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With the offseason mechanisms of MLS starting to get into full gear, comes the now-annual ritual of the list of free agents. A free agent in MLS has to be at least 28 years of age and have eight years of service in the League, and the complete list is here, and those players will be eligible to sign after today’s expansion draft.
A caveat to consider; this list is different than those who have had their contract options declined or are sans a contract and do not meet the free agency threshold, more on those guys to come when the Re-Entry draft occurs (Phase 1 is on Friday, Phase 2 on December 20), but for now, here are three names that D.C. United may consider checking out for some veteran help in some manner or fashion:
Jordan Harvey
I know I know, signing a guy who’ll be 35 next month is sort of verboten in the new D.C. United, but you’re going to get durability (Harvey has played less than 25 games once in the last 10 years, when he played in 24 games), you get a generally agreeable budget number (Harvey made $150,000 in 2018) and you get someone who can spell Joseph Mora should the Costa Rica left back find himself getting increased national team call-ups or appear on the Gold Cup roster next summer.
Baggio Husidic
Bringing up a similar position here (and something you’ll see in a season review of a player this coming week), Husidic plays central midfield, a position that will likely need to have depth called next summer if Russell Canouse’s United States chances improve to the point of a Gold Cup selection, and if Junior Moreno continues to get Venezuela call-ups, particularly for the Copa America in Brazil. The 31-year-old Husidic is similarly on an agreeable budget number at a shade under $175,000. An injury derailed his 2017 season and was behind a numbers crunch in 2018, so perhaps a fresh start is on his list?
Jake Gleeson
Remember when Steve Clark was waived midseason and the Portland Timbers claimed him? That was because he was replacing Gleeson, who underwent stress fracture surgery and should have a clean bill of health. The 28-year-old New Zealand goalkeeper does have a green card and his $120,000 salary is the lowest of the three, though terms of the CBA dictate if Gleeson were to sign a deal a two-year guaranteed one would be in the cards. Given Bill Hamid’s loan and David Ousted’s contract both expire at the end of the 2019 season, having a presumably healthy and sort of young goalkeeper isn’t a bad thing?