2020 MLS Cup Champions 2021 Roster Thread

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

Well, with today's moves it means the 2020 season is officially over and 2021 is upon us. What a ride!

So I do not know if the mods want to bring over some of the Evan Bush and beyond discussion from the other thread (and the Dee Haslam appreciation), or not.

So, we do not have new roster rules & regs yet. And the salary info is still 2019. But I will work with what I have. If there is a better, up to date salary source (TransferMarket?) I will gladly take a look. But here is where we are at the end of 2020, with Bush included. And Van & Montreal are covering a portion of his salary, so I am hoping he is Supp Roster eligible.

https://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post...keeper-evan-bush-trade-vancouver-whitecaps-fc

A. General Stuff:

1. Salary Cap = $4,900,000
A) On Budget: Only Senior Roster Spots count against the Cap
B) 20 player max, subject to exceptions for Season Ending Injury, Injury List, and Loans.
C) Up to 20 Senior Roster spots. 18 must be filled. Min budget charge is made if spots 19 & 20 are not filled.
D) Max budget charge is $612,500. GAM/TAM Allocation $$ and DP rules can reduce a player's budget charge below their listed salary number.
E) Off-Budget: Supplemental (21-24) and Reserve (25-30) Rosters do not count towards the salary cap.

I. Estimated Roster Compositions
1. Senior Roster: 20/18-20 Players:

A) 20 Player max on Senior Roster, subject to Season Ending Injury List, Disabled List, and Loan exceptions.
B) Generally, this is the highest 20 paid players, though HG players and GA players can be on other rosters.
C) Union still only has Sept 2019 Salary Data up.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$
1. Zelarayan, M, 28, 6/20/92, 5'8", 154, Argentina, DP, INT#1, $1.5 mil+/$1.5 mil+
2. Zardes, F, 29, 9/2/91, 6'1", 187, USA, DP, $1,421,667/$1,471,667
3. Mensah, D, 30, 7/13/90, 6'2", 183, Ghana, GC: $800,004/$894,004
4. Santos, M, 32, 4/22/88, 5'6", 139, Portugal, DP, Int#2: $817,560/$864,560
5. Nagbe, CM, 30, 7/19/90, 5'9", 165, USA/Liberia, $665,500/$665,500.
6. Mokhtar, M, 29, 8/29/91, 5'9", 159, Morocco, Int#3, $459,996/$533,845.
7. de Lima (Artur), M, 24, 3/11/96, 5'11", 154, Brazil, GC: $360,000/$411,633
8. Afful, D, 34, 7/24/86, 5'6", 135, Ghana, GC, $288,100/$363,800
9. Room, GK, 31, 2/6/89, 6'3", 179, Curacao & NED, Int#4, $300k/$354,694.
10. Diaz, M, 22, 12/6/98, 5'11", 159, Costa Rica, Int#5, YDP, $300k/$333,900.
11. Valenzuela, D, 22, 8/13/98, 5'6", 145, Argentina, GC: $290,000/$321,300
12. Wormgoor, D, 32, 11/16/88, 6'2", 179, Netherlands, INT#6, $???/$???.
13. J. Williams, D, 32, 4/18/88, 6'2", 185, USA: $215,000/$215,000
14. Adi, F, 30, 10/10/90, 6'4", 185, Nigeria, GC, $205,000 (of 1,933,333).
15. Jimenez, D/M, 32, 11/3/88, 5'9", 145, USA, $200,000/$200,000
16. Alashe, CM, 27, 10/21/93, 6'0", 170, USA, $190,000.
17. Boateng, M/F, 26, 1/17/24, 5'6", 150, Ghana, GC, $185,000.
18. W. Francis, D, 30, 9/20/90, 5'9", 160, Costa Rica, GC, $160,000/$199,167
19. Cadden, D/M, 24, 9/19/96, 6'0", 168, Scotland, INT#7 $56,250/same (2019)
20. Nemeth, F, 31, 1/5/89, 5'11", 165, Hungary, INT#8.
21. Bush, GK, 34, 3/6/86, 6'1", 185, USA, $294,666 (2019).
-----------

2. Supplemental Roster: Slots 21-24. 4 of 4 Players.

A) Up to 4 players. Do not count vs. salary cap. Subject to SE Injury Replacement, Disabled List, and Loan exceptions.
B) May include Senior Minimum Budget Players ($81,375), Generation Adidas players (who may earn more), and Homegrown Players (who may earn more). Must make at least $81,375.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$

