Union In-Season Player Rumors & Movement 2013

If you think we're going to hear any news tomorrow...

 

you will. Gilberto gets called to the 18.

 

We actually have!

Chris Konopka has been traded to Toronto FC for a 2014 Superdraft 3rd round pick. Apparently, the Superdraft has been expanded to 4 rounds, and the Supplemental draft has been eliminated.

The Union now have 4 extra picks in the upcoming draft. 1 in each of the first 3 rounds, and a conditional pick from the Chandler Hoffman trade.

 

Good trade. No downside. Konopka is a nice guy but Nikolov can play if something happens to MacMath.

 

Never a good idea to go without a 3rd goalkeeper on the roster. Hack will waste all the picks anyway.

 

That leaves an open roster spot. Maybe a minor move coming? Home Grown signing? Zach Steffen, maybe?

 

I hope he wastes them on "MLS-ready" guys. Those are my favorites.

 

Trade all 7 picks + MacMath for Brad Davis and Tally Hall.

----JM9------Big Country-------
Davis - Carroll - Okugo - Le Toux
Fab - Parke - ____ - Williams
-----------Hall----------

Off season get Valdes back or find a new CB with Valdes money. Thats an MLS cup team.
Never understood the "try to get young guys" approach in MLS. When the young guys are good they leave MLS

 

1. A central midfield of Carroll and Okugo makes no sense, especially considering the gripes we've had with the lack of offensive movement with Daniel + Carroll now. I don't want Okugo moved at all; he's one of the best young centerbacks in MLS. And Valdes is good as gone.

2. Houston would never take that deal. They're not rebuilding.

3. You get young guys because they're cheaper, they can improve and thus strengthen their value, and even when you sell them to Europe, you get part of the transfer money. Plus we're a small market club; we can't afford too many expensive veteran contracts that lose value immediately because the player's talent tails off or doesn't fit in the lineup.

 

I doubt that there would be a HG signing - Steffen is the Maryland starter with the regular #1 injured. He is among a freshmen-heavy defense that is bleeding goals in the early games but he is at least playing every game for now. The Union may want him to stay there for a couple seasons before signing him as a HG. Niklov has a contract through the end of 2014 based on info that I have seen so whomever is the #3 for 2013 and 2014 will likely never play.

If the Union sign a player today, I would guess that it is likely a loan for the rest of the season involving one of the forwards reported to be recently in training (Sainey Touray or Yann Ekra from Harrisburg City, Dane Kelly from Charleston - not sure if others are there). The other option is that they just sign Brian Holt (ex-Harrisburg City goalie who has been training since April with the Union) to a deal as the #3 goalie but he would likely be able to be signed to just a cheap developmental deal and not use a salary budget roster spot.

 

Okugo is perhaps slightly above average at CB. Would he be better at D-mid? Maybe, maybe not. Hack hasn't constructed a roster with enough flexibility to answer that question on game day. As for Valdes, he's done here and the Union will likely get nothing when he departs..

Low expectations mean that I'm never disappointed.

 

Maybe the rules have changed, but I thought you needed to have three goalkeepers on the roster to be eligible for the keeper emergency pool. So, with on two on the roster, we could not grab someone from there.

 

http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/news/2013/09/philadelphia-union-sign-yann-ekra-f

Konopka out, Ekra in.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yann_Ekra

 

MLS allows emergency replacement signings after today - I am guessing that it likely means adding another goalie if one is needed (as opposed to having to pay for one to sit on the bench) - keeps league costs down.

 

Why? MLS Pool keepers are about as good as any 3rd backup is going to be, and then you can use a roster spot on a field player.

 

It's already been confirmed the Union will receive a transfer fee.

 

Ive seen Ekra play in Harrisburg a lot. Very good player USL player. But is a striker what we really need right now?

1. Jack
2. Casey
3. Hopp
4. Wheeler
5. Hernandez
6. Ekra

Lets not forget Le Toux.

I guess we need Ekra for those MLS Reserve games and our congested CCL schedule.

 

It has? Where?

 

Unless it's at least what they paid them to transfer him to the Union plus 5% annualized interest we got completely hosed.

 

Don't the Union also receive a loan fee for this season as well?

 

I'm doubting very much that McInerney and Casey are worried about losing the starting job to some random guy we just signed from HCI.

 

Given how they've been playing, they probably should be.