Klich trade reported, NISA unsanctioned, and more: Friday Freedom Kicks
Happy Friday! Though we’re in the midst of the offseason, there’s been a lot of movement and trade news in the last day or so, and we can expect more today. So let’s get started!
First, Steven Goff reports that D.C. United will be trading Mateusz Klich to Atlanta United, though possibly for less than a DP spot:
MLS Publishes 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) Available to Clubs (MLS)
Somehow D.C. United has just a little bit more than Inter Miami in GAM.
Death of a league? NISA no longer sanctioned (Hudson River Blue)
Seems like the post-season disqualification of the Maryland Bobcats was just the first sign of trouble for NISA this year. Hopefully that team is already exploring some other options.
2025 Major League Soccer mock draft (Top Drawer Soccer)
Just for some fun before today’s draft.
Some news on yesterday’s re-entry draft:
DC Power Football Club defender Susanna Friedrichs named to the USL Super League December Team of the Month (DC Power)
Despite DC Power’s loss in their one game this month, defender Susanna Friedrichs was named to Team of the Month. You may also spot Jasmine Hamid, sister of Bill, on the list.
Sources: Gotham Trades Lynn Williams, Cassie Miller to Seattle for Jaelin Howell and Transfer Fee (Sports Illustrated)
Some of the biggest NWSL news this week is star Lynn Williams’s likely trade to Seattle Reign from NJ/NY Gotham FC. Gotham built an apparent superteam last year. Will they have to dismantle it this offseason to comply with the salary cap?
Concacaf confirms Saudi Arabia as Gold Cup guest team in 2025 and 2027 (Pro Soccer Wire)
Sure
Next year’s MLS schedule is out, and D.C. United are channeling Love Is Blind in their intro video. Full schedule here.
Have a good weekend!
Addressing the Saudi Arabia appearances forthcoming in the Gold Cups, how much you want to bet FIFA will come down infinitely harder on any attempts at protest there than they will for, say, thousands of migrant workers in mass graves?
I’m having a hard time thinking that us not getting a DP slot out of this trade (freeing one up, I mean, if Klich departs) has more to do with MLS higher ups screwing us than a bad deal orchestration. I know “if this were Miami” is a tired song, but I’m gonna sing it anyway. Moving Klich on should free up a DP slot by the rules, full stop.
I do wonder if this will lead to them buying out their part of the contract. They didn’t want to do it at his full price, but maybe they plan to do it after Atlanta takes part of the hit? Hard to say, but hopefully that’s the case. I know I’d much rather just have Klich on the team than to be paying him to not be on the team
I really want that DP slot freed up, and I see no reason why paying part of his salary means we can’t.
I legitimately think it makes more sense if two teams pay his salary, have it on the cap, and neither uses the DP designation.
Yeah, I guess I’ll clarify to say I meant I would rather just have him stay with us as a DP than for him to be taking up a DP spot and be on another team entirely. Hopefully Atlanta is taking enough of his salary that we can do something to free up a DP spot, and hopefully that solution isnt just “use all of our TAM to fix it”
We are taking all but 300k of his salary.
Yeah gotta hope there is more to the story, this front office has been better so wouldn’t want to see them get fleeced
I really doubt Mackay would do something as dumb as trading him but not freeing up the DP slot, unless Talonesque’s speculation that some league rules lawyer is spinning the whole thing awry proves true.
To be clear, I would love to get this deal, a free DP slot, and the “you’re wrong” stamped on this speculation. It’s definitely gut feelings.
This is weird. There must be more to the story. I think I’ll just stay tuned.
Yeah, it seems like there has to be another piece of this. Klich was useful enough that keeping him around here as a DP was preferential to not having him here and bringing in a $300,000 player or two.
So either Mackay has something else in store, or we’re wasting one more year of Benteke by having a third DP that doesn’t play for us, seemingly because Ally wanted to clear the roster of anyone that wasn’t “his guy” (besides Benteke and Ku-DiPietro).
I’m willing to see how this plays out, but this looks like getting rid of someone just to get rid of them, being too cheap to buy them out outright, and keeping the team at a competitive disadvantage to do so.
