For sure those guys could be attractive to SD. The last few expansion drafts, however, I've never been close to right at who the expansion team might take. It's always something off the wall. Although, so far, everything about SD seems low effort/ stupid.
It's the beginning of silly season, but as Alex Ruiz says, this one could have legs since the Galaxy's new technical director Mikkel Dencher does have ties to Scandanavian soccer (which is not to say Denmark and Sweden are the same). Don’t know if this rumor is true but LA Galaxy Technical Director Mikkel Dencher spent 8 years as the First-Team scout for FC Copenhagen in Denmark.So don’t be surprised to see players from that region of Europe be linked to the Galaxy.#LAGalaxy https://t.co/onv6ho9Hjw— Alex Ruiz (@AlxRuiz15) December 10, 2024
I think this tweet might explain the difference between Cerrillo and Parente (if, indeed, Cerrillo was automatically protected as a homegrown and Parente was not) and why Cuevas was protected. The implication is that homegrown status carries over in a trade, but not when you sign a released player. Cuevas was re-signed as a HG and Cerrillo was acquired by trade and had HG status with Dallas, so both are protected with the Galaxy. Parente, however, was released by Columbus, where he had HG status, and when we signed him that would mean his HG status couldn't carryover. Or at least that's my current theory Re: Servania and the expansion draft. When he re-signed with Dallas in 2022 it was as a homegrown player (see link below). That HP status carried over when he was traded to #TFCLive. So that meant he was automatically protected for the expansion draft.https://t.co/cGY8aEDfPC— John Molinaro (@JohnMolinaro) December 10, 2024
Agreed. And if I were San Diego’s GM I would absolutely pick Fagundez unless there is something behind the scenes they know that we don’t.
Baxter lays out the salary cap issues facing the Galaxy for next year. Pec ages out of the YDP status and Jovelic exits U22 status, with the combined hit from the two of them being a $1.1 million increase in their charges under the cap. You can see why players like Fagundez and Brugman are a luxury, especially given that one of them can be replaced with a U22 at less than a quarter of the cap charge and the other could probably be replaced by a veteran at about half the cap charge. https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/galaxy/story/2024-12-10/galaxy-brief-celebration-roster-moves
It’s nothing new but it’s always a bit of a bummer that mls’ business model almost requires winning teams to be broken up.
Brugman would seem like a no-brainer for SD to pick up. They'd have themselves a leader in a crucial area of the pitch and an MLS Cup final MVP to boot!!
Salary question for all you experts, isn’t there some injury list mechanism/exception that allows the Galaxy be able to play some 1/2 season DP games with Riqui next year? If that’s true it seems for stopgap coverage a 1/2 season acquisition (or at least contract?) would fit best. Or we could go with a budget #10 past his prime on the cheap. I’m betting that Kuntz will do something better though—maybe squeeze in a sleeper development player?
I think there is only the season-ending injury list and Puig's injury does not appear that it will wipe out the entire 2025 season. Signing a stop-gap past his prime player is basically Reus for next season. More likely we take on a young player on loan or something like that.
Doyle suggesting that Kei Kamara makes sense to the Galaxy in his Free Agency Big Board article https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-free-agency-big-board-who-teams-could-sign-this-winter
We should have signed Kamara last year. Perfect impact super sub, reminds me of Gordon in his later years.
So far Kuntz has not made a wrong step. Agree 100% with his protected list. IMO Brugman is past his prime. One good game and a fantastic pass don’t change that fact. For most of the season his work rate and (surprisingly) his passing, were subpar. Plus injury prone at this age. I like the guy and imagine he is a good locker-room guy, but would only keep him on a sub’s salary. Fagundez is more difficult. He seems to have aged better than average. The biggest downside to him is his salary. Way too expensive. Happy we protected McCarthy. I don’t think I’ve seen a season with fewer goalie mistakes (I remember 1 or 2 total.) Yes, his kicking game sucks and for the life of me I can’t figure out why he hasn’t been trained to come out more aggressively on high crosses but there are no perfect goalies in MLS. Most importantly, a gk’s #1 job is shot-stopping and McCarthy is one of the best, if not the best, in MLS at that.* *Don’t get me wrong. Would I prefer a great shot stopper who controlled the air and distributed well with his feet? Yes, definitely! But such keepers wanting to come to MLS are rare gems and I’m fine with John until Kuntz finds this wunderkind.
