Soccer <\/p>\n
We\u2019re in the thick of transfer season, though not everybody\u2019s been busy. Some teams have, however, and of that group, here are the moves that have got me thinking a little bit.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Eastern Conference is below, and soon we\u2019ll do the Western Conference.<\/p>\n
In we go:<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Atlanta United<\/a> are going to have three true Designated Players, of course. Alexey Miranchuk<\/a> is already there \u2013 he was signed last summer, and lots of reporting suggests he\u2019s about to be joined by faces familiar<\/a> and not<\/a>. That\u2019s where the headlines will be.<\/p>\n Deeper in midfield, though, Atlanta snagged what\u2019s essentially a fourth DP for this coming season when they acquired Polish international Mateusz Klich<\/a> from D.C. United<\/a> for the 23rd pick in last month\u2019s SuperDraft and up to $50,000 in 2026 conditional General Allocation Money (payable if Atlanta re-sign Klich). They acquired him for essentially nothing and only have to cover $300k of his salary, as per The Washington Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a graph from the press release<\/a> announcing the deal, plus a quote from new Atlanta chief soccer officer Chris Henderson:<\/p>\n D.C. retain a percentage of Klich’s salary charge and his Designated Player roster spot. The 34-year-old Polish international won’t be a DP for Atlanta.<\/em><\/p>\n “He\u2019s had two quality seasons in MLS since joining the league in 2023. He\u2019s a good chance creator, while also being able to dictate the tempo of a game from the middle of the pitch. We believe his qualities and leadership will be a good addition to our midfield.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n \u2014 Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) December 20, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Yeah, you read that right: Klich will occupy a DP slot for D.C. United, but he will be playing for Atlanta United.<\/p>\n I still haven\u2019t fully wrapped my head around the budget mechanics of this (D.C. chief soccer officer Ally Mackay is no dummy, so I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a good reason here), but the functional outcome is Atlanta are adding a DP-caliber, deeper-lying orchestrator and playmaker behind Miranchuk, which in theory frees up the Russian international to focus more on pure creation than he did last year. Klich is not exactly prime Xavi out there, but he gets on the ball a lot: 85th percentile in progressive passes received, 76th percentile in passes attempted and 78th percentile in progressive passes completed. Those numbers have stayed pretty steady across leagues, coaches and game models for the past half-decade.<\/p>\n Atlanta didn\u2019t exactly struggle with ball progression last year, but they did<\/em> struggle with finding the right midfield balance. There was a lot of aimless running and \u201cwhy\u2019d he hit that?\u201d passing, which led to bad rest defense and worse turnovers, then a loss of control in central midfield. Overall, it caused a pretty poor season by their standards.<\/p>\n I think Klich will be a big part of fixing that.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Landing DP winger Jonathan Bamba<\/a> for a reported $2 million transfer fee is awesome, and I like both Danish winger Philip Zinckernagel<\/a>\u2019s underlyings and the scouting reports I\u2019ve gotten about him from my European friends. These guys \u2013 and whichever DP the Fire<\/a> sign next, because they\u2019re not done building yet \u2013 will make Chicago better.<\/p>\n But new director of football and head coach Gregg Berhalter has always, for both club and country, focused on structure first and foremost. When we possess the ball, where do we play from and where are we playing to? What kinds of passes do we hit? Where are the pieces on the board when we take risks with our movement on and off the ball? Structure of that sort \u2013 positional play \u2013 comes from the back, and the Fire\u2019s backline has been a mess for years.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Eight years of lockdown defense coming to Chicago ???? #cf97<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pPXGRj4zom<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) December 16, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n That shouldn\u2019t be the case any longer after they signed Jack Elliott<\/a> (formerly of the Philadelphia Union<\/a>) via free agency and then brought in Sam Rogers<\/a>, who\u2019s been among the better center backs in Scandinavia over the past few years and is a once-capped US international, from Lillestr\u00f8m.<\/p>\n A lot of virtual ink has been spilled here and elsewhere about Chicago\u2019s failures with DP signings over the past 15 years, but these kinds of moves matter just as much if you\u2019re building an Audi MLS Cup Playoffs-caliber team. And then the ability to use the structure provided by guys at the back makes it easier to coach up younger players like Brian Guti\u00e9rrez<\/a> and new U22 Initiative right back Leonardo Barroso<\/a>. Not to mention protecting young goalkeeper Chris Brady<\/a> from shellshock.<\/p>\n Fire fans are right to be optimistic heading into this season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n OK, try to follow along with this one:<\/p>\n This was an offseason masterclass from New England\u2019s front office. They might have the cleanest books in the league now, which let them go hard as hell this offseason in bringing in four new center backs (two imported starters and two MLS free agents who\u2019ll presumably be the back-ups), reportedly soon a new U22 Initiative right back, and multiple options in both midfield and attack. That was all while still essentially keeping three DPs on the roster, but not having to dip into their never-expiring dragon\u2019s hoard of GAM because they get to use the 2\/4\/2 roster model.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n From @InterMiamiCF<\/a> to Nueva Inglaterra – a new chapter begins for Leonardo Campana! ????\u26bd\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/Sp4gfflawW<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New England Revolution (@NERevolution) December 19, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n Did they overpay a little bit for Campana? Yes. But they did it with GAM they were going to have to burn anyway, and because of all the other moves they\u2019ve made, they are set up to be flexible and cap-compliant for most of the rest of the decade. There\u2019ll be no \u201coh this team fell apart because we couldn\u2019t afford to keep them together\u201d should they make a run.<\/p>\n I love it.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n K\u00e9vin Denkey<\/a>\u2019s got the profile of a guy who will work hard and well in this league. He has been productive as hell at a good level for the past several years, and my guess is he won\u2019t spend his off-field time as a heavy bag. The man checks a lot of boxes.<\/p>\n He also fits within Cincy<\/a>\u2019s game model, which is largely vertical. But that raises the question: Can Denkey be as effective when the Garys need to put a foot on the ball and turn down the volume a bit? Or when they\u2019re facing an opponent who has decided to sit in and absorb? Can he create penetration with his off-ball movement in possession?<\/p>\n These are the only questions folks around the league have about the Togo international\u2019s fit, and it\u2019s because he just didn\u2019t really have to do that sort of thing with a Cercle Brugge side that\u2019s been down around 45% possession for as long as Denkey\u2019s been a first-team player.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019ll be great against 90% of the teams Cincy plays, but those other 10%, I don\u2019t know if he impacts the game,\u201d is what one Western Conference front office type said to me. \u201cAnd those 10% are the games where they\u2019ll need him most.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Feeling Denkey. ???? pic.twitter.com\/J3Tp6VWe5G<\/a><\/p>\nChicago build a new central defense<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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The Revs doing DP and GAM arbitrage to get their No. 9<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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FC Cincinnati get their No. 9 (we hope)<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/p>\n
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