Mckennie and Juve finally signed a new deal https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/48041376/usmnt-weston-mckennie-signs-new-juventus-deal-2030
I see a ton of guys who were budget signings and simply aren’t very good. Play this game: How many of these guys would start on a reasonably good MLS team? It’s a roster of journeymen-quality players, for the most part.
The 7 international spots are a total disaster. We are getting next to nothing from just about the entire list.
We have some (well maybe only a couple) players that could be complimentary on a good team but without much better players around them, they stink and arent workhorses/xDawg guys
To add to the rest of the doom and gloom correctly pointed out above, I’d just like to remind everyone there’s likely only 2 league games left here from our best player this year (by far) Max Arfsten. He will quite likely be sold and need replaced after the World Cup. Even with the return of Bez(PLEASE make that official soon!)-things are so bleak there’s just no light at the end of the tunnel right now.
A couple years back the MLS website surveyed a collection of the usual suspects and came up with a list of the top five players in the league at every position. The Crew had a top five player at every single position and TWO at outside midfielder. If they did the same survey today, aside from Arfsten does the Crew have anyone who would make the cut? The roster in Columbus is simply not good enough to compete. A little tinkering around the edges isnt going to do it. And Issa Tall has show exactly zero ability to do a damn thing about it.
Its pretty staggering how much work needs done this summer to get this roster to a respectable place. Im bored so Ill try listing them in order of importance: 1)Gazdag sold and replaced with a productive attacker. With everything else on fire around the roster its easy to gloss over that theres still a completely wasted DP spot here. If this team wants to have any shot to do anything at all your high priced players need to produce. This guy is still out there just getting his cardio in about once every other week. Fix this first, and get it right, and other shortcomings can be papered over. 2)The defense. Good grief. Its so gross. I dont know what there is to salvage here. Like others have pointed out, the captain Zawadski hasnt absolved himself of any blame so far. At a bare minimum Camacho needs to get glued to the bench and a new much younger and faster and hopefully bigger center back brought in. Moreira isnt anything above average now. Amundsen is hurt regularly, and again, league average when healthy. All of those spots could use an upgrade. Right back/center back/left back. 3)Arfsten is our best player and will probably be sold this summer. With the needs above, and taking into account how this team has operated for several years, it wouldnt surprise me if they didnt bother signing a replacement until the winter. If at all. Its going to be difficult to find a versatile and productive winger/fullback. When things get hard, this front office takes a nap. Hopefully Bez changes that. Im not holding my breath. 4)Central mid. Good god I hate Gomes so much. I hate that there were already 20 other issues to fix and Issa Tall did us the favor of going out and signing another issue to fix. And paid him almost a million dollars for the headache. Its so staggeringly stupid to sign this absolute potato when you have an aging and glacially slow defense you should be trying to protect, and it is equally infuriating that the coach would even bother playing him when hes so obviously a total statue. Chambost/Bangoura needs to be the starting central midfield, and even that will only be respectable if all the issues above are fixed and fixed well. 5)Stop playing Herrera as a dadgum winger/wide midfielder. It aint working and its never going to work. Hes barely playable as a fullback now. Just let his loan expire and give those reserve minutes to a youth. 6)Picard has elevated himself to a locked in starter at left wing. That sucks! Even after scoring oodles of goals against a 12th division side-he still sucks! He shouldnt be anything more than depth, a bench option. Sit this absolute melt back on the bench and get someone real out there. Thats the entire spine of the team, plus the wings. And some depth. Also the coach seems like a nice guy but has sucked so far. Sell/replace Schulte? Other than all that though we're just one or 2 pieces away!
With Crew Rhino saying Bez arrives in May, I don’t necessarily expect the team to do him any favors with an announcement ; ) . Jury is still out about when the team will go public with it.
As long as he starts on friday I dont care who knows. Issa can't have full control over another transfer window.
This bit of news got lost in the recent matchday uh... excitement, but fret no more, my friends. Reinforcements are on the way: https://www.sarasotaparadise.us/new...islav-lapkes-to-parent-club-columbus-crew-sc/
I love that they haven’t been called “Columbus Crew SC” since before the Sarasota Paradise were even founded, yet they still used the wrong name! Just look the team name up!
I heard Glen Crooks call us Columbus Crew SC during his broadcast last Sunday. The name will never go away.
Chase is technically an offer roster homegrown (roster spot 32). So there are limits on appearances. However presthus was too, so they must have switched him out for Brown who was on the full roster.
