Big D Weekly - December 11
Big D Weekly - December 11
MLS Cup is in the books, now it is time for the real fun of the MLS offseason.
Some folks around Major League Soccer will tell you that the true offseason begins once the MLS Cup is over. They’re not wrong.
Today, we’ll get a trade window that will bring several moves between clubs, tomorrow a Waiver draft, Wednesday free agency, and then the first stage of the Re-Entry Draft (why is that one still a thing, I don’t know) to round out the week. Oh, and next week, there is the SuperDraft.
Yeah, it gets pretty busy in a hurry.
All of that happens during what also feels like the busiest time of the year with Christmas right around the corner in (checks the calendar real quick) two weeks.
How will FC Dallas manage these next two weeks? I have some thoughts on that coming out as the days go on here.
I will admit that the SuperDraft really sneaks up on me now that it is in December. I used to care more about that offseason event, but in the last couple of years, that interest has died down considerably. I will say that after watching a bit more college soccer this year (because my school, WVU, was actually a final-four team this year), there is still some decent talent in the college game.
Alright, let’s dive into this week.
Programming Note: Starting Wednesday, December 13, through December 27, I will be out of the country on a holiday with my family. I do have plenty of content planned and scheduled during this time, mostly player recaps, along with a couple of other offseason items.
If there is any breaking news from FC Dallas or MLS that is worth talking about during this two-week stretch, I will get to it as soon as I have quality WiFi at my various stops (i.e., give me a little grace here for not having things ‘right as they happen’ like we normally would.).
🔥 From the blog
Other FCD-related recaps/updates from the week
Here are some other posts from the last few days that are worth a read:
North Texas SC acquires Abdoul Zanne on loan (FCDallas.com)
Jayden Shaw scores game-winner for USWNT in Frisco (Dallas Morning News)
📋 From Around MLS
The Columbus Crew are your new MLS champions after defeating LAFC 2-1 on Saturday afternoon in a wonderful Cup final. There were plenty of good moments in that match, from the goals to LAFC battle back in the second half. I mentioned during the game that the Crew were the most entertaining team to visit Frisco this past year, and they did not disappoint in this one. Wilfred Nancy becomes the first black coach to win an MLS Cup, too, which is a big milestone.
For LAFC, they ended the year without any hardware and now could face a really difficult offseason.
Today will be the big MLS offseason trade window day. Teams are already working out deals that have been discussed. D.C. and St. Louis have a player swap that includes former FC Dallas defender Lucas Bartlett. Colorado appears to be working to land former NYCFC keeper Zach Steffan. No word yet on how active FC Dallas will be during this trade window.
Some coaching vacancies in MLS are still soon to be filled. New England is apparently in talks with Bob Bradley. Charlotte may hire Frank Lampard, which feels super dumb even though I used to love watching Lampard play back in the day for Chelsea (yeah, don’t hold me against that one). Minnesota, on the other hand, is retaining their interim coach for now, as their interim coach. It also appears that Oscar Pareja will stay in Orlando too.
On the Designated Player front, Seattle has apparently landed their next big star in Argentine attacker Pedro de la Vega.
One player who won’t be a DP in MLS, Luis Suarez, is signing with Miami.
That’s it for this week’s newsletter. Thank you all for subscribing (and if you aren’t subscribed, just hit that button below and get signed up now)!