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| We have many Lloyd Sams. Octavio Riveros are in the back... |
So, I was about to write a straightforward declarative as to when the MLS Summer Transfer Window opened this June/July, but, when I googled it, I found the usual goddamn bible we've all come to expect when it comes to MLS rules. Trying again...
...and, there we are, July 4 to August 3. So, a month (31 days in July, right?).
So far it's been quiet, after a slow opening week, teams are finally stocking up on new (probably necessary) players – e.g. a defender for the Vancouver Whitecaps (who also need things elsewhere), a defender for the Houston Dynamo (who very, very much need next-level defenders...again, among other things). Parse each of those moves as you will...
That said, the most bizarre move so far saw New York Red Bulls' Lloyd Sam get shipped to DC United. Against his will, from what I once gathered...though I lost the confessional/third-party tweet to confirm it. Held up strictly as a departure – e.g. Sam leaving New York in a vacuum (which, per official statements, it ain't) – the move makes little sense. Sam might not have been the best player in MLS, but he produced steadily, if slowly. As to New York's first game without Sam, last Sunday's draw at home versus the Portland Timbers, they pulled off a few waltzses up Portland's gut (if into a bearded wall), but one can't help but wonder what a little veteran savvy might have meant against Zarek Valentin, even if late in the game; he's a player, after all, who has proved to be better just about everywhere but left back (or am I switching my left and right again?).
...and, there we are, July 4 to August 3. So, a month (31 days in July, right?).
So far it's been quiet, after a slow opening week, teams are finally stocking up on new (probably necessary) players – e.g. a defender for the Vancouver Whitecaps (who also need things elsewhere), a defender for the Houston Dynamo (who very, very much need next-level defenders...again, among other things). Parse each of those moves as you will...
That said, the most bizarre move so far saw New York Red Bulls' Lloyd Sam get shipped to DC United. Against his will, from what I once gathered...though I lost the confessional/third-party tweet to confirm it. Held up strictly as a departure – e.g. Sam leaving New York in a vacuum (which, per official statements, it ain't) – the move makes little sense. Sam might not have been the best player in MLS, but he produced steadily, if slowly. As to New York's first game without Sam, last Sunday's draw at home versus the Portland Timbers, they pulled off a few waltzses up Portland's gut (if into a bearded wall), but one can't help but wonder what a little veteran savvy might have meant against Zarek Valentin, even if late in the game; he's a player, after all, who has proved to be better just about everywhere but left back (or am I switching my left and right again?).
Doesn't matter now, I suppose. Sam's in DC, and he certainly fits their acquisition deployment model – e.g. taking MLS cast-offs to build a team that is forever both good enough and just short of ideal.
Sam's not the only departure within the league, though, and very few of those departing players have been replaced, not just meaningfully, but at all. For instance, where’s Octavio Rivero's replacement in Vancouver (what's that? a stiff breeze would amply replace his gentle reminder of his own existence?), who's the player who replaces the smart work Adrian Winter brought to Orlando City SC's (crap, was it?) right side, and does the Philadelphia Union even need to replace Vincent Nogueira? (Answer on that last one, no, but couldn't hurt.)
Broadly, then, teams appear to be clearing space. Failing that, they're just creating the appearance of movement in the same calculated way a shitty boyfriend buys a girl roses after poisoning her cat...jesus, where did that came from? At any rate, I've been told to expect an active Secondary Window (the formal name of July’s Bazaar), a very active one, even. OK, ready...mostly.
Like any remotely ambitions team in MLS (e.g. not DC, not Columbus Crew SC), the Red Bulls are looking to goose its roster this off-season. Here, I'm only pointing out that, sometimes, a team can make a move where they don't quite get what it hopes for (say, Gonzalo Veron). Every trade outside of retirement or visibly shitty performance carries some risk. New York might get a better player for, or just after, Sam – maybe they have all they need with Alex Muyl. Then again, maybe they won't. Or don't...sorry, had to close that by providing a verb for each subject...
Sam's not the only departure within the league, though, and very few of those departing players have been replaced, not just meaningfully, but at all. For instance, where’s Octavio Rivero's replacement in Vancouver (what's that? a stiff breeze would amply replace his gentle reminder of his own existence?), who's the player who replaces the smart work Adrian Winter brought to Orlando City SC's (crap, was it?) right side, and does the Philadelphia Union even need to replace Vincent Nogueira? (Answer on that last one, no, but couldn't hurt.)
Broadly, then, teams appear to be clearing space. Failing that, they're just creating the appearance of movement in the same calculated way a shitty boyfriend buys a girl roses after poisoning her cat...jesus, where did that came from? At any rate, I've been told to expect an active Secondary Window (the formal name of July’s Bazaar), a very active one, even. OK, ready...mostly.
Like any remotely ambitions team in MLS (e.g. not DC, not Columbus Crew SC), the Red Bulls are looking to goose its roster this off-season. Here, I'm only pointing out that, sometimes, a team can make a move where they don't quite get what it hopes for (say, Gonzalo Veron). Every trade outside of retirement or visibly shitty performance carries some risk. New York might get a better player for, or just after, Sam – maybe they have all they need with Alex Muyl. Then again, maybe they won't. Or don't...sorry, had to close that by providing a verb for each subject...
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