That’s too bad, but we now seem to have a pattern beginning…the gap between MLSNP and MLS is too big. Hell even Cassano got ‘tweenered’
Osorio couldn't stay healthy long enough to progress. Jiggs & I were discussing he would be a force in leagues like the USL-C, or Costa Rica.. A season with good health and good play could see him land in MLS or Liga MX. In Cassano's case it will likely come down to whether he will be so much better than one of our Homegrowns to justify taking an international slot. If Glasgow was a Homegrown or a green card he would likely still be around. Diouf probably has the same situation.
For one, there won't be a language barrier, even though he's from SE Italy. Lugano has invested in wing attackers so there will be fierce competition for playing time there.
Thanks for response. A year of improvement at a level of play between MLS and MLS Next might be just what he needs. Also, Lugano is in Europe and, as you pointed out, he would be closer to home and able to speak the language. Could work out well for Fire. Of course, he has to play for this to work. I wonder if there will be a Koutsias announcement soon. His contract expires in only 1+ years and approaching that “one year remaining” point when transactions often occur.
It has been noted that Fire have made 18 additions to Roster in 2025. More significant, IMO, is that 7 or 8 of them could be in starting lineup for first match of 2026 (Bamba, Zinck, Franco, DaVilla, Barroso, Waterman, Elliott and perhaps Radojevic) Mix in quality holdover starters (Cuypers, Gutierrez, Brady ) plus proven veterans ( Gutman, Pineda, Dean, MHS) add a couple promising youngsters ( Cupps, Oregel) and, viola!, you have a soccer team. Still need a backup ST and backup GK decision. This is a definite improvement over past.
So… in addition to your other talents, you can predict the future. Given recent history in soccer, most people would be hesitant to say this with certainty.
Yep, that has floated around for years. (Checked article) It's from 2017. Of course, after experiencing the weather in Spain, perhaps a return German/Polish/Midwest weather is just what they NEED! Could still happen with LAG. Maybe he will be the Messi replacement in So. Florida!
I remember that they are seriously involved with philanthropy. I think Bob's time here should have been about 2 years ago.
Not really disagreeing with Bunge. Just jabbing him a little. Seems like lots of illogical things happening around the world.
Sure, but there is no player in the world who would swap Barcelona after one season for the Chicago Fire.
Lugano made formal announcement regarding Cassano loan. Loan ends 6-30 and includes an option to purchase. No other deal details given. Not sure how this will be treated by MLS for rostering and Salary Budget purposes, especially considering “MLS Rules” apply. Hope to hear something about this. Assuming the option is serious and features a “fair” fee, this might indicate Fire has accepted that he is another “ No Return” player like Koutsias.
Did we really just ******** up and accidentally sign a guy to Fire II that we couldn’t even bring up for those limited number of games? That’s what it looks like.
It just seems like the only real option was that they signed him to a Fire II contract with the belief he could get a few games with the first team (like others have done) but ultimately they realized his salary meant they couldn’t do that. They had to stick him with the Fire II which is obviously below Serie B and couldn’t utilize him how they wanted. I don’t think any serious player would ever leave Serie B for MLS II. It makes no sense.
Logical that he might optimistically just assume he would be on Fire I by year-end. Less clear whether he just grew homesick or that Fire thought he was not yet ready for Fire I or whether there were no Budget Resources or a Fire I roster slot available. Or maybe something else Or maybe a combination of reasons. While there is a possibility that Fire made a mistake, it is not the only possible explanation, IMO.
Arkadiusz Milik would be a great backup for Cuypers. Juventus would loan him and likely cover most of his salary.