He's 23, he has a lot of time to get acclimated to the league, as a smaller dude it is harder to get into the flow of an aggressive league. He's getting there. I feel like y'all are bitching about him and not thinking about his age. Or do you need someone to be awesome by that age? JFC not everyone i perfect. We also signed Picard from overseas. I'm sure that explains the higher salary, needing to attract him to come to MLS. He was clearly thought of as a project.
Well, a run to the USOC semis for the first time since 2010 has roused me from my performance-based roster doldrums. A lot has happened since the last one. Aliyu back to Houston, which opened a U22 spot. Abou-Ali's injury, which COULD open a DP, INT and Senior roster slot if we choose to utilize them. Bez's return. Chambost extended thru 2029 (and there much much rejoicing, not). Lapkes recalled, and thus no longer in the stash spot (Roster #31). I am not gonna put WAA on the injured list..yet. But we should. We need that roste/INT/DP slot. IF we did so, that would open up both a DP slot and an INT slot, though a logjam would be created for next tear on the DP front when he returns. But keep in mind, that is an option. Maybe once the window opens and Bez is officially back. The salary release revealed some interesting stuff. First, Hagen makes more than Sen Min so I do not get how he is on Supplemental. MLS' roster profile has him there, but I do not see how. Either it is a mistake or I am missing something. If someone has a clue, help me out. IF Hagen is Senior, we are full until WAA goes on IR. Sejdic is double Sen Min. He has to be Senior. Both Ruvalcaba and Pruter are non-HGs making Senior Min, so they have to be in Slots 21-24. We have room, even with Hagen there, but it means Taha has to be in Slots 25-30. Where Lapkes has to be now that he is recalled. Slot #31 is open. To sum up, we may or may not have an open Senior roster spot with the Hagen question. But we certainly can/should/will create one by putting WAA in season-ending IR. That would also open up an INT slot and a DP slot. We also have an open U22 spot. Supplemental 21-30 is all full if Hagen is Supplemental. 1 open if not. The loan slot is open. A lot of new info and moving stuff around, I am sure I messed something up. But is should be closer. ---------- I. Roster Links A. MLS Spring 2026 Roster Profiles https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/majo...ter-profiles-following-2026-roster-compliance B. 2026 MLS Roster Rules & Regs https://www.mlssoccer.com/about/roster-rules-and-regulations C. Fall 2025 Salary Info Will update when the Spring list comes out. https://mlsplayers.org/resources/salary-guide -------------------- II. Signed Roster A. Senior Roster (1-20). 19 of 20. Counts vs the salary budget of $6,425,000. Max salary budget charge is $803,125. Teams not required to fill spots 19 & 20. A minimum salary budget charge is imputed vs the club for unfilled spots below 18. In addition to the $6.425 mil budget, teams can spend outside this figure via GAM, TAM, DP & U22 costs outside the Salary Budget, and the Supplemental Roster costs. Rank, Player, Pos, Age, DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$, Guar $$ 1. Wessam Abou Ali, F, 27, 1/4/99, 6'1", 172, Denmark/Palestine, DP, INT#1. $2,775,000/$3,611,750. Thru '27, O '28. 2. Diego Rossi, WF, 28, 3/5/98, 5'7", 143, Uruguay, DP, GC. $2,775,000/$3,476,827. Thru '26, '27 O. 3. Daniel Gazdag, AM, 30, 3/2/96, 5'10", 168, Hungary, DP, GC. $2,049,996/ $2,647,635. Thru '27, O '28. ------------ 4. Patrick Schulte, GK, 25, 3/13/01, 6'5", 200, USA, TAM. $900k/$1,032,083. Thru '27, TO in '28. 5. André Gomes, CM, 32, 7/30/93, 6'3", 185, Portugal, INT#2, $875k/$971,944. TAM. Thru 6/27, O '27-'28. 6. Steven Moreira, D, 31 8/13/94, 5'10", 159, France/Cape Verde Islands, GC/V, TAM. $840k/$922k. Thru '26. 7. Sean Zawadzki, M, 26, 4/21/00, 6'0", 160, USA. $800k/$900,500. TAM. Thru '30. 8. Max Arfsten, F/W, 25, 4/19/01, 6'1", 172, USA. $800k/$895k. TAM. Thru '30. 