And I know a lot of people are tired of the “Kasper’s fault!” crowd, but Kasper is the one that offered this contract with its easily achievable extension to Klich, and he’s still here. Sure, maybe Rooney was the driving force behind it, but Kasper had the final say, and HE’S STILL DRAWING A SALARY FROM THIS CLUB! It’s fucking madness.
Yeah, I’d be equally depressed if it was just Mackay trying to eventually move on from a bad contract by Kasper
Unfortunately you seem to be dead right according to Goff’s article, unless I am completely misreading it…
United said it would “maintain a percentage of Klich’s salary budget charge and his designated player spot.”
Feels real bad.
It says the result, but we still haven’t solved for the weird X in this equation. Did Mackay knowingly step in it, or get screwed on the way at a point it was impossible to reverse? Is there logic to moving him on in this way if eyes were clear?
You know my bet, but I’m not convinced we’ll ever know. There’s so much opaqueness and not enough courage to call out stuff.
And by “call stuff out,” I mean that I don’t trust team leadership to engage in any sort of outcry if they were screwed. Owners are checked out, Mackay and Lesesne would need their nonexistent backing to do so.
In short, whatever happened here would have to be forcefully unearthed.
That seems the only way this can make sense. That DCU get something in return —basically the $50k GAM DCU will give to Nashville in 2026 if MacNaughton meets the performance goals. And maybe a snowball’s chance in Hades that they get someone in the 23rd slot who can contribute to the team sometime. All before just buying out Klich’s deal.
They cannot. They used the 2025?buyout on Burnbaum.
That video shows that the are upping their game at DC United. I thought it was funny and (wait for it)……………….
“Spirited”.
Goff has some much needed clarity.
United used their 2024 buyout on Mohanad Jeahze.
They used their 2025 buyout on Steve Birnbaum, who had this year as a guaranteed part of his contract, and apparently retiring doesn’t take care of that. But because they’d used one buyout, they can’t buy out Klich.
United will go with the 2 DP/4 U22 model. Benteke and Klich are the DPs (even though Klich will be playing for Atlanta and is almost inevitably fated to score against DC in both of their games this year). Ku-DiPietro, Pirani, and Kim Joon Hong are the U-22s, and there will be one more. United will also have the ability to add $2 million in GAM. Peltola is now a TAM player, and not a Young DP.
Gracious.
To further note:
Jeahze’s contract – Kasper
Birnbaum’s extension – Kasper
Klich’s contract – Kasper
Still has a job: Kasper
Jesus.
So now:
Relying on Benteke to keep something close to his Golden Boot status
Relying on Ku-DiPietro and Pirani to raise their game this season
Relying on Kim Joon Hong to move to a new country and be better than Alex Bono
Relying on Mackay to identify and sign another U22 that will be impactful, and relying on Lesesne to help that player meet his potential
I’m back to feeling not super optimistic about 2025.
Maybe we should use pink shirts for a third kit and trick Darth Garber into thinking we are Miami. That way, we can do all kinds off roster moves.
“Paying homage to Langley, VA’s own CIA and their long history of spycraft.”
And yeah, I think it’s a given that Klich will do some sort of long ranged wizardry that he was never able to do consistently with United.
In essence, sounds like we’ll wind down the contract and just physical capabilities of the one asset we’ve accrued since Rooney gave us that shopping window for interested stars- and that’s that.
Fuck, it’s way to early for a drink.
Yeah. They could hit on a fourth U22 player. The extra $2 million they’ll have could be used to bring in some really interesting players (likely MLS vets). Peltola, Schnegg, and Enow could really take off with one season of MLS under their belts.
But overall, looks a bit like they’re transitioning to a post-Benteke life. Essentially, it’s what I wanted them to do in 2023. Sign a Young DP, maximize the U22 slots, ride out Benteke and Klich’s deals and use 2024 as a growth year with the young kids and academy guys gelling and getting experience. Then in 2025 bring in two new DPs to replace Benteke and Klich and go to town with that blooded in young talent.
We’ll see what they do, but getting the most out of Benteke probably meant holding on to Klich for this year.
There’s a line delivered by Richard Harris in the movie Camelot. He’s playing King Arthur, and Vanessa Redgrave’s Guinevere is convinced that a special riding technique by one of her knights will unseat the unpopular Lancelot. When this goes tits up, Harris dryly says. “Amazing. Maneuvered the horse right from under him.”
