MLS The Daily Kickoff

By Anonymous (not verified), December 14, 2022
MLS Soccer
MLS Soccer

By Sam Jones
Good morning, y'all. Your pal Sam here. Let's soccer.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

SMALL-SIDED: LET'S APPRECIATE THE LITTLE THINGS

MLS Kickoff Story
There are things happening. Maybe not major things, but definitely things. Let's talk them out right quick in the quickest hittingest Small Sided yet.1. DC United in advanced talks for Leeds United midfielder Mateusz KlichTom "Calvin Scooplidge" Bogert wrote about this the other day and generally when these things get written about they get over the line. We'll see though. I mostly just wanted to point out that whether or not this happens we're seeing a pretty clear trend in D.C. as they try to drag themselves as far away from their Spoon-winning 2022 as possible. This team is quietly turning into MLS's version of The Villages. It feels like nearly every player they're targeting or bringing in is an elder in soccer years.Klich is 32, and new signings Pedro Santos and Tyler Miller are 34 and 29, respectively. To be fair, new TAM defender Mohanad Jeahze is 25, but he's almost a baby relative to most of D.C.'s other major roster spots. DPs Christian Benteke and Victor Palsson are both 31 and it wouldn't be all that surprising if D.C. bring in a new third DP this offseason in a similar mold. It seems like D.C. are in some version of "win now" mode. Which is weird to say considering their performance last year, but I think there's an understanding that Wayne Rooney isn't here to hang around and handle construction on a major project. They likely feel like they can have immediate success with older players or, at the very least, can start over when the older players' shorter contracts run out.D.C. are at least taking a swing at this. It's better than being boring.2. Toronto FC, Canada midfielder Jonathan Osorio reach long-term dealThere were some whispers that Osorio might try to head to Europe or just elsewhere in the world, but no one is really surprised that he's set to hang around and build on his lead atop Toronto's all-time appearances list.That being said, it feels like Toronto are right back where they started this offseason. Coming off a year where they put out one of the league's worst defenses, it felt like they were primed to make some big moves. And they still might! I'm just impatient and want to see how they're going to correct things. They did bring in Luca Petrasso from Orlando, but that's their only new addition so far. Considering they lost Domenico Criscito, I don't think it's unfair to say so far that their defense has gotten worse. Part of this is me being worried about Toronto and the other part is just me wanting more things to happen. Either way I think I'm valid in both feelings.3. CF Montréal acquire George Campbell in trade with Atlanta UnitedAtlanta got a good return for a player that would be fourth on their center back depth chart heading into 2023. Montréal got a talented young player who can be a valuable piece for whatever the next era of CF Montréal looks like. It's basically a win-win. But it should probably be pointed out that it's not the kind of move Atlanta make if they had a bunch of roster flexibility and handfuls of allocation money lying around. It seems like a quick glimpse into how difficult it might be for Atlanta to create the space they need to make moves this offseason. It might require some sacrifices.4. Austin FC announce name, brand & head coach for MLS NEXT Pro teamMLS NEXT Pro seems good and Austin getting a team in seems good etc. etc.I just once again want to express my disappointment in all the [MLS Team Name] II teams that exist. It just feels so serious. Is anyone really going to be hurt by these names and branding actually being interesting? You'd at least get some amazing merch sale revenue from going all in on the weird instead of saying "well, it's the second one so it has a two after it" and calling it a day. Just hand the branding off to some local art school students and thrive. The world will be a better place when we start getting soccer's versions of minor league names like the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.5. FC Cincinnati reject significant bid from Chivas for Brandon VazquezI love this. First because the fact that Chivas keep coming back with increasingly significant offers shows how far Vazquez has progressed, and second because FC Cincinnati keep rejecting those offers in favor of a more ambitious stance. Vazquez might still move on this offseason, but someone will have to come in with an offer bigger than $7 million. Otherwise, Cincy seem committed to having Vazquez around to build on their outstanding 2022 season. You have to love to see the former three-time Spoon winners going all in on making a push for something big in 2023.6. Colorado Rapids re-sign defender Steven BeitashourSteven rules and also I fully expect him to be on an MLS roster for as long as the league exists. Just seems to be how things go around here.

AND OTHER THINGS

  • Colorado Rapids re-sign defender Beitashour: The Colorado Rapids have re-signed defender Steven Beitashour through the 2023 MLS season with an option for 2024. Beitashour returns to the Rapids via free agency after the club declined his contract option following the 2022 season. Over his 14-year MLS playing career, Beitashour has five goals and 40 assists in 277 regular-season appearances.
  • Portland Timbers defender McGraw signs contract extension: The Portland Timbers have signed center back Zac McGraw to a multi-year contract extension. The new deal secures McGraw's services through the 2025 MLS season with a club option for 2026. The 25-year-old broke into the rotation in 2021 and has now made 33 appearances (13 starts) for Portland, tallying one goal. McGraw played over 1,000 minutes last season as a rotational defender.

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