9. Hugo Picard, F/M, 23, 5/09/03, 5'6",160, France, U22#1, INT#3. $685k/$781,244. $200k cap. Thru '28, CO '29. 10. Malte Amundsen, WB, 28, 2/11/98, 5'10", 179, Denmark, GC. $675k/$757,500. Thru '27. 11. Andres Herrera, FB/WB, 27, 11/03/98, 5'10", 165, Argentina, INT#4, TAM. $650/ $727,632. Loan thru summer '26. O to buy. 12. Dylan Chambost, MF, 28, 8/19/97, 5'10", 154, France, GC/V. $600k/$695,250. Thru '29. 13. Yevhen Cheberko, CB, 28, 1/23/98, 6'0", 166, Ukraine, GC. TAM. $610k/$658,250. Thru '26 (June). O for rest of '26. 14. Nariman Akhundzada, F, 22, 4/23/04, 6'1", 172, Azerbaijan, U22#3, INT#5, U22. $550k/$633,389. $200k cap. Thru '28/29. 15. Sekou Bangoura, CM, 24, 4/5/02, 5'8", Guinea, INT#6, TAM. $450k/$542,167. Thru '29, O '30. 16. Mohamed Farsi, D/M, 26, 12/16/99, 5'10", Algeria/Can, INT#7. $500k/$530k. Thru '27, O '28. 17. Jamal Thiare, F, 33, 3/31/93, 6'0", 154, Senegal, GC. $500k/$530k. Thru '26. 18. Rudy Camacho, CB, 35, 3/5/91, 6'1", 174, France, INT#8. $350k/$415k. Thru '26. 19. Amar Sejdic, CM, 28, 11/29/96, 5'10", 159, Germany/USA. $200k/$214,550. Thru '26. ---------------------- 20. Open/Hagen? Vet Min could be Senior or Supplemental. Bush is in that category. But Hagen makes too much. I don't get how he is Supplemental. B. Supplemental Roster (21-31) Does NOT count versus the salary budget of any team. All Generation Adidas players are Supplemental Players during the initial guaranteed term of their contract. 1) Spots 21-24. (Supplemental). 4 of 4. All players in Slots 21-24 must make a base salary at least equal to the Senior Minimum Salary ($113,400 in 2026). These slots may be filled with: Senior Min players ($113k) which may include: i) HGs, ii) Gen Adidas, iii) designated Superdraft eligible players, or iv) Homegrown players who may or may not earn more than Sen Min due to the HG Subsidy. Players in slots 21-24 must make at least $113,400. Rank, Player, Pos, Age, DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar $$ 21. Nicholas Hagan, GK, 29, 8/2/96, 6'4", 176, Guatemala/USA. $165k/$183,600. Thru '26, O in '27 & '28. 22. Evan Bush, GK, 40, 3/6/86, 6'1", 187, USA. $113,400. Thru '26. 23. Ceasar Ruvalcaba, D, 24, 7/13/01, 6'2", 170, USA, $113,400. Thru '26, O in '27. 24. Luke Pruter, GK, 24, 9/3/01, 6'5", 207, USA. $113,400. Thru '26, O thru '28. -------------- Hagen seems to be making too much for Supplemental. The rule does say may be filled with...but Hagen isn't ver min, nor any other categories listed. We do have room on the Senior if necessary. 2) Slots 25-30. (Reserve). 6 of 6. Must be paid a base salary of at least the Reserve Min salary ($88,025). Must be 24 years of age or younger during the league year (by year of birth). May be filled with Reserve Min players ($88,025) which may include GA's earning Reserve Min, HGs, or HG's earning more than Reserve Min via the HG subsidy. Cannot be filled with Sen Min Players (unless a HG earning more via HG subsidy). HG subsidy is $125,000 per year in aggregate. Plus $200k of GAM/TAM can be used to sign HGs to their 1st contract. Rank, Player, Pos, Age,DOB, HT, WT, Nat, Desig(s), Base $$/Guar 25. Taha Habroune, M, 20, 2/5/06, 5'8", 168, USA, HG. $140k/$152k. Thru '27, O '28. 26. Cole Mrowka, MF, 20, 4/6/06, 5'11", 165, USA, HG. $113,400/$133,408. Thru '26. TO '27 & '28. 27. Stanislav Lapkes, GK, 20, 3/3/06, 6'4", 176, Belarus/USA, HG. $95,400/$114,490. Thru '27. O '28/'29. 28. Quinton Elliot, D/M, 22, 1/03/04, 5'10", 159, USA, HG. $88,025/$92,668. Thru '26, O '27-'29. 29. Tristan Brown, M, 18, 10/17/07, 5'11", 159, USA, HG. $88,025/$92,389. Thru '28, O in '29 & '30. 30. Zach Zengue, MF, 22, 1/30/04, 5'9", 160, USA, $88,025. Thru '26, O thru '29. ----------------- C. Loan/Stash Roster: (Slot 31). 0 of 1. Slot 31 can be filled by a player 24 or younger who is on a season long loan to a lower division club in in the USA or Canada, provided his Budget Charge is </= the Sen Min Charge ($113.4k) and the MLS club does not exercise any recall options during the MLS season (save for short term call-ups). 