21. Tarbell, GK, 27, 10/7/93, 6'3", 193, USA, $200k/$235k (assuming pay cut).
22. Etienne Jr, M, 24, 11/25/96, 5'10", 160, Haiti/USA, $77,063/$82,063.
23. Lampson, GK, 31, 9/6/89, 6'3", 190, USA, $70,250/$70,250
24. Kempin, GK, 27, 4/8/93, 6'1", 175, USA: $71,664/$71,664.
---------------

3. Reserve Roster: 25-28. 4 of 4.

A) Players must be either earning the Reserve Minimum Salary ($63,547) or be Homegrown Players earning more via the HG Subsidy.
B) Players must be 24 or younger during the League YEAR. As determined by Year of birth, not date (I am not sure what this means exactly, is someone who turns 25 during the season eligible or not?).
C) Senior Min Players & GA Players cannot occupy these spots.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age, DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$

25. Keita, D, 20, 4/6/00, 6'2, 180, USA, HG, $90,000/$110,000
26. Hamilton, F, 24, 3/17/96, 6'0", 176, Canada, HGI, $124,992/$137,659
27. Berry, F, 23, 9/16/97, 6'3", 180, Spain/USA, $???/$???.
28. Lillard, D, 25, 12/5/95, 6'4", 195, USA, $97,500. (Miami HG).

-----------------------------------------

4. HomeGrown Reserve Roster (29-30). 2 of 2.

A) Must be Homegrown Players.
B) Same Budget & Age rules as Reserve Roster 25-28 players.
C) HG player salary for Supplemental players is xapped at +$125k above the Reserve or Senior Min salary (dependong on which roster they are on.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$
29. Berhalter, CM, 19, 5/10/01, 5'9", 155, USA, HG, $???/$???.
30. Morris, M, 19, 11/16/01, 5'10", 158, USA, HG, $???/$???.
---------------

5. Designated Players: 3 of 3

Zardes, Santos, Zelarayan.

Zardes & Santos both could be bought down with TAM. MLS has Nagbe as the 3rd DP instead of Santos.
---------------------------

6. International Roster Spots: 8 of 8.

Zelarayan, Santos, Room, Diaz, Wormgoor, Mokhtar, Cadden, Nemeth.

Hamilton DOES NOT count as an International. Home Grown International Rule. Etienne is dual US/Haiti.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/league/official-rules/mls-roster-rules-and-regulations
------------

8. Green Card Holders = 7.
Mensah, Afful, Valenzuela, Francis, de Lima (Artur), Adi, Boateng.
--------

9. Homegrown Players = 5.

Keita, Morris, Berhalter.

Hamilton was a HG for TFC. Lillard a HG for Miami. Apparently they both still count.
------

Any comments and/or corrections welcome. As always.

Crew96Fan · Dec 14, 2020

https://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post...p-winning-columbus-crew-sc-roster-return-2021

Exercised Option:
Room
Afful
Lillard
Valenzuela
Williams
Etienne
Santos
Berry

Under Contract:
Bush
Kempin
Lampson
Cadden
Keita
Mensah
Wormgoor
Artur
Berhalter
Diaz
Morris
Nagbe
Zelarayan
Zardes

Declined:
Tarbell
Alashe
Mokhtar
Hamilton
Nemeth

Out of Contract:
Francis
Boateng
Jimenez
Adi

Bill Archer · Dec 14, 2020

110toyourleft said: ↑

https://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post...p-winning-columbus-crew-sc-roster-return-2021

"The Crew simultaneously announced that it has declined the contract options of goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell; midfielders Fatai Alashe, Emmanuel Boateng and Youness Mokhtar; along with forwards Jordan Hamilton and Krisztian Nemeth. Defender Waylon Francis, midfielder Hector Jimenez and forward Fanendo Adi are all out of contract. The Club will remain in dialogue with players out of contract."

So they're just letting Tarbell walk I guess.
Click to expand...

The odds are that at least a couple of them will re-sign. Bez is saying that he doesn't want them at their current price, not that he doesn't want them.

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

Is the title too confusing? I wanted Cup Champs in there, but did not want to anger the Soccer Gods by claiming a 2021 title (MLS Cup Champs 2021 Roster Thread).

Bill Archer · Dec 14, 2020

I am so grateful that we don't have to let someone go to Austin. I would really hate that.