Yeah, in a perfect world you keep all the players, but the aging high-contract players who aren't starters are the ones you have to risk losing. Plus if we want to keep Dejan and Pec (duh) then we are gonna need to free up a little salary cap as Dejan will become TAM and Pec will become a full DP next season, according to Kevin Baxter's reporting. On the flip side, if that is true, I believe with the new roster rules, that would mean we do have the ability to add 2 U22 players for next season.
I’m also singularly worried about Diego. I am worried without him next year. I’d like our first CCL run not to be over in five seconds.
Here is the complete list of MLS Free Agents available this year, with free agency starting tomorrow. Lots with LA Galaxy ties. I was sort of surprised to see Chris Mavinga on there, but then I saw Jozy Altidore, and I think Mavinga played in MLS more recently than Altidore. I guess if you don't officially retire, you can stay on here forever. https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/2024-mls-free-agency-eligible-player-list Goalkeepers Bendik, Joe – Option Declined Bersano, Matt – Option Declined Bono, Alexander – Option Declined Bush, Evan – Out of Contract Clark, Steve – Option Declined Irwin, Clint – Option Declined Ketterer, Logan – Out of Contract Marcinkowski, JT – Option Declined Maurer, Jimmy – Out of Contract Melia, Tim – Out of Contract Miller, Tyler – Option Declined Ranjitsingh, Greg – Option Declined Richey, Spencer – Out of Contract Scott, Brady – Option Declined Westberg, Quentin – Out of Contract Yarbrough, William – Option Declined Defenders Abubakar, Lalas – Option Declined Arreaga, Xavier – Option Declined Beason, Tanner – Option Declined Edwards, Raheem – Option Declined Elliott, Jack – Option Declined Fontàs, Andreu – Out of Contract Gonzalez, Omar – Option Declined Hagglund, Nick – Out of Contract Hedges, Matt – Option Declined Holt, Erik – Option Declined Jiménez, Hector – Out of Contract Kallman, Brent – Out of Contract Lima, Nick – Out of Contract Lindsey, Jaylin – Option Declined Martins, Luis – Option Declined Mavinga, Chris – Out of Contract Mensah, Jonathan – Option Declined Murillo, Jesús – Out of Contract Nerwinski, Jake – Option Declined Omsberg, Wyatt – Out of Contract O'Neill, Shane – Option Declined Parker, Tim – Out of Contract Real, Matt – Option Declined Ruan – Out of Contract Santos, Pedro – Out of Contract Schmitt, Tate – Option Declined Silva, Marcelo – Out of Contract Smith, Brad – Option Declined Smith, Kyle – Out of Contract Steres, Daniel – Option Declined Thompson, Tommy – Option Declined Twumasi, Ema – Option Declined Valentin, Zarek – Out of Contract Zavaleta, Eriq – Out of Contract Midfielders Anunga, Tah Brian – Option Declined Asad, Yamil – Option Declined Atuesta, Eduard – Option Declined Baldisimo, Michael – Out of Contract Bedoya, Alejandro – Out of Contract Blessing, Latif – Option Declined Canouse, Russell – Out of Contract Chang, Maikel – Out of Contract Fraser, Liam – Option Declined Godoy, Aníbal – Option Declined Greguš, Ján – Option Declined Herbers, Fabian – Out of Contract Lappalainen, Lassi – Option Declined Lassiter, Ariel – Out of Contract Loría, Marvin – Option Declined Martins, Felipe – Out of Contract McCarty, Dax – Option Declined McNamara, Tommy – Option Declined Moralez, Maxi – Out of Contract Moreno, Júnior – Option Declined Paulo, João – Out of Contract Raposo, Ryan – Out of Contract Ring, Alexander – Option Declined Rusnák, Albert – Out of Contract Sánchez, Ilie – Out of Contract Sejdić, Amar – Option Declined Servania, Brandon – Option Declined Trapp, Wil – Option Declined Urso, Júnior – Option