31. Open ----------- D. Off Roster Homegrowns. No limit. (2) Must be 21 or younger during league year. Once moved to Senior/Supplemental Roster, cannot revert back to Off-Roater HG. Can only be active in MLS as short term call-ups for 6 games. Can be active for non-MLS games (USOC, CCC, LC, etc.). 1. Chase Adams, CF, 17, 4/17/08, 6'0", 160, USA, HG, $88,025/$114,303. Thru '29, O '30. 2. Owen Presthus, D, 19, 2/21/06, 5'10", 154, USA, HG, $88,025/$94,216. Thru '27, O '28. ---------------- III. International Players (8 of 8) Abou Ali, Gomes, Farsi, Camacho, Picard, Bangoura, Herrera, Cheberko. New verbiage for 2024, do NOT need a Green Card. "For a player to be considered a Domestic Player in the applicable season, residency must be established, or the player has to have appeared for an immigrant visa interview by the opening of the Secondary Transfer Window." https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-...new-sporting-initiatives-ahead-of-2024-season ------------ V. Green Card Holders/Counts as Domestic (8). Rossi (Green Card), Gazdag (not an INT slot), Moreira (no longer listed), Chambost (no longer listed), Thiare (not listed as INT, presume GC), Hagan (USA parent/ passport), Amundsen (GC), Cheberko (GC). Moreira started counting as domestic on the Fall 25 roster profile update, along with Chambost. ------------ VI. DP + U22 Initiative Slots (5 of 6) Team can choose 2 paths. One, 3 DPs + 3 U22s. Two, 2 DPs plus 4 U22s + $2 mil in GAM. Teams must decide by the close of the transfer window this year and start of the year going forward. DP Budget charge is $803,125. If joins in Secondary Window, then half that. Young DP: 20 & under $150k, 21-23 $200k. Young DP Secondary eillwindow = $150k. DPs = 3 of 3 1. Rossi 2. Ali 3. Gazdag U22s = 3 of 3 1. Picard 2. Akhundzada U22 must be 21 in the year he is eligible to play forst game (N/E if turns 23 that year). U22 players count vs the Budget as young DPs: $150 if 20 ir younger $200k at 22-25. Can continue to occupy the slot until the year they turn 25. Salary cannot exceed Max Budget unless it is a HG/Superdraft on 2nd contract, who can earn Max Budget +$200k. Clubs may pay acquisition costs without limit (out of pocket, no GAM/TAM). Crew choose 3+3 path for 2025, but can change midseason. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-announces-significant-roster-rule VII. Homegrown Players (7) Habroune, Brown, Mrowka, Lapkes, Adams, Presthus, Elliot. The following players all carried HG designations last year: Habroune, Brown, Mrowka, Lapkes, and Zawadzki. This year, when we signed Adams, Presthus, & Elliot, they were referred to as HGs. ------
Just wanted to tack on that the roster rule requires the player be placed on the season ending injury list before the second window opens (July 13). So, no great hurry. But still, we have an approaching deadline to make that decision if we're interested in signing a replacement this summer.
Great point. Signing a DP level WAA replacement will make for tricky decision next year when Wes is back. Assuming he is good to go for the 2027 sprint season (big IF), we have to think in terms of fit around Rossi + WAA going forward. Not a DP level CF replacement. That type of add needs to be for Gazdag. And we have to buy him out. We are all full on INT slots, but that is an easy problem to fix. With 2027 a sprint, I think it would behoove us to try and fill the Gazdag/DP and U22 spots now. A more moderate level WAA replacement who is not a DP also seems wise. Especially if we are not gonna play Adams much. Thiare is 33. If we want to play Chase, then we need him on the top 30 roster. Herrera's loan and Cheberko's contract both expire over the break. And I think Arfsten could be sold. Farsi wanted to move recently, but we cannot let 3 WBs go at the same time. I'd take a long look at Schulte as well. With us in the USOC semis, and home games going forward, I think securing that CCC spot and building to compete in CCC and being ready for the sprint 2027 should be the priority. Full tear down should be off the menu.