SJ) (pulls back Adam Jahn - F) 18. New York City - Jacob Peterson - M (SKC) (pulls back Jorge Claros - M) 19. Orlando City - Jeff Attinella - G (RSL) (RSL out) 20. New York City - Bright Dike - F (TOR) (TOR out) No picks from COL, MON, NY and VAN. Others who could get drafted besides the pull back players: CHI - Greg Cochrane - D, Patrick Ianni - D COL - Gale Agbossumonde - D, Kamani Hill - M, Carlos Alvarez - M, Charles Elondou - F CLM - Ben Sweat - D, Eric Gehrig - D DCU - Jared Jeffrey - M, Eddie Johnson - F FCD - Raul Fernandez - G HOU - Joe Willis - G, Samuel Inkoom - D, Servander Carrasco - M LA - Kenney Walker - M MON - Donny Toia - D, Futty Danso - D NE - Darius Barnes - D, Tony Taylor - F NY - Armando Lozano - D, Peguy Luyindula - F PHI - Austin Berry - D, Danny Cruz - M, Pedro Ribeiro - F POR - Donovan Ricketts - G, Bryan Gallego - D, Gaston Fernandez - F RSL - Carlos Salcedo - D, Sebastien Velasquez - M, Devon Sandoval - F SJ - Jon Busch - G, Atiba Harris - M SEA - Dylan Remick - D, Zach Scott - D, Leo Gonzalez - D SKC - Sal Zizzo - M, Toni Dovale - M, Soony Saad - M TOR - Dominic Oduro - F VAN - Carlyle Mitchell - D, Mehdi Balouchy - M SKC should be getting one of Orlando's picks back as the future considerations in the Collin trade - might be a goalie (Ricketts, Busch, Fernandez, MacMath) or perhaps one of their own players (i.e. Peterson, Claros or Zizzo), especially if it is an early pick, to allow them to essentially have 13 protected before NYCFC gets a shot at them.
I wonder how accurate the list on MLSsoccer.com is? It shows Thierry Henry as available Makes me wonder how many other players that aren't under contract it has on the list.
technically Henry, and all other expiring contracts are good till 31 Dec, thus making them eligible for expansion draft
It looks like retired players like Donovan, Brunner and Hahnemann did not make the list - Henry has not officially retired so he makes the list.
And, for those that doubted it, Marky Delgado is protected by the Homegrown Player clause even though he's with a new team.
It might have more to do with his injury. I'm thinking the team will keep him on until he's cleared, then he can formally retire. Not 100%, mls rules are crazy to me.