Guy has not played in more than 22 league matches in a season since 2016! Just took a look and his scoring record was way better than I thought, in that (prior to going to Saudi Arabia and then back to Brazil), he averaged more than a goal every two matches at PSG and Barcelona, but he cannot stay healthy and he was playing at, well, PSG and Barcelona, so he damn well better score a lot of goals.
I read that Anna Lewandowski, wife of you-know-who, is hosting an event in Chicago tonight. You fanboys probably already knew this but just mentioning it to get your heart racing
Not trying to gloat, but I guess maybe Fire’s greatest Roster Need IS a DP CM! At least, it will be in the near future.
Bumped from Today's news thread: OOC (and others) trigger warning! Overlooked Chicago Fire midfielder will want increased role under Gregg Berhalter You'd be hard-pressed to find a more accomplished active MLS player than Kellyn Acosta. Note, this is not an article with any actual facts or interviews, but is an opinion piece by fluff writer "Zach Lowry" (who, apparently only joined mlsmultiplex in mid-September). I was hoping for a quote or, at least, an explanation for Acosta's banishment to the bench (other than 'he sucks now,' which may or may not be true. End of the opinion piece: "For the first time in his illustrious career, Kellyn Acosta finds himself on the outside looking in, starved of regular playing time and unable to showcase his prodigious talents for Chicago, where he is contracted through 2026 (Chicago have a club option for 2027). Can he bounce back next season and find his way back into Berhalter's options? Don't bet against it." After about 45 seconds of Internet sleuthing, here is the rather lengthy interview that Zach Lowry did with Acosta just four days ago and stupidly does not even reference in his fluff piece. I guess it is from a different source. Kellyn Acosta Reflects on Challenging 2025 With Chicago Fire https://r.org/2025/11/13/kellyn-acosta-reflects-on-challenging-2025-with-chicago-fire/ Relevant quote from Acosta: “It’s been difficult. This is the first time in my career that I’m going into a game excited to play, and I end up not playing at all. Being an unused substitute isn’t easy for players, but for me, I can control my attitude, my character, how I am around my teammates, and how much work I put in. I was doing my best to get on the field, and ultimately, Greg went in his own direction with who he wanted to play. He’s the coach, but what I can do is continue to work hard, and when I do get an opportunity to play, make the most of it. Unfortunately, I didn’t play as much as I’d have liked, but that’s how soccer is sometimes. What I can control now is going into the off-season with a good physical and mental reset. It’s all about pushing hard, getting back into it, and come January, this preseason is going to be really pivotal for me.”
Right or wrong, the coach decides who plays. No reason to pay a player high-TAM salary to keep the bench warm.
Most of you may already know this. Walker Zimmerman’s contract with Nashville expires at year-end. He is now a free agent. No indication (that I have seen) whether or not they are still negotiating his return. 6’3” right-footed CB turns 33 in May. Transfermarkt has reduced their market value estimate for him to about $2.5 million, which matters because a big market value improves his bargaining position with current or future teams. His 2025 total compensation was nearly $3.5 million. No idea what will happen but he would likely be a DP despite being a free agent.
Because of age and injuries (only 16 starts this year) I project he will not be a DP and will be a good TAM gamble for someone.
I feel like that article was planted by Acosta's agent or something to try to make *something* happen. I don't see Acosta getting too many minutes next year and mutual termination might be the best thing as Acosta can be a starter for SOMEONE this next year. Based upon the last CHGO podcast I agree with the statement Jack Elliot might be worth a million dollars next season but probably not to the Chicago Fire. If Elliot wants to stay he probably has to settle for less than his market value to fit in the Fire's cap plans otherwise he might be heading out and Zimmerman can capably slot in while we wait for Cupps to become a world beater. I don't really see Gonzales sticking around either to be honest.
A the moment....I think I would rather have Elliot than Zimmerman...but I do think with the departure of a maxTAM bench rider there would be room for both.
Perhaps. Likely doable if Acosta, Kouame, Gutman (maybe others) are departed. A Guti sale would not really help because his replacement would probably cost more and use up the GAM generated by his sale. Lewandski would likely require Bamba’s departure. (Still thinking Zimmerman uses up DP slot.)
Using the DP tag on Zimmerman makes it easy to afford him....but he is no longer a good use of a DP tag. Gutman? He's not going being exited... Bamba for Lewy is my magic wand swap...very unlikely. I've got a couple personal things I've got to complete before updating my spreadsheet, but Hoping the MIR put theirs out before I need to do that work Expecting more movement before the end of the year, so kinda batching it all to do it once.