Declined Wanyama, Victor – Out of Contract Yearwood, Dru – Out of Contract Yueill, Jackson – Out of Contract Forwards Altidore, Jozy – Out of Contract Burke, Cory – Option Declined Dájome, Cristian – Option Declined Ebobisse, Jeremy – Option Declined Finlay, Ethan – Option Declined Kamara, Kei – Option Declined Lewis, Jonathan – Out of Contract Martínez, Josef – Option Declined Michel, Benji – Option Declined Picault, Fafa – Option Declined Robinson, Robbie – Out of Contract Ruidíaz, Raúl – Out of Contract Russell, Johnny – Out of Contract Toye, Mason – Option Declined Vela, Carlos – Option Declined
Already two players are rumored to be taken by San Diego in the Expansion Draft tonight : Yaw Yeboah from Columbus and Hosei Kijima from St. Louis. So not much chance to lose someone. That said, with the salary issues we'll be facing (read the Kevin Baxter article), having Brugman or Fagundez taken could be a blessing in disguise.
Interesting that Riqui is doing his ACL surgery in Spain. I wonder if they have techniques or procedures unavailable in the US or this is just being around family for the surgery and rehab https://www.lagalaxy.com/news/la-galaxy-midfielder-riqui-puig-undergoes-successful-knee-surgery
Here is the waiver list, which basically includes players ineligible for free agency or the re-entry draft (too young and too little time in the league). End-of-Year Waivers List: Casas, Javier – Chicago Fire FC Cisneros, Ozzie – Sporting Kansas City Craig, Brandan – Philadelphia Union Dueñas, Erik – LAFC Garay, Jeremy – D.C. United Ikoba, Tega – Portland Timbers Kitahara, Sota – Seattle Sounders FC Musto, Tommy – LAFC Nyeman, Moses – Minnesota United FC Orozco, Jaziel – Real Salt Lake Rodríguez, Missael – Chicago Fire FC Rosales, Diego – LAFC Schiavoni, Matteo – CF Montréal Sealy, Dante – FC Dallas Skinner, Joey – Nashville SC Valdez, Xavier – Houston Dynamo FC Valencia, Felipe – Inter Miami CF Walls, Casey – San Jose Earthquakes Weah, Patrick – Minnesota United FC Zouhir, Rida – CF Montréal
Here is the re-entry draft list. There are some decent players who simply haven't played long enough in the league to be eligible for free agency. Some will return to their clubs at a lower price. Caceres and Yoshida are on the list from the Galaxy, but the club is still negotiating with Yoshida and he could pull his name off the list. Re-Entry Draft Eligible Player List: Aghedo, London – Option Declined Ajago, Forster – Option Declined Akapo, Carlos – Out of Contract Akpunonu, Joey – Option Declined Anderson, Sebastian – Option Declined Ansah, Eugene – Option Declined Arigoni, Allan – Option Declined Bacharach, Hugo – Option Declined Bandré, Ethan – Option Declined Berdecio, Jamir – Option Declined Bezerra, Victor – Option Declined Biel, Pep – Option Declined Bolma, Joshua – Option Declined Bonilla, Kevin – Option Declined Cabral, Rémi – Option Declined Cáceres, Martín – Option Declined Castellanos, Robert – Option Declined Centeno, Erik – Option Declined Corbo, Gabriele – Option Declined Czichos, Rafael – Out of Contract Dodson, Derek – Option Declined Doody, Grayson – Option Declined Edwards, Michael – Option Declined Firmino, Nick – Option Declined Flores, Danny – Option Declined Freire, Nicolás – Out of Contract Gaines, McKinze – Out of Contract Gil, Nacho – Option Declined Gioacchini, Nicholas – Out of Contract Gómez, Tomás – Out of Contract González, Gastón – Option Declined Henry-Scott, Malik – Option Declined Hernández, Ronald – Option Declined Herrera, Héctor – Option Declined Hope-Gund, Rio – Option Declined Hughes, Keegan – Option Declined Ibarra, Franco – Option Declined Iliadis, Ilias – Option Declined