RSL 2025-26 Offseason News Thread

I did not realize MacMath has been with the team for 6 years. Doesn't seem like it has been that long.

 

I like the guy and doubt he will have a problem finding a home.

The roster, at first glance, seems pretty stocked so there will have to be some moves to be more than just a tinker around the edges off season as Kurt suggested.

 

Bummer on Wellings.
We also have given up on Silva and Bell?
Along with Axel Kei and losing Dewsnup (burn out), seems like we need more focus on how to help these kids with resilience and life balance?

 

Does Zurich use a double pivot? Palacio seemed to be capable, but was rarely on the same page as the rest of the team, and would drop runners to the defenders all the time.

 

But, as was stated above, maybe he’s not so “happily” about it.

 

Yea, could have read that totally wrong. Teary eyed because he has to come back to try and figure out the universe to play for Pablo. lol

 

Depends on how many guys that were off roster last year make the supplemental roster in 2026. But yeah, probably need to sell/trade a few, too.
I count 17 senior roster spots if you include Palacio, Marczuk, Brown and Junqua.

 

I am pretty surprised that they let Wellings, Silva and Bell go. They weren't on expensive contracts, but they definitely need to make room for a few new young guys.
I thought Stajduhar was too expensive. We'll see what Brown costs if he comes back. I'm pretty sure Junqua is a free agent, he should have options around the league.
I think they should try to extend the loan on Henry first, unless the purchase option is dirt cheap, ~$150k.
There's also no mention of Diego Rocio. He's supposed to have a contract with RSL for 2026.

So, what are the priorities with 3-5 senior roster spots?
Things change if they have a DP spot and 1-2 U22 spots, too.

I wonder if RSL can do anything in the MLS cashfer market?

 

On the options exercised side:

• Barea: makes no sense, is a monarchs player
• Caliskan: no shit
• Katranis: I expect a whole lot more here
• Ojeda: No shit
• Quinton: agree
• Stadujhar: why?
• Vera: somewhat surprised me
• Zambrano: good

 

Options declined mostly make sense, just have to laugh at the Russell saga at this club. If I’m him I hate Pablo with a passion. The trajectory of both Wellings and Silva is sad to watch

 

Had they fallen off the US Youth teams too?

 

At least he scored a goal against SKC!

I respect the man.

 

In a season with so little offensive excitement the Russell saga is an interesting sidebar for sure. I would be happy with the contract but pissed about the hypocrisy. Can’t play Johnny because he’s a defensive liability but the highest paid player keeps getting minutes and is a defensive liability and ghost 80-85% of the time.

Diogo had 7 times the minutes of Russell and 2 more goals.

Johnny is old and pretty much done but he might have led this embarrassing offense in goals if the gave him 900 minutes. lol

 

I'm very ok with Agada not coming back. The guy is nothing but a basket of sunshine off the pitch but he just doesn't fit whatever it is RSL is trying to do on offense. He should not have any trouble finding a home on a team that knows how they want to play and fits his skill set.

Too bad for Farnsworth but it happens.

MacMath was a no brainer. He was done here before the season even started.

I might have expected a few more options declined but as it stands the only two that are even curious to me are Lambert and Russell. Russell for the obvious man crush but Lambert because he didn't really get a chance. Don't know the back story but the best defender in USL gets a game or two and then sent off to Siberia.

Quinton and Stajduhar are interesting. I like Quinton being renewed and glad I was wrong and the must like Mason to keep so many keepers.

The guaranteed list full of young kids and others so not much to really say there other than Ruiz is an expensive triage case.

Javain Brown can not come back. Kobi Henry they seem to love as mentioned in the Kurt and Pablo presser and if I am Junqua I want to be as far away from this club as possible if they are going to continue to play the LB in such a weird way. Also, there has to be a market for him. He is a solid defender and maybe ends up back in Dallas but I bet there is a contender that would want some solid LB action signing him.

I totally get the "logic" of the Millers wanting to start off with some perceived stability and give this group a chance to build but I would not put any odds over 50/50, and that is generous, that they can be that group that returns RSL MLS 2.0 glory.

Jason Kreis has struggled after leaving RSL in 2014 but perhaps it was the "learnings", man I detest that word, that brought him back here to turn all of those struggles into prescient mantras that move the team forward into actual relevance.

Kurt Schmid did not take the out when I asked if the behind the scenes and ownership change up had an effect on building the roster this season so I give him props for that, but the signings between Cabral and Olatunji are more than suspect. Yedlin may be one of those tentpoles they spoke about but his career may be careening to an end faster than anyone wants. Father time is still batting 1000%. Without serious change and some chances taken this roster is an injury away from being wooden spoon level terrible. Stand pat and next year could suuuuuucckk.

The team needs some serious help up front and in the back. I would be very disappointed if the starting CB's are still Glad and Vera next year. It's only downhill from there if that is the case.

If they are so cheap that they can't find a way to get rid of Diogo then holy shit. What's the point of having owners? Let the league run this team and give it back to Elliott Fall who has to be chuckling from where ever it he is enjoying his time off.

Kurt needs to step up.

Pablo needs to figure stuff out as well but looking at his track record it shows that he can't and wont. I have thought a lot about it and mention it in our next episode, out soon, that his hypocrisy would really rub me wrong as a player. He can do what he wants, he's the coach, but you can't preach next man up, do it in practice to prove you can do it in the game, fight, fight, fight, for your team mates and then let the highest paid player be an absolute embarrassment of hustle, defense, and disappearance game in and game out and expect the team to really buy in to whatever the universe says is your coaching philosophy. I went to a bunch of practices and you know who was always scoring goals? It wasn't the DP, although he did at times, it was the defensive liability veteran that was crushing goals.

I want nothing more than for this crew to lead RSL back to Eastern Conference trophy lifting glory but I am not going to hold my breath. I will wait with baited breath but I think we all l might pass out from hypoxia if we are holding our breath for this brain trust.

I want nothing more than to be able eat my words. Please prove me wrong guys.

 

Their goal is to pursue trophies, not win them.

 

and poster @JLaw was right…

 

LAUGH. OUT. LOUD.

Thank you

 

Words have meaning and they had time to carefully choose theirs.

 

Given how hard Kreis hit back on “success can mean many things” it only reinforces that they don’t view championships as the barometer of success. Hell, Pablo made the really stupid comment essentially saying the entire gameplan is to make the playoffs

which
Isn’t a fully terrible idea if you do what teams like Seattle and LaFC do and proceed to not only run into the playoffs, but kick ass when doing so


2026 is already shaping up to be a disappointment. Mediocrity

 

How do y’all define success for this club? It’s a completely different league than it was in 2009. I think I would be content with (in no particular order):
1) A product that is fun to watch.
2) A product with an identity that evokes respect through the league.
3) A team and organization whose actions communicate to us what they are doing via their acquisitions, roster management, formations, style, etc…and these factors are mutually supportive.
4) A product that isn’t humiliated when they play the big spending organizations.
5) A product whose floor is 7th place but rarely falls that low and normally will finish 4-6.
6) An organization that can return the home stadium into a fortress.
7) A product that actually contends (not pursues) for the MLS Cup at least 33.33% of the time, interspersed with contention for USOC and others.

 

1-4 should be the standard. You establish an identity and respect around the league.
If they are leaning hard into the development club, 4-7 are years away from happening as they will need to be very successful at development (and selling) to be able to build a club that can do 4-7. I just don't think they'll spend enough to keep up with the top 10 teams in the league until that happens.