Any update on who may be transferring? Given it's out of season for MLS, I'd expect that this list would be heaviest with MLS transfers. Off the top of my head, here are the players looking to move to a higher level Long Cannon Pomykal MRobinson Horvath Any update or missing players?
My wish list for movers... Ethan Horvath (GK) - Reported Bundesliga or Eredivise... so long as he’s a #1. Tyler Miller (GK) - I have heard rumors he might leave. I think it would be good for him to distinguish himself from the pack if he can latch onto a decent side and be the #1. Plus, LAFC would be okay without him. I would be okay with a move to Holland, Belgium, or Germany2. He wouldn’t qualify for a WP. Brady Scott (GK) - Another GK who is not likely to secure a #1 spot where he’s at. If I’m him, I’d push for a LOAN to Scandinavia to build up his market value. Matt Freese (GK) - Apparently our best u23 keeper, but he’s going to be stuck behind Blake again. Now, this is where I see MLS needs to get better about loans inside the league. Portland, Nashville, RSL, Houston, or NYRB would be preferred destinations. Reggie Cannon (RB) - In my opinion, he’s outgrown MLS and risks stagnating if he doesn’t get out now. Bundesliga or Eredivise are best choices. I wonder if he qualifies for a WP; if so, an ambitious Championship side wouldn’t be terrible. Aaron Long (CB) - Rumor has it that Southampton are interested. Let me say, that would be fantastic. Daniel Lovitz (LB) - Okay, so maybe I’m being cynical, but I kind of want him to go because it’s the only way I believe Berhalter might stop calling him up so much. Regardless, he should consider England now that he qualifies for a WP. That said, I’d say League One or League Two is his level. Sebastian Anderson (RB) - With Rosenberry at Colorado, I’d like to see Anderson go ahead and make the leap. If he could find a team like Jong Ajax, or Jong PSV, who were interested in developing him, that would be most ideal. Julian Araujo (RB) - Pretty much the same story with Araujo. Shaq Moore (RB) - I want this one to come back to America. Nashville or Miami should make a hard push for him. Andrew Gutman (LB), Manny Perez (RB) - are they going to Celtic already? Matt Polster (CDM, RB) - return to MLS. Nashville or Miami? Matthew Olosunde (RB) - Maybe wait until the summer, but c’mon man! League One isn’t going to cut it. Might as well come home to MLS. Desevio Payne (RB) - He might not be good enough for MLS at this point. But it could help his career. Brendan Hines-Ike (CB, RB) - one of the struggling MLS clubs or expansion teams might could use him. Besides, he’s not been good enough to get recognized for the NT in Belgium. Fabian Johnson (LB/RB, LM/RM) - One of the Expansion teams should consider TAM for him. Hell, I’d consider him for Atlanta, as an Atlanta fan. Jackson Yuiell (CM) - I’d wait until the summer, but he needs to take his game to the next level. I see him wanting to make at a club the level of Freiburg. James Sands (DM) - I don’t see this one this year. But I want him to be ready next year for a big move to the Bundesliga or equivalent. Keaton Parks (CM) - Obviously, he’s not Benfica level, but I’d like to see stay in the Portuguese first tier and make a name for himself. Christian Cappis (CM) - I think the next move for him is Belgium, Netherlands, or German second tier. Chris Durkin (CDM) - make his move permanent. Paxton Pomykal (CM) - Bundesliga all the way for him. At least, Belgium or Netherlands. Despite the injury, he’s ready and he needs to go now and not later. Brenden Aaronson (CM) - Not this year, but next year, he needs to follow the path Pomykal should take. Andrew Carleton (AM) - He needs a change of scenery, and it needs to be outside MLS. I would think he could latch on in Denmark, and prove himself from there. Timothy Tillman (AM) - His career is stalling in Germany, and it would be worth it to see if he can rekindle the fire in America. Mukwalle Akale (L/RW) - Similar to Tillman, except he’s not making it in Spain. Time to see if he can make a name in the U-S-of-A Romain Gall (L/RW, AM) - So, his first stint in MLS was unsuccessful but he’s now older and with expansion teams needing some firepower; it makes sense for him to return. Rubio Rubin (FW) - I question if he’s even good enough for MLS anymore, but it may be his last option. Gboly Ariyibi (L/RW) - MLS teams could always use someone with some speed, and it’s not like he’s setting the world on fire in Europe. Kenny Saief (LM) - I don’t know what’s