Jackson, Jacob – Option Declined Jacquesson, Bertin – Option Declined Jensen, Cole – Option Declined Johnson, Levonte – Option Declined Keller, Kipp – Option Declined Klein, John – Option Declined Kocevski, Jeorgio – Option Declined Korça, Amet – Option Declined Kryvtsov, Sergii – Option Declined Mabika, Aimé – Option Declined Marlon – Option Declined Martino, Ben – Option Declined Mercado, Carlos – Option Declined Morales, Alfredo – Option Declined Mueller, Luis – Option Declined Nathan – Option Declined Negri, Franco – Option Declined O'Brien, Lewis – Option Declined O'Connor, Aidan – Option Declined O'Malley, Owen – Option Declined Oviedo, Bryan – Out of Contract Owusu, Prince – Option Declined Parker, Isaiah – Option Declined Paterson, Jamie – Option Declined Paul, Ilijah – Option Declined Perruzza, Jordan – Option Declined Petrasso, Luca – Option Declined Pierre, Delentz – Option Declined Pinto, Malik – Option Declined Richmond, Will – Option Declined Rigoni, Emiliano – Option Declined Rindov, Chris – Option Declined Ríos, Daniel – Option Declined Rivera, Damian – Out of Contract Rodríguez, Martín – Option Declined Rojas, Matías – Option Declined Rubin, Rubio – Option Declined Salim, Abdi – Option Declined Sargis, Hayden – Option Declined Schöpf, Alessandro – Option Declined Singh, Luke – Option Declined Sosa, Joaquín – Option Declined Spaulding, Ryan – Out of Contract Sunderland, Lawson – Option Declined Sylla, Ousmane – Option Declined Teves, Dylan – Option Declined Thiaré, Jamal – Option Declined Thorkelsson, Róbert – Option Declined Torres, Joaquín – Option Declined Ustari, Oscar – Out of Contract Valencia, Jhojan – Option Declined Walter, Rémi – Out of Contract Wood, Bobby – Out of Contract Wootton, Laurence – Option Declined Yeboah, Yaw – Option Declined Yoshida, Maya – Out of Contract Zamudio, Luis – Option Declined
The league hasn’t gotten too big. I recognize like 4% of those names, and the rest sound like made up SNL cast members.
The LA Galaxy had zero players selected in San Diego FC’s Expansion Draft. #LAGalaxy #MLS— Corner Of The Galaxy (@GalaxyPodcast) December 12, 2024
Looks like they chose young players on reasonable contracts who were picked more on potential and trade possibilities.
So how are we feeling post-expansion draft? Clearly SD wasn't in the business of selecting win-now/expensive players, going the youthful and cheap route along with picking up some allocation money. For us this means our roster stays intact, which I'm fine with in terms of the personnel, but from a cap perspective we will need to create some flexibility. Does Brugman get bought out? He is nice but like many on here have mentioned, he is getting older and I don't think he will stay fully healthy all year. Parente provides solid enough cover at that position for drastically less money. Re-signing Yoshida at a smaller number and then restructuring/extending Joveljic should be the main priorities for us this off-season. I honestly don't think we need much else, Ruben Ramos will be part of the team, Miller as well. A full resting period and ramp up preseason for Reus, hopefully Pec returns, we will be more than capable of holding the fort down until Puig makes his return from injury... What say you guys?
If we manage to keep the exact same roster (which would be a great achievement and something I don't expect), IMO we need to add a CB to replace Caceres because I'm not sure Garcés, Neal, Yoshida and Zavaleta are enough for a packed season, and I would like to add a CF for depth because Berry is not enough. Looking at the list of free agents, guys like Tim Parker, Gyasi Zardes or Kei Kamara could be useful to this team.