Seven games remain in the regular season. My gut is telling me we've seen the last of Edu in a Union shirt.
Just you guys watch Edu will score the winning goal after being subbed in the last minute of extra time in the MLS Cup.
Over the course of the last few months I have seen the following names as "players not expected to return." 1) Edu 2) Barnetta 3) Sapong 4) Pontius Anyone else I'm missing? Seems like a fairly big hit to take unless Big Earn has something lined up for the off-season. That's 21G, 11A combined right there. 44% of this year's GF.
I could agree with Barnetta and Edu, but why Pontius and Sapong? Or, moreover, why Pontius? His career has gotten back on track this season. Maybe he'll be up for a contract renegotiation. Gotta remember, he was being courted by the mighty LA Galaxy, and chose to stay on the east coast ... even though he's a Cali boy.
I think a lot of these are fan created ideas that have been repeated often enough that they become "truths". Aside from a crazy money transfer (which for a 27 year old forward with no name recognition isn't going to happen), Sapong will be back. As good as Pontius has been he is still under-performing his current salary, and as a 29 year old with a history of injuries he might be willing to take a pay cut to play here. If Edu can ever come back healthy I think they'll do their best to keep him to bridge to the Derrick Jones era. The Alberg acquisition may be foreshadowing that Barnetta is leaving at the end of the year, but who knows, he's the captain and he certainly seems happy (at least happier than Noguiera). They may all stay or they may all leave, I don't think we have enough good information either way. It's been very tough to guess what Earnie is going to do, but I think we can all agree he'll be cutting ties with Anderson as soon as possible.
Pontius is absolutely a sell-high Earnieball candidate. I'd expect to lose Blake before Sapong though.
Started to rep, then realized: Chris is out of contract. Perhaps that's a blessing in terms of the expansion draft, but you can't sell high/low what you won't own.......... It always comes down to money. Pontius may win his gamble. If Blake won't extend, he gone after the season. No way Philly lets him play out his walk year w/o compensation. To me, the acquisition of Bedoya was the clearest signal yet Barnetta isn't likely to change his mind either. Enjoy those 3, and hopefully Mo the rest of the way. CJ isn't likely to have a suitor willing to cough up enough to offset a new Striker search. Finding it really hard to see the others in the Navy come 2017. *Chris being the best bet, but not a great one.
Got a tip from a source a few minutes ago - "two Union news items to drop in the next 24 hours, one player related, one off-field"— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 30, 2016 I think so, yea. I'm way out of the loop but same source gave me the Le Toux trade information https://t.co/gMCnyvtRbd— Kevin Kinkead (@Kevin_Kinkead) August 30, 2016
They own his MLS rights even if he's out of contract. LAFC has buckets of GAM and I'm pretty sure he's from there. One of many scenarios that would make sense.
It's less fan created and more they are all out of contract in an expansion draft year. Edu on $750k as a "bridge" to anyone seems like good money after bad. I guess the part I'd question is Pontius underperforming his contract. Let's take a look at the MLS goals leader board: 1 Giovinco 16. $7.1M 2 BWP 16 $710k 3 Villa 16 $5.6M 4 Piatti 14 $425k 5 Larin 13 $177k 6 Adi 13 $712k 7 Dwyer 12 $618k 8 Valeri 10 $550k 9 Pontius 10 $411k 10 Kamara O 10 $457k Only Larin makes less and has produced more. Get Pontius on a discount? I'd fire my agent if I didn't get a two year deal with a significant raise. Last year, no Pontius, no playoffs. This year? The U took a gamble at 400 and he performed at a rate that players twice that make. He's the Scott Hatteberg of MLS. Thanks for the shoutout. I looked for you Saturday as I walked past 109 on my way to business class.