going on with Saief, but his career has nosedived. He already had one unsuccessful MLS stint, but maybe a different club might be a better fit. I’m thinking someone like San Jose, Houston, New England, or Colorado would be his best choices. Clubs that I’ve been around long enough, but are far from the top of the pack. Nick Taitague (L/RW) - Once touted in the same discussion as McKennie, Pulisic, Adams, and Sargent; his career has been derailed by injuries, and maybe other factors. I’m hoping he can come to MLS and be some club’s Lletget. Sebastian Soto (FW) - More than anybody, he needs to move somewhere. Preferably, I’d say an ambitious Eredivise side. Jeremy Ebobisse (FW) - If I’m Ebobisse’s agent, I’m demanding that if Portland brings in a CF that they sell Ebobisse. I don’t know if a Europe move would be good. But I would think he could do well at Inter Miami or as a replacement for Wondolowski at San Jose. Bobby Wood (FW) - Bobby, what are you doing???? Whatever he fell into at Hamburg, he needs to get out. Ideally, he comes to MLS. DC United would be a good pick with the absence of Wayne Rooney.
Saucedo is heading to LigaMx. Cannon has confirmed interest from LigaMx, the EPL, and the C'ship. Busio has confirmed interest from Serie A and other top leagues. Cole Bassett had confirmed interest from the B1. If it's true he is on $3 million per year then I wouldn't suprised if Bobby Wood stays put to run down that contract. Sabbi has confirmed interest from bigger teams/leagues. Long had EPL interest.
I sure hope Cannon goes to a big 4 Euro team. Mexico and the C'ship don't seem to improve our defenders very much although it could be more of an indication that they aren't good enough to play in a higher league.
I wonder if it isn't more a matter of our managers not respecting those leagues as much. And, these days it may be hard for Berhalter to use one of his precious non-SuMLS passes on a LMX or Cship guy.
Most just haven't been world beaters. If a guy is sort of starting out like Miazga I can see giving him a shot but eventually to be a force on the national they should be a starter on a big 4 mid level team or above. Of course we don't always have those type of players and need to dig deeper in lesser leagues. Last cycle we hit rock bottom in a talent wave and now it appears we're about to ride a huge wave that's just about here.
I dunno ….. Alvarado is supposedly playing real well in LMX (a far better league than SuMLS). He won't get a sniff. Lichaj should have many more caps than he does. I think that there is some consensus that Holmes is getting snubbed. Antonee Robinson is surely better than Lovitz. CCV probably warrants a look …..
The C'ship is essentially a second top-7 European league within the same country. http://financialfootballnews.com/championship-2018-finances-wages/
I expect Long to leave. Cannon should leave too. I doubt Pomykal ever goes to Europe. I doubt Morris or Lletget would leave their cozy spots. I don't think anyone would want Arriola, Zimmerman, Lima, Roldan, or Trapp. I think Lovitz will be in USL or retired by this time next year. Sands and Djorde might move. The former plays for a club that would move him and the latter does not. Man City should buy Parks from Benfica and loan him to a good team in Belgium or Holland. Or wherever Torrent goes for his next job, they should buy him. Taitague is in good form and healthy. Can he make it to the winter break? Then, can he go through the Spring with Schalke 2? I don't think Wagner's system would be good for him, so then he would do well moving to a more technical type team. I think Fabian Johnson could come to MLS. I don't think any of the younger players need to pull that rip cord yet. Hyndman showed you can try for a long time and then easily get a job here. Olosunde is playing well and young, he should try and move into the Championship. Polster just got minutes for Rangers, maybe he is making progress.
With FCD bringing in Thiago Santos, Servania and Cerillo should look to get out. Of course, they probably can't and will sit around this year. Too bad for Servania as he had momentum at the end of the last season. He will probably play sporadically this year and then get sold to Colorado and that will be the end of that. Curious move by FCD.
what makes you doubt pomykal moving abroad? as for lovitz, i could see him getting drafted in every expansion draft for like the next eight years. one new franchise per year gets a free lovitz for a year, like a toaster from the bank.
