DC Power draw, Trin contract updates, and more: Monday Freedom Kicks
Hey y’all. It was a great weekend for me at the AO Ball in Boston raising a ton of money for Boston Scores. Boston apparently didn’t want to let me go because flight delays had me getting home super late. Here’s some stories from the weekend.
DC Power was on the road against Lexington SC over the weekend. A brace from Gianna Gourley gave DC the lead, but ultimately they settled for a 2-2 draw.
The NWSL/Trinity Rodman contract saga, explained (DP)
André gives us some updates on Trinity Rodman’s contract negotiations, from the NWSL introducing a new supermax-like contract option that could help keep her with the Spirit to whether she actually wants to stay. Maybe we will get a resolution by Christmas.
D.C. United in advanced talks to sign Tai Baribo from Philadelphia (The Athletic)
We got some news over the weekend that DC United could be looking to add Tai Baribo as a designated player in a $4 million deal. Nothing has been finalized yet, but this feels pretty close
U.S. Soccer announces Senegal match to finalize pre-World Cup friendly slate (SSFC)
The USMNT will face Senegal for the first time ever on May 31st in Charlotte.
Lionel Messi went on a tour to Kolkata, where people paid a ton of money for tickets to catch a glimpse of him. It turned into chaos after 15 minutes when people couldn’t even get a glimpse of him on the field and started destroying the stadium. The tour organizer is now being investigated.
And finally, a former DCU fan favorite is hanging up his cleats. We’ll always remember the Zoltan era here. Congrats on a great career!
With Zimmerman apparently on his way to Toronto, the pool of available “commanding presence in the backline” defenders is quite diminished. Maybe it’s better to be forced to use the money on another (hopefully younger?) player. Haak might still be available, though he’s got a different skillset.
I’m torn on Haak. I think he’d be a good pickup, and he seems to be rated highly by MLS reporters (Doyle especially seems to really like him and think he should come to DC). But he’s relatively small for a CB, and is also a recently converted CDM. Could certainly be a future play, but I’m wondering if he’s the best pickup to help us directly next season. But who knows
We do have the#1 pick in the draft.
Aside from maybe a goalkeeper, CB is still a position where a decent talent who would never have been academy scouted emerges.
Obviously they’d be more a player to season and bed in, but we should be looking out for the next MLS backline stalwart there, if such a prospect exists
DC continues the off-season check-ins with Bartlett:
https://www.dcunited.com/news/offseason-files-catching-up-with-defender-lucas-bartlett
Bogert reporting that Coronel is on his way to Orlando. That takes one of the top GK free agents out of contention for DC. Dayne St Clair, Sean Johnson, and Pedro Gallese should still be available
That’s a great move by Orlando, and a very nice landing spot for Coronel. There’s a huge Brazilian community in the Orlando organization (at least historically), and I think in the city itself. We have Pirani and Peglow, but… that probably doesn’t compare.
If United can somehow land Dayne St. Clair, that would be amazing. I’m not terribly interested in Johnson or Gallese, unless they think that Joon is like a year away from turning into a very good MLS starter. Which… he probably isn’t.
Coronel would have been the best player to land in my opinion. It would have been a stretch, as it will be for pretty much any player of quality, but it’s still a bit of a strike against the front office that they couldn’t make it happen. Maxime Crepeau is probably my next most realistic option, but he’s been connected by whispers to Toronto for awhile. This kind of makes it seem more likely that United will be going international for their goalie. Levien after all praised Sogut’s global reach (as well as Weiler’s), but United’s history at going international for their goalie has never worked out very well. See Joon.
I also don’t really want Johnson or Gallese. My only thought would be to, as you said, bring them in for like 1 year to be a mentor to Kim. Kinda like that year with Pat Onstad and Hamid. Would that work? Who knows! But agreed that I’d like a good (younger) starter that Kim could maybe develop under.
Joon should be sent packing and his passport revoked. The dude is a deer in the headlights.
I hope he proves me wrong.
Hmmm I really don’t want us going after another international GK….and if we had to choose between Johnson or Gallese, I’d take Johnson just because he seems to be a more steady guy from game to game. Ultimately no option will matter if we don’t get our suddenly thin backline upgraded and reinforced…
Apparently Colorado is also getting Dante Sealy from Montreal for $2 million. If Sealy was available, it’s kind of discouraging that we got Caden Clark instead.
Bogert now reporting that Bartlett has “asked DC to discuss his future.” There have been calls from several MLS teams, as well as one in Europe. Depending on what happens there, we could really be in need of a new CB
Yikes. This probably means he’s had enough and will force a move if we get in the way. At least there’s competition for his services. He’s going to do well if paired with a good organizer (or if said player is the goalie).
Again, I’m not confident the FO can build a ship in the couple of months (weeks?) left until preseason. Tubbs and Rowles are all we’ve got IIRC. Top GK prospect going off the market. Top CB off the market.
My credit card has more umph this year. Thanks DCU! /s