As a thought experiment for one of you roster gurus, if the Crew was subject to the expansion draft, who are the twelve you would protect?

(Also note that "Option Declined" players are eligible for the Expansion Draft)

kgilbert78 · Dec 14, 2020

Bill Archer said: ↑

The odds are that at least a couple of them will re-sign. Bez is saying that he doesn't want them at their current price, not that he doesn't want them.
Click to expand...

Don't the declined players have to go through a draft first?

the_rickler · Dec 14, 2020

I love that it’s looking like we’ll keep most of the band together. Tarbell has been a stud for us as a backup so I’d hate to see him go but Bush is a good keeper as well and will be a very suitable backup.

kgilbert78 · Dec 14, 2020

the_rickler said: ↑

I love that it’s looking like we’ll keep most of the band together. Tarbell has been a stud for us as a backup so I’d hate to see him go but Bush is a good keeper as well and will be a very suitable backup.
Click to expand...

And probably a mentor for the academy team and Crew 2, if and when.

TKyle · Dec 14, 2020

TrueCrew said: ↑

Well, with today's moves it means the 2020 season is officially over and 2021 is upon us. What a ride!
So I do not know if the mods want to bring over some of the Evan Bush and beyond discussion from the other thread (and the Dee Haslam appreciation), or not.
Any comments and/or corrections welcome. As always.
Click to expand...

Moving a bunch of posts from the other tread over here--from the news of Busch forward. Big thread dump incoming!

TrueCrew said: ↑

Is the title too confusing? I wanted Cup Champs in there, but did not want to anger the Soccer Gods by claiming a 2021 title (MLS Cup Champs 2021 Roster Thread).
Click to expand...

It's a little clunky, but I got it on the second read. LMK if you want to change it.

Edit: D'OH! Posts in the 2020 thread posted before your opening post will pre-cede your opening post, so I dumped all of those back into the 2020 thread.

catfish9 · Dec 14, 2020

I would be content if they were able to bring any of these guys back, likely at lesser pay:

Alashe - Still young and could get some minutes in USOC

Mokhtar - Had high expectations, while he didn't disappoint me, I think he was not happy. But with CCL & USOC he would get a lot more PT

Boateng - I like what I saw in the limited action would be good USOC/CCL minutes

Nemeth - I like what I saw in the limited action USOC/CCL minutes and While Gyassi is away with Nats

Francis - Old but reliable vet, Cadden can easily replace

Of the above, I'd most like to see Mokhtar stick around.

Fine with letting them walk:

Hamilton

Adi

Wish he could stay but at his age, it's time to move on. Probably good for him to make one last decent paycheck:

Jimenez

I would say the big winner with these roster moves will be Cadden. With Francis and Jimenez gone, he will be that sub.

CybrSlydr · Dec 14, 2020

I agree that an elite winger should be our next focus. Maybe a RB with Afful getting up there in age (and I'm older than he is... lol).

CD is set with Mensah, Williams, Keita. Maybe another depth signing there.

Backup CF would be nice too, an actual threat off the bench and giving Zardes some rest on occasion.

Midfield is set with Artur, Nagbe, and Morris/Berhalter as depth. A non-Santos backup for Zelerayan would be good too.

Depth is important now that we have CCL and Open Cup to play for.

Any academy folks on the radar for a call-up?

Minnman · Dec 14, 2020

From the other thread:

110toyourleft said: ↑

https://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post...p-winning-columbus-crew-sc-roster-return-2021

"The Crew simultaneously announced that it has declined the contract options of goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell; midfielders Fatai Alashe, Emmanuel Boateng and Youness Mokhtar; along with forwards Jordan Hamilton and Krisztian Nemeth. Defender Waylon Francis, midfielder Hector Jimenez and forward Fanendo Adi are all out of contract. The Club will remain in dialogue with players out of contract."

So they're just letting Tarbell walk I guess.
Click to expand...

And Jimenez, presumably. Although as a long-term MLS vet, he's earned a right to play wherever he wants. In some dark and stupid way, I'd almost rather he go to Austin on a free transfer rather than the Crew work with them on a trade.

As far as the guys who might come back under restructured contracts, I'm in alignment with @catfish9 more or less. Nemeth, Boateng maybe Alashe would be at the top of my list. Francis, if he's interested in playing a back-up role here. He was surprised to see he's only 30.