That might well be Mackay and Lesesne’s regime if they’re not careful now. And I’m purely talking the floor and ceiling this roster is likely to have against a potentially stronger Eastern Conference
The way you laid out is pretty shitty for DCU fans however it would buy another year for MacKay and Lesesne. They won’t have to be accountable again for the results of the team on the field this year. Just continue to blame the old regime.
As I imply in my Camelot thing, some seasons are too catastrophic for anyone to walk away from.
Except apparently DAVE GODDAMN KASPER (who I am legitimately in awe of).
Goff responded to me on Bluesky:
“ Additional DCU clarity
2024 buyout: Jeahze
2025 buyout: Birnbaum, who had a year left on guaranteed contract
So DCU couldn’t buy out Klich.
They’ll go with two DPs / 4 U22 initiatives:
DPs: Benteke, “Klich”
U22: Ku-DiPietro, Pirani, incoming Korean GK and tbd
Peltola moves from young DP to TAM”
Having said that, it seems to me DCU has a choice about how to use its GAM $$. They can use them to acquire other players or they could use them to buy down Klich’s DP wage ($1.8M now after ATLUTD picks up $300K). As I read the rule, they’re allowed to buy down a DP wage all the way down to $150K — and that buying down the wage would take them off the DP list.
There has to be a reason why DC’s having Atlanta pick up that $300K. I think there is another announcement still to come here.
“A player’s Salary Budget Charge, and therefore Designated Player status, is generally determined by averaging all guaranteed amounts payable over the guaranteed term.
In 2024, a Designated Player who is at least 24 years old during the League Year will carry the Maximum Salary Budget Charge ($683,750) unless the player joins his club after the opening of the Secondary Transfer Window, in which case his budget charge will be $341,875.
Clubs may “buy down” the Salary Budget Charge of a Designated Player with General Allocation Money. The reduced budget charge may not be less than $150,000.”
I also saw someone else ask why not take Birnbaum’s cap hit and use the buyout on Klich? Maybe they already officially declared they were buying out Birnbaum, but it seems like a fair question.
I’m a deeply involved MLS person, but this whole thing has out-MLS’d me. Incredibly confusing. I hope there’s a way to get that DP slot back again, but it’s well beyond my ability to confidently say one way or the other.
Repeating:
There has to be a reason why DC’s having Atlanta pick up that $300K. I think there is another announcement still to come here.
Maybe I’m reading too much into that — maybe there’s some MLS rule that forces Atlanta to pay him something. Or maybe the owners are happy to take anything off their own books. But I’m guessing it’s not random, that DC has something planned and needed that $300K off the books to use less GAM in a buy-down to free up DP slot. Maybe in the summer…
Except, if Goff’s info is accurate , we’re married to Benteke and Klich being our two full DPs, and another u-22 spot is all we have. So, unless you’re hypothesizing some arcane way to use GAM to do some sort of Klich shenanigans that results in a full one being available… this is just bad
That is exactly what I’m hypothesizing. I’m not saying they should do it. I’m saying there will be a choice. If a another DP opportunity presents itself, they could use GAM to buy down Klich’s cap hit and free up DP slot. Roughly $1.1M to get below the ‘24 DP level. Can’t recall whether that goes up 5% or 10% a year. Otherwise use the money to acquire other players and get them under the cap.
When you put it like that, I guess it is theoretically possible, though not sure if the league would be willing to let us use it that way- seems uncharted waters.
If it were, I actually do think it would potentially be worth it, gotta use GAM or lose it, and one reliable DP Star who can make this attack hum is worth a few drones
If the opportunity happens in summer window, I guess the remaining salary would be about $900k (or even less depending on how that gets prorated), and the DP level may be about $360-370k, so the GAM buyout would be less than $550k (maybe even much less). So if they’ve saved that much GAM, they could use it to buy down Klich’s hit and add a 2nd DP.
Interesting. It would also very much be playing on the river for an unknown summer transfer to save our season. Like, that’s hope, but it also is a bit of a ride down the white water in a loose raft
Like I said, wear pink and MLS will let you do whatever you want….
