I cannot add a poll to an existing thread. I thought about saying Who "Will" San Diego select, but I don't think any will be selected. Unprotected Players (12): defender Allan Arigoni, defender Rafael Czichos, goalkeeper Bryan Dowd, goalkeeper Jeff Gal, defender Chase Gasper, midfielder Gastón Giménez, midfielder Fabian Herbers, midfielder Ariel Lassiter, defender Wyatt Omsberg, goalkeeper Spencer Richey, defender Arnaud Souquet, midfielder Laurence Wootton. (Thanks to @overlap_old_coach for originally posting the list) You can have up to two choices. Please feel free to provide to provide justification for your selection(s) accordingly.
The last time a Fire player was selected in an expansion draft was 2010 (Thorrington & Lowry). So the chance one is selected tomorrow is very slim.
If I was GM of San Diego (and we can ALL be thankful I am not!), and HAD to pick one of our players, it would be Gasper. Relatively young, but an experienced MLS veteran. Still under contract. Not available to sign as a free agent (like Richey, Herbers, Omsberg and Lassiter). Czichos is a good veteran presence, but he could be selected through the idiotic "reentry" draft. I wonder what he would demand as a salary if he stayed in MLS. I would say that Arigoni is the least worst of the bunch, but he is set to return to FC Lugano. No change San Diego would draft him and then have to turn around and negotiate a transfer for him. https://www.chicagofirefc.com/news/chicago-fire-fc-announces-2024-roster-decisions The following players remain under guaranteed contract for 2025: goalkeeper Chris Brady, defenders Chase Gasper, Andrew Gutman, Justin Reynolds, Tobias Salquist, Arnaud Souquet, and Carlos Terán; defender/midfielder Mauricio Pineda; midfielders Kellyn Acosta, Gastón Giménez, Brian Gutiérrez, Maren Haile-Selassie, Chris Mueller, Federico Navarro and Sergio Oregel Jr.; and forwards Tom Barlow, Hugo Cuypers, Georgios Koutsias, and Missael Rodríguez.
I was trying to remember that. Thanks! Former Fire great Kei Kamara was selected in the 2018 expansion draft by Cincinnati, but that five MLS teams (and NOT Cincinnati) before coming to the Fire. The Wikipedia year by year breakdown of the expansion drafts is terrific. I suppose if they wanted him and not through free agency, they could select him.
FWIW, Gasper is not young and hasn't played reasonable minutes since 2021...and the reasons for that are a mixed bag of issues. I hope he can find form and opportunity to extend his career~
Chicago has a good reputation for goalies. They could pick Gal or Dowd as cheap backups with good potential for additional development.
FWIW I said "relatively young." It is also why he keeps getting waived by teams. It's hard to believe that LAG paid almost half a million for him in May, 2022. He has done nothing since then. I would have said Omsberg, but the Fire stated they are trying to negotiate with him to bring him back.
If you were going to pick 2 from the Fire, my thought was Gasper and Omsberg initially. Gal or Dowd, then maybe Lassiter based on "name". Most likely no one is selected. Yes, the roster is that bad.
Maybe this? Tomorrow... ⚪️🔴⏳ #cf97 pic.twitter.com/F81N5xtSi6— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) December 10, 2024
Big day tomorrow! Formally completing my mother's move into Assisted Living and CFFC makes a BIG announcement
“finally, a new ticket bundle to fit my needs as a consumer” One honestly funny reply. That site though, I can’t believe it survives.