I, too, liked Mokhtar, but obviously something just wasn't working, or maybe he told the club he wanted to go back to Europe. Who knows?

In any event, this club will go into 2021 with a great shot at repeating. Whether we can keep the core together going into 2022, I have no idea. It's pretty damned remarkable that virtually none of our core players are out of contract going into next season.

zman31 · Dec 14, 2020

Bill Archer said: ↑

I am so grateful that we don't have to let someone go to Austin. I would really hate that.

As a thought experiment for one of you roster gurus, if the Crew was subject to the expansion draft, who are the twelve you would protect?

(Also note that "Option Declined" players are eligible for the Expansion Draft)
Click to expand...

1. Zelarayán
2. Zardes
3. Mensah
4. Nagbe
5. Artur
6. Diaz
7. Valenzuela
8. Morris
9. Keita

After that...pick 3 favorites. Besides being big and aggressive, I don't recall Woormgoor being some incredible talent. Now he's a year older and coming off a serious knee injury. I'm on record on my thoughts on Santos. I think 2 speedy wingers with Zelarayán playing his best makes us better than a possession based winger. I think with Etienne in place of Santos that we may have accidentally started our best 11 (Nagbe for Morris of course, but Aiden was a beast).

I keep Morris and Keita as young guys who contribute and the rest of our central core. After that. whatever, the team will be good.

kgilbert78 · Dec 14, 2020

Again, I think all of these players have to go through the re-entry draft first before we could consider re-signing them--at least the declined contract players.

Minnman · Dec 14, 2020

These announcements always feel somewhat shocking. And, obviously, some of these guys will never play for the club again. For comparison, here's what we did last year:

Crew SC exercised the options of defenders Waylon Francis, Hector Jimenez and Jonathan Mensah; as well as midfielders Luis Argudo, Pedro Santos and Wil Trapp. Crew SC reached new contract agreements with goalkeeper Jon Kempin and defender Josh Williams, who will return to the Club in 2020.
Click to expand...

Argudo was lost in the expansion draft.
Trapp was sent to Miami.
Francis, Jimenez and Kempin didn't play much of a role in 2020.

The Black & Gold simultaneously announced that they have declined the contract options of goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard; defender Alex Crognale; and midfielders David Guzman, Edward Opoku and Eduardo Sosa. The Club is also currently in negotiations with out-of-contract defender Harrison Afful. Midfielders Ricardo Clark and Federico Higuain are out of contract. Decisions regarding options on defender Connor Maloney and forward Jordan Hamilton as well as on out-of-contract forward Romario Williams will be decided in November when roster decisions are due.
Click to expand...

Afful came back, obviously. Hamilton, too.

Anyway, I'd expect at least couple of the guys on the "option declined/out of contract" list to be back next season.

I also assume 1-2 of the guys on the "option exercised/under contract" list to be playing elsewhere in 2021.

CBusAlex · Dec 14, 2020

the_rickler said: ↑

I love that it’s looking like we’ll keep most of the band together. Tarbell has been a stud for us as a backup so I’d hate to see him go but Bush is a good keeper as well and will be a very suitable backup.
Click to expand...

I'd imagine Tarbell will be looking for someplace where he has a better chance at starting.

Crew96Fan · Dec 14, 2020

CybrSlydr said: ↑

Any academy folks on the radar for a call-up?
Click to expand...

Some of the bigger names off the top of the my head

Noah Hall
Elton Chifambe
Sam Sarver

Chifamba is the most likely. All 3 are USYNT pool players.
https://www.reddit.com/r/TheMassive/comments/cl5o74/academy_player_elton_chifamba_born_in_2003_is/

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

So, here we go:

A. Options picked up = 8. Santos, Afful, Room, Valenzuela, Williams; Etienne; Berry, Lillard.

The first 5 guys were Senior Roster guys already, so they stay there. Etienne was Supplemental, so his option could make him a Senior guy. Or not. Berry is a Reserve player and Lillard Reserve/HG. I'd expect both to remain Reserve players.

B. Still under contract = 14. Zelarayan, Zardes, Nagbe, Mensah, Artur, Wormgoor, Diaz, Cadden; Bush, Lampson, Kempin; Keita, Morris, Berhalter.

The first 8 were Senior Roster guys last year. That brings us to 13. Maybe 14 if Etienne got a raise. Bush could go either way. His 2019 salary is easily Senior level, but that could be out of date, & MON/VAN are paying some of his salary next year. Maybe 15 SR guys. Maybe 13.

