MLS Free Agency and Re-Entry Draft: Who Should the Fire Consider?
It has already been a busy MLS offseason for the Chicago Fire following the conclusion of the regular season just over a month ago.
The club has signed three new international players to their 2021 roster in relatively quick succession: Chinonso Offor, Jhon Espinoza, and Stanislav Ivanov. These additions bring the