Alex C has a very good article at MIR about the Miami match and about Czichos. The article indicates Czichos and his family are very happy in Chicago. He also expresses the thought that Czichos probably would have a much lower salary in his next (last?) contract. The article leads me to ask. What is the consensus opinion on a new 2 year Czichos contract at $750,000 per year?
Give him back the armband for taking a pay cut. He's earned it, unless they actually go and get a captain worthy DP next season. Much better than the committee approach that includes players that probably should be subs for most games.
Rafa has slowed (Father Time wins all battles) but his technique, gameIQ, and decisions remain top shelf. Our defense struggles when he is not playing… My opinion is an ideal new contract would be staggered 2+1option…800k, 700k, 600k.
I do. Tangent….. Will be interesting to see what we roll out tonight against Suarez…who is tied for 3rd in scoring this season. If we play 4 in the back, the RCB will need to stay in sync with Rafa, or Luis will expose the lack of IQ at RCB. If we play 3 in the back, the CCB will be tasked with being Luis’s shadow, and free Rafa up to double when necessary.
rafa and teran make a good duo, complementary strengths i like the three-man backline with carlos in the middle and rafa on the left
Thus far he hasn’t played as well as Czichos or Teran…or even the rare Omsberg sighting…and most times Pineda has looked better. Granted he got dinged up very early in the season and dinged again…and again. So we probably haven’t seen his ‘full form’
pineda has been up and down in his limited minutes this year i'm curious what the long-term plans for pineda are -- his versatility is an asset, but his minutes have been trending down significantly
I’m a fan of Mauri’s but it appears he has bumped into his ceiling…a solid utility depth player. Often an under appreciated role/part of a roster.
Kinda weird…in that we’ve had near zero depth for so long. But yea, as it stands…first pass…I’d rate it this way Pragmatically, I’m giving Guti, Gutman and Arigoni ‘benefit of the doubt’…all 3 of those positions could be improved, but they are starter quality on most teams and would look even better with the ~DEPTH~ positions being replaced with starter quality.
The sporting staff labored over multiple transfer windows and spent a nice chunk of garberbux on a guy who doesn't put much, if any daylight between himself and Wyatt Omsburg is pretty good evidence of a questionable signing.
Need to dig up my notes, but I thought Rafa would be on this list too. The Chicago Fire’s Wyatt Omsberg, Spencer Richey, Ariel Lassiter & Fabian Herbers will be eligible for free agency in the offseason #cf97 #VamosFire https://t.co/btPCEogjXq— Joe Chatz (@JoeChatz) September 10, 2024
The full list https://mlsplayers.org/news/2025-free-agent-list Czichos has not been in the league long enough to "qualify" for "free agency" as MLS' stupid rules apply the term. The actual Free Agency Rules (as opposed to digging up notes): Section 29.4 Free Agency: (i) Eligibility: (a) Age and Service Years - 2020-2025 League Years Only: Free Agency for out-of-contract and option decline players is available for Players who will be at least twenty-four (24) years old in the year in which the immediately preceding League Season concluded and have at least five (5) MLS Service Years. (b) Age and Service Years - 2026 and 2027 League Years Only: Free Agency for out-of-contract and option decline players is available for Players who will be at least twenty-four (24) years old in the year in which the immediately preceding League Season concluded and have at least four (4) MLS Service Years. Section 29.3 Re-Entry Draft – Out-of-Contract Players (22+1): For a Player not eligible for Free Agency who will be at least twenty-two (22) years old in the year in which the applicable ReEntry Draft is held and who has completed at least one (1) MLS Service Year, if such Player’s contract has expired (“RED Out-of-Contract Player”), then in accordance with the Re-Entry Draft Rules the Player may participate in the Re-Entry Draft as follows: (emphasis mine) https://mlsplayers.org/resources/cba Czichos would not be eligible, but would go through the "reentry draft."
yeah, every source i can find shows rafa out of contract after this season i think in a vacuum there is nothing wrong with any of them returning assuming the salary is right, but we need talent badly and there just aren't that many available slots
Nobody is disputing that Czichos is out of contract after this season. He is. However, he is NOT on the free agent list as he is not eligible to be a "fee agent" under MLS rules.