There were a ton of MLS roster announcements yesterday. Let's get to them:
D.C. United trades Chris Pontius to Philadelphia, eyes Lamar Neagle from Seattle | Washington Post
We talked about this story yesterday, but Steve Goff has information concerning other potential moves.
Lamar Neagle traded to D.C. United, per new report | Sounder at Heart
Speaking of moves we've discussed, S@H talks over Pablo Maurer's confirmation of the Lamar Neagle trade from the Seattle angle.
MLS commissioner Don Garber Q&A: On 20th season, expansion, more | SI.com
Grant Wahl sits down with Don Garber for an extensive interview. As always, I apologize for SI's nightmarish web design. Tough it out, there's some good info here, including Garber saying he's had a change of opinion and wants MLS clubs to take a real stake in the NWSL. I'm not expecting any movement on that front whatsoever as long as United is at RFK, but it would be awfully nice to have the Spirit playing at Buzzard Point. And maybe wearing some black-and-red uniforms, since Nike's NWSL uniforms are by and large better than what Adidas has done with MLS over the past couple years.
Report: Roy Miller and Dane Richards will be released by the New York Red Bulls | Once a Metro
Every right-minded person's favorite Red Bull is unsurprisingly on his way out. Let us all hope that he is an amazing success for some other MLS club, just so NYRB fans have a little salt with their wound.
Houston Dynamo decline options on seven players | Dynamo Theory
Not a lot here (teams that miss the playoff don't exactly cut a slew of quality starters), but Jermaine Taylor can play anywhere in the back and has a green card. Someone's going to take him.
Fun fact: Taylor is also the player whose "be physical, ask questions later" approach against Rafael Gladiador convinced me that Gladiador was not going to last in MLS. You guys remember that game? Mid-week during a downpour, DCU having lost 5 straight, only months after the Dynamo eliminated United thanks to extraordinarily short rest and Andre Hainault dodging the most obvious red card in human history on Raphael Augusto? Houston came in and beat 4-0 United with the sort of ease you or I puts on slippers first thing in the morning. I still see that game, on May 8th, 2013, as the lowest point in club history.
Anyway, Taylor is still a useful MLS player. That's the point I was trying to make.
Toronto FC Release Both Goaltenders, Aparicio and Jackson | Waking the Red
TFC, doing weird stuff like always, has cut both of their experienced starting goalkeepers. It would not be a major shock to me if United were interested in Jackson for his speed, but ultimately they should be aiming higher when it comes to experienced MLS depth.
Whitecaps FC announce roster moves, exercise 10 contract options and decline six | WhitecapsFC.com
Vancouver's decision to decline the option on Steven Beitashour is utterly inexplicable at the moment. He makes just about $200,000 a year, is a top 3 MLS right back at worst, and is not an international. Even as a ploy to cut his salary, it's an awfully big risk over a small amount of cap savings (which, at that price, is actually demanding well below market value in the league). I'm on the record as being a fan of Sean Franklin, but if there's a way for United to grab Beitashour at this price, I'd enthusiastically stump for doing that and trading Franklin away. Like I said, VWFC just isn't making sense with this choice.
PPL Park renamed Talen Energy Stadium after re-branding | The Brotherly Game
Remember this when I write a preview that inevitably calls Talen Energy Stadium "PPL Park" next year.
Bayer Leverkusen chairman says the club wants to sign an American star | Stars and Stripes FC
This line of thinking has been not working for a long time (and not just for Americans), but European teams keep bringing it up. Even Fulham, in their peak Fulhamerica moments, was no better than the 9th or 10th most liked English team in the US.
OK, it's very late and I should have gone to sleep long ago. Say what you have to say in the comments.
