Eddie Johnson's contract voided by Major League Soccer

The saga of Eddie Johnson continues towards its inevitable, but sad conclusion for D.C. United. Steve Goff, the man with the inside scoop, is reporting that Major League Soccer has terminated Eddie Johnson's contract with the League, and that the battle is now between the League, the Players Union, lawyers, medical personnel, and agents; United has not been involved in this situation in months. It is truly sad that Eddie Johnson will have to retire, and that there is so much battling over the nature of his exit from the game.

For United, the end result is that EJ is no longer on the club's payroll, and his roster spot and his designated player cap charge of about $436,000 are now available to United once again. Unlike most past seasons, where United has made only minor moves during the summer transfer window, the team will now have the ability to make a larger midseason move if they so choose. The history of midseason designated player signings is not good, with players even as illustrious as Clint Dempsey and David Beckham struggling in their first half-season. Jermaine Jones has been one of the few to hit the ground running in the league.

A new forward would make sense to replace EJ, but if you were Dave Kasper, where would you spend a designated player sized contract? Would you strike this summer or would you wait until the MLS offseason?