You all have such a narrow vision (kidding)
It seems like Mackay has kept transforming any allocation money or budget space from one transaction into the next. So I believe it’s likely that he will use that amount for something, whether it’s a move we know about or an upcoming one.
All the Klich-related discussion above involves arcane budget strategies but I’d like to pay tribute to the player himself.
As an STM, I saw in person all but maybe one match that Klich played at Buzzard Point and watched most away matches on MLS Apple.
Only an in-person viewer can appreciate how hard he always played and how much ground he covered, especially on defense. He never, never dogged it. It was easy to see why Leeds fans loved him.
My only criticism was some of the yellow cards he got for supposed dissent, etc. — some of which was really on the ref.
All in all, a first class act.
I haven’t been to a game in person in the last two years, so I never got to see him in the flesh. But I enjoyed seeing him rack up counting stats. He was one assist away from tying Julian Gressel’s mark (and had played about ten fewer games), and if he put up another 13 assists this year, he would have tied Lucho (in one fewer season). For a guy that wasn’t really a chance creator, that’s pretty impressive.
We’ll also need to find someone else to take corner kicks now. It’s probably Herrera at this stage.
Peglow?
When the new DCU away jerseys go on sale, I might get a customized Klich jersey. Seems like that would be appropriate for our Designated Player in Absentia (Absentia, GA).
Benteke traded to Miami for $200 GAM……
Kasper forced to dress like an elf and prance around Audi Field……….
MLS SuperDraft is live. DC picks 10th and 23rd (from ATL) in first round.
DC is on the clock.
With the 10th pick in the 1st round of MLS SuperDraft DC United has selected Hakim Karamoko a Forward from North Carolina State University. United also picks 23rd.
In other local soccer news…
Annapolis Blues FC to Join USL League Two in 2025
I’ve been wanting to get there for a game for awhile now. Perhaps this season…
The logo is epic
The MLS super draft tracker sucks. Not updating automatically — you have to go in and out. Amazing they’ve chosen not to broadcast it in any place. Apple TV?
“ WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 20, 2024) – D.C. United has selected North Carolina State University winger Hakim Karamoko with the 10th overall selection in the First Round of the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.”
7 goals and 2 assists in ‘24.
NYer — no international player slot needed
Underwhelmed. I was hoping the mock draft would prove out with DCU getting Alex Harris.
No he’s from NYC: https://gopack.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/hakim-karamoko/13064
I saw and edited my post
Surprising to me that they passed on Michael Adedokun. Sensation at Ohio State but Nigerian. Probably no green card tho 4 yr player there
Aparently the FO knows they’re not ready for this…
“ D.C. United Acquires $50,000 in 2025 GAM and $50,000 in conditional GAM from Toronto FC in exchange for the 23rd overall pick.”
With the 10th (40th overall) pick in the 2nd round DCU has selected Daniel Ittycheria Forward from Princeton University. He’s from Warren, NJ https://goprincetontigers.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/daniel-ittycheria/22291
Obviously one has to take the reporters’ rankings with huge heaps of salt because Nick Dang (UVA), for example, was ranked by Travis Clark (and others) as one of the top three defenders and he ended up going 49th…but Ittycheria seems like a good pickup at the 40th slot. I’ve heard good things about him before and Clark had him ranked as the sixth best winger, just behind Karamoko, who was ranked #4. Rare that a second round pick works out, but DCU could use some depth at the FW/Winger role.
Not indicative of anything, but DC went all of last season with a 3rd round pick on its roster, and all of 2023 with a 2nd round pick on its roster.
DCU has 2 picks in the 3rd and final round 10th (natural, 70th overall) and 26th (86th overall, gained from LAFC).
With the 70th overall pick DCU takes Jonah Biggar Defender from University of South Carolina: https://gamecocksonline.com/sports/msoc/roster/player/jonah-biggar/
With the 86th overall pick DCU takes Grant Bailey Defender from Loyola University Chicago: https://loyolaramblers.com/sports/mens-soccer/roster/grant–bailey/2610
Coda: surprisingly, to me, left undrafted. Stanford senior defender, Noah Adnan, from Gaithersburg. Maybe worth a look by DCU?
These are the times when having an MLS Next PRO team would come in really useful. Taking a flyer on guys, and developing them.