Lampson & Kempin were Supp roster last year. Assuming they stay there with the same contracts. Ditto Keita, Morris, & Berhalter who are all Reserve/HG guys.

C. Out of contract/negotiations = 4. Jimenez, Francis, Boateng, Adi.

All Senior Roster guys. All make pretty good money. Adi did not show much, but is a Porter guy. Would happily have the others back. Will they be happy as backups? Rumor has Jimenez going to Broccoli FC. But I could see a path for them returning.

D. Options Declined = 5. Mokhtar, Alashe, Nemeth; Tarbell; Hamilton.

Like Bill says, there could be a path back for some, if the price is lower. First three are Senior guys. No starters. Mokhtar made $500k so that was expected. If Morris/Seb can play, Alashe is an expensive #5 CM. Nemeth is a tweener for the system. Tarbell is the surprise. And a Supp player. Don't see a path with the Bush move. Hamilton showed nothing. Do not see him returning.

FWIW, we are down to 6 INT slots with Mokhtar & Nemeth having options declined. 2 open.

So, best guesses:

A. General Stuff:

1. Salary Cap = $4,900,000
A) On Budget: Only Senior Roster Spots count against the Cap
B) 20 player max, subject to exceptions for Season Ending Injury, Injury List, and Loans.
C) Up to 20 Senior Roster spots. 18 must be filled. Min budget charge is made if spots 19 & 20 are not filled.
D) Max budget charge is $612,500. GAM/TAM Allocation $$ and DP rules can reduce a player's budget charge below their listed salary number.
E) Off-Budget: Supplemental (21-24) and Reserve (25-30) Rosters do not count towards the salary cap.

I. Estimated Roster Compositions
1. Senior Roster: 20/18-20 Players:

A) 20 Player max on Senior Roster, subject to Season Ending Injury List, Disabled List, and Loan exceptions.
B) Generally, this is the highest 20 paid players, though HG players and GA players can be on other rosters.
C) Union still only has Sept 2019 Salary Data up.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$
1. Zelarayan, M, 28, 6/20/92, 5'8", 154, Argentina, DP, INT#1, $1.5 mil+/$1.5 mil+
2. Zardes, F, 29, 9/2/91, 6'1", 187, USA, DP, $1,421,667/$1,471,667
3. Mensah, D, 30, 7/13/90, 6'2", 183, Ghana, GC: $800,004/$894,004
4. Santos, M, 32, 4/22/88, 5'6", 139, Portugal, DP, Int#2: $817,560/$864,560
5. Nagbe, CM, 30, 7/19/90, 5'9", 165, USA/Liberia, $665,500/$665,500.
6. de Lima (Artur), M, 24, 3/11/96, 5'11", 154, Brazil, GC: $360,000/$411,633
7. Afful, D, 34, 7/24/86, 5'6", 135, Ghana, GC, $288,100/$363,800
8. Room, GK, 31, 2/6/89, 6'3", 179, Curacao & NED, Int#4, $300k/$354,694.
9. Diaz, M, 22, 12/6/98, 5'11", 159, Costa Rica, Int#5, YDP, $300k/$333,900.
10. Valenzuela, D, 22, 8/13/98, 5'6", 145, Argentina, GC: $290,000/$321,300
11. Wormgoor, D, 32, 11/16/88, 6'2", 179, Netherlands, INT#6, $???/$???.
12. Williams, D, 32, 4/18/88, 6'2", 185, USA: $215,000/$215,000
13. Cadden, D/M, 24, 9/19/96, 6'0", 168, Scotland, INT#7 $56,250/same (2019)
14. Bush, GK, 34, 3/6/86, 6'1", 185, USA, $294,666 (2019).
15.-20. Open

Bush could be Supplemental if MON/VAN are covering a significant part of his salary. Move makes mire sense that way.
-----------

2. Supplemental Roster: Slots 21-24. 4 of 4 Players.

A) Up to 4 players. Do not count vs. salary cap. Subject to SE Injury Replacement, Disabled List, and Loan exceptions.
B) May include Senior Minimum Budget Players ($81,375), Generation Adidas players (who may earn more), and Homegrown Players (who may earn more). Must make at least $81,375.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$

21. Etienne Jr, M, 24, 11/25/96, 5'10", 160, Haiti/USA, $77,063/$82,063.
22. Lampson, GK, 31, 9/6/89, 6'3", 190, USA, $70,250/$70,250
23. Kempin, GK, 27, 4/8/93, 6'1", 175, USA: $71,664/$71,664.
24. Open (Bush?)
---------------