Yeah, we'll have to see on Pomykal but IF he can stay healthy this coming year and play at least as good as he did last year offers should come. One difference is FCD has a new GM (sometime in 2019) and I don't know how he thinks. Stories point out he was with a Brazilian team that had to sell players to Europe but seeing is believing after thinking Hyndman would emphasize youth since he coached college for so long. Meaning how you think someone will operate because of their past may not happen.
When was the last over 20 years old field player to leave mls that worked out well for the buying team? Adams and Davies were teenagers and those are our two recent success stories.
I wonder if this is about the same for any mid-20s players transferring from a 2nd tier league to a top 4 league. We don't see many 25-year-olds move from the Championship to the EPL and make a big splash. Someone like Vardy is the exception that proves the rule.
Great point - I don't mean to single out just MLS. It's just apparent that not much should be expected after someone is in the minors much past 20 years old, let alone 25. That tempers expectations on the following players: Long Cannon MRobinson One key point that you've made: there certainly are exceptions but that actually proves the rule!
I watched Southampton play West Ham for about 5 minutes last weekend and all they did was play old school English kickball. Other than "it's EPL" not sure what the attraction is.
I don't know about the "attraction" but both of those teams would kick the s*** out of any MLS/B2/Championship team over a 10 game series. Not particularly close.
caveat caveat caveat caveat all these "worked out wells" or "made a splash" so that if someone does stick we can delete them off the list too because they didn't become the dominant fixture in EPL. who does. particularly in their first year. yedlin went abroad at 22. there are plenty of dempseys and mcbrides and friedels and howards in our history before him. adams is kind of moving the goalposts because he signs at 16 and is a 4th year pro when he goes abroad. he is on that track record basis ushered right into leipzig's first team because he's the functional equivalent of a kid who signed at 18 going abroad at 21 or 22. he's not being signed as much for promise. he's being signed for already being there. i think you're confusing a down ebb with reality. the development hole of the 2010s has implications for understanding how things work. if for several years you produce crap, one could argue, "Europe isn't buying our midcareer players." if the tap then goes back on, because the development machine got fixed, you will then make some correcting argument. it could be as simple as, "did you really want to buy nagbe? trapp?" what were we offering for that period. if we get back on track the dempsey machine is magically working again. i also think the age argument, as i discussed on adams, is misleading. i pushed back yesterday on the College Soccer is Dead theories. however, if more players are going pro in their teens, as opposed to after some college or even finishing, you would see the mid-career transfer window increase in time, and player moves shifting from late 20s to around age 20. a player who signed from college age 23, plays 2 years MLS, goes abroad, does so age 25. a player who signs at 16, plays 2 years here, goes abroad, does so age 18. they have the same pro tenure. they are both now midcareer. they are 7 years' difference. i also think that at all but the most elite teams a kid with a track record that boosts his transfer fee is likely signed more like a midcareer player on production than some fresh signee going straight to the age group team. thus adams versus davies. poorer teams are not signing a bunch of redundant prospects, and even at rich ones, to me if you sign someone with 4 years' experience and they end up in your U23 side you may have made a mistake.
Yeah, I agree. I think generally there's that window from the late teens to early 20s where a player's game can take a big step forward, but after that, they start getting locked into the level they're going to be at. I know people on here have made the case that Americans generally might be late bloomers because of the tendency to play at least some college ball, so you see guys like Dempsey and Cameron going over to the EPL relatively late and doing well, but I'm not sure that's still as applicable, or maybe it never was applicable, and Dempsey and Cameron were just exceptional cases.
I can barely understand what you write. If your point is that Yedlin was the most recent and best example of an over-20 minor leaguer who was successfully bought, I think that proves the point. To wit, he was bought by Spurs for $4m in 2014 and sold for $6.6M in 2016. Not bad but quite some time ago and wasn't a resounding victory - let's not forget that I'm one of Yedlin's primary defenders by simply saying he's gets far too much trash for an EPL regular. Dempsey and McBride? They have very little bearing on today FFS.