3. Reserve Roster: 25-28. 4 of 4.

A) Players must be either earning the Reserve Minimum Salary ($63,547) or be Homegrown Players earning more via the HG Subsidy.
B) Players must be 24 or younger during the League YEAR. As determined by Year of birth, not date (I am not sure what this means exactly, is someone who turns 25 during the season eligible or not?).
C) Senior Min Players & GA Players cannot occupy these spots.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age, DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$

25. Keita, D, 20, 4/6/00, 6'2, 180, USA, HG, $90,000/$110,000
26. Berry, F, 23, 9/16/97, 6'3", 180, Spain/USA, $???/$???.
27. Lillard, D, 25, 12/5/95, 6'4", 195, USA, $97,500. (Miami HG).
28. Open
-----------------------------------------

4. HomeGrown Reserve Roster (29-30). 2 of 2.

A) Must be Homegrown Players.
B) Same Budget & Age rules as Reserve Roster 25-28 players.
C) HG player salary for Supplemental players is xapped at +$125k above the Reserve or Senior Min salary (dependong on which roster they are on.

Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$
29. Berhalter, CM, 19, 5/10/01, 5'9", 155, USA, HG, $???/$???.
30. Morris, M, 19, 11/16/01, 5'10", 158, USA, HG, $???/$???.
---------------

5. Designated Players: 3 of 3

Zardes, Santos, Zelarayan.

Zardes & Santos both could be bought down with TAM. MLS has Nagbe as the 3rd DP instead of Santos. He could also be bought down.
---------------------------

6. International Roster Spots: 6 of 8.

Zelarayan, Santos, Room, Diaz, Wormgoor, Cadden.
------------

8. Green Card Holders = 5.
Mensah, Afful, Valenzuela, Francis, de Lima (Artur).
--------

9. Homegrown Players = 4.

Keita, Morris, Berhalter, Lillard.

Lillard a HG for Miami. Apparently that still counts.

10. Out of Contract (4)
1. Adi, F, 30, 10/10/90, 6'4", 185, Nigeria, GC, $205,000 (of 1,933,333).
2. Jimenez, D/M, 32, 11/3/88, 5'9", 145, USA, $200,000/$200,000
3. Boateng, M/F, 26, 1/17/24, 5'6", 150, Ghana, GC, $185,000.
4. Francis, D, 30, 9/20/90, 5'9", 160, Costa Rica, GC, $160,000/$199,167

11. Options Declined (5)
1. Mokhtar, M, 29, 8/29/91, 5'9", 159, Morocco, Int#3, $459,996/$533,845.
2. Alashe, CM, 27, 10/21/93, 6'0", 170, USA, $190,000.
3. Nemeth, F, 31, 1/5/89, 5'11", 165, Hungary, INT#8.
4. Tarbell, GK, 27, 10/7/93, 6'3", 193, USA, $200k/$235k (assuming pay cut).
5. Hamilton, F, 24, 3/17/96, 6'0", 176, Canada, HGI, $124,992/$137,659

Will keep the OOC/Declined guys listed until they go somewhere else.
--------

Any comments and/or corrections welcome. As always.

catfish9 · Dec 14, 2020

zman31 said: ↑

1. Zelarayán
2. Zardes
3. Mensah
4. Nagbe
5. Artur
6. Diaz
7. Valenzuela
8. Morris
9. Keita

After that...pick 3 favorites. Besides being big and aggressive, I don't recall Woormgoor being some incredible talent. Now he's a year older and coming off a serious knee injury. I'm on record on my thoughts on Santos. I think 2 speedy wingers with Zelarayán playing his best makes us better than a possession based winger. I think with Etienne in place of Santos that we may have accidentally started our best 11 (Nagbe for Morris of course, but Aiden was a beast).

I keep Morris and Keita as young guys who contribute and the rest of our central core. After that. whatever, the team will be good.
Click to expand...

Only commenting appease Bill, but Keita and Morris I believe would have been protected in Expansion draft being HG signings. So basically we would have the guys we have announced as keeping under contract and left the other we just let go be available in expansion draft. So it actually wouldn't have likely hurt us this yr.

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

zman31 said: ↑

1. Zelarayán
2. Zardes
3. Mensah
4. Nagbe
5. Artur
6. Diaz
7. Valenzuela
8. Morris
9. Keita

After that...pick 3 favorites. Besides being big and aggressive, I don't recall Woormgoor being some incredible talent. Now he's a year older and coming off a serious knee injury. I'm on record on my thoughts on Santos. I think 2 speedy wingers with Zelarayán playing his best makes us better than a possession based winger. I think with Etienne in place of Santos that we may have accidentally started our best 11 (Nagbe for Morris of course, but Aiden was a beast).

I keep Morris and Keita as young guys who contribute and the rest of our central core. After that. whatever, the team will be good.
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IIRC, HGs are exempt from expansion drafts. Might be limited to HG contract length. But Keita, Morris, & Seb should all be safe.

Smithsoccer1721 · Dec 14, 2020

Here is what I would do but not what I think the team will do. Apologize for upfront for the lengthy post

I immediately sign Noah Hall, Sam Sarver, and Elton Chifamba.

I don't even try to sign Alashe, Boateng, Jimenez

Basically we get 3 players who do not count against the salary cap and don't lose a lot if anything ont he field.

Sarver is a Boateng replacement. Speed to burn and a very direct player. He is committed to Indiana but should be signed. He has a higher ceiling than Boateng and similar on the field characteristcs.

Chifamba could slide into the midfield rotation of Morris and Berhalter as backups/depth players. He is a top 10 player in his age group for a lot of people who follow that stuff. He may have plateaued a little over the last year but he needs to be in a professional setup ASAP. This gives us a very young core of midfielders to see which one takes the steps to be a high-end MLS player. Alashe will never be that and shouldn't impede on someone who can.

Hall would be a suitable depth player behind Afful and even Cadden (he might be better played elsewhere). Fills a depth position and can continue to develop.

MLS teams are starting to figure out that it makes no sense to have an academy and then not get players on the field as early as they can. Philly and Dallas are figuring this out first.

Reggie Cannon/Brian Reynolds's example is the perfect model to consider. Dallas missed their best window to sell Cannon because of his salary and MLS rules it would be hard to replace him without spending a bunch more. Finally, they realized (he pushed) it was best to sell him. They sell him to Bovista and keep 50% of his rights. He is already getting attention from bigger teams. This is a crucial moment for Dallas. They can go out and get a journeyman player to fill the right-back spot for a season or two why they let Reynolds develop. He really hasn't played much at right back anyway. Instead, they trust their process and he starts this season. Now they have multiple bids for him and are likely to sell him for something approaching 7 million this offseason.

I realize we are not in the exact same situation but you can't block the path for development with these young players, especially by signing the Alashe's and Boateng's of the world.

the_rickler · Dec 14, 2020

Smithsoccer1721 said: ↑

Here is what I would do but not what I think the team will do. Apologize for upfront for the lengthy post

I immediately sign Noah Hall, Sam Sarver, and Elton Chifamba.

I don't even try to sign Alashe, Boateng, Jimenez

Basically we get 3 players who do not count against the salary cap and don't lose a lot if anything ont he field.

Sarver is a Boateng replacement. Speed to burn and a very direct player. He is committed to Indiana but should be signed. He has a higher ceiling than Boateng and similar on the field characteristcs.

Chifamba could slide into the midfield rotation of Morris and Berhalter as backups/depth players. He is a top 10 player in his age group for a lot of people who follow that stuff. He may have plateaued a little over the last year but he needs to be in a professional setup ASAP. This gives us a very young core of midfielders to see which one takes the steps to be a high-end MLS player. Alashe will never be that and shouldn't impede on someone who can.

Hall would be a suitable depth player behind Afful and even Cadden (he might be better played elsewhere). Fills a depth position and can continue to develop.

MLS teams are starting to figure out that it makes no sense to have an academy and then not get players on the field as early as they can. Philly and Dallas are figuring this out first.

Reggie Cannon/Brian Reynolds's example is the perfect model to consider. Dallas missed their best window to sell Cannon because of his salary and MLS rules it would be hard to replace him without spending a bunch more. Finally, they realized (he pushed) it was best to sell him. They sell him to Bovista and keep 50% of his rights. He is already getting attention from bigger teams. This is a crucial moment for Dallas. They can go out and get a journeyman player to fill the right-back spot for a season or two why they let Reynolds develop. He really hasn't played much at right back anyway. Instead, they trust their process and he starts this season. Now they have multiple bids for him and are likely to sell him for something approaching 7 million this offseason.

I realize we are not in the exact same situation but you can't block the path for development with these young players, especially by signing the Alashe's and Boateng's of the world.
Click to expand...

This is what worries me about Morris. No way he replaces Nagbe but he’s shown that he can start on an MLS team right now. Nagbe has at least 3 good years left and those are 3 crucial years in Morris’s development.

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

Depth chart:

GK: Room; Bush; Lampson, Kempin
FB: Afful, Valenzuela; Cadden
CB: Mensah, Wormgoor; Williams, Keita, Lillard.
CM: Nagbe, Artur; Morris, Berhalter
WM: Santos, Diaz; Etienne, (Cadden)
CAM: Zelarayan; (Santos), (Nagbe)
CF: Zardes; Berry

22 of 30 spots filled. 13-15 of 20 Senior spots.. 2-4 of 4 Supplemental. 5 of 6 Reserve. 6 of 8 INT.

Best depth: GK, CB
Worst depth: CF, LB
Best spot for new DP: Wide mid
Secondary depth needs: Nagbe light

Smithsoccer1721 · Dec 14, 2020

the_rickler said: ↑

This is what worries me about Morris. No way he replaces Nagbe but he’s shown that he can start on an MLS team right now. Nagbe has at least 3 good years left and those are 3 crucial years in Morris’s development.
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I would call Morris more of an Artur replacement than Nagbe but I think he can play both

TrueCrew · Dec 14, 2020

Smithsoccer1721 said: ↑

Here is what I would do but not what I think the team will do. Apologize for upfront for the lengthy post

I immediately sign Noah Hall, Sam Sarver, and Elton Chifamba.

I don't even try to sign Alashe, Boateng, Jimenez

Basically we get 3 players who do not count against the salary cap and don't lose a lot if anything ont he field.

Sarver is a Boateng replacement. Speed to burn and a very direct player. He is committed to Indiana but should be signed. He has a higher ceiling than Boateng and similar on the field characteristcs.

Chifamba could slide into the midfield rotation of Morris and Berhalter as backups/depth players. He is a top 10 player in his age group for a lot of people who follow that stuff. He may have plateaued a little over the last year but he needs to be in a professional setup ASAP. This gives us a very young core of midfielders to see which one takes the steps to be a high-end MLS player. Alashe will never be that and shouldn't impede on someone who can.

Hall would be a suitable depth player behind Afful and even Cadden (he might be better played elsewhere). Fills a depth position and can continue to develop.

MLS teams are starting to figure out that it makes no sense to have an academy and then not get players on the field as early as they can. Philly and Dallas are figuring this out first.

Reggie Cannon/Brian Reynolds's example is the perfect model to consider. Dallas missed their best window to sell Cannon because of his salary and MLS rules it would be hard to replace him without spending a bunch more. Finally, they realized (he pushed) it was best to sell him. They sell him to Bovista and keep 50% of his rights. He is already getting attention from bigger teams. This is a crucial moment for Dallas. They can go out and get a journeyman player to fill the right-back spot for a season or two why they let Reynolds develop. He really hasn't played much at right back anyway. Instead, they trust their process and he starts this season. Now they have multiple bids for him and are likely to sell him for something approaching 7 million this offseason.

I realize we are not in the exact same situation but you can't block the path for development with these young players, especially by signing the Alashe's and Boateng's of the world.
Click to expand...

Good post. Agree that is incredibly helpful when teams can get valuable contributions from guys who do not count vs the cap (Etienne, Tarbell, Keita, Morris, Berhalter).

I am gonna say one thing, we do not have a lot of spots at the bottom of the roster. So some guys may need Senior contracts.
There are 6 Reserve spots. We have 4 HGs on the roster already (Keita, Morris, Berhalter, Lillard), plus Berry, last year's draft pick. One of those three could slot easily in there.

But that would leave 2. The Supplemental Roster last year was Etienne, Tarbell, Lampson, & Kempin. Etienne's option got picked up, he could be senior level now. Tarbell got released & Bush brought in. My thinking was the benefit to VAN/MON paying part of his salary was to free a Senior Roster spot. Kempin was loaned last year, that could free a spot.

One of Etienne, Bush, or Lampson taking a Senior spot is not the end of the world. But the question is, is the 2nd/3rd best of these prospects gonna contribute more than those players (or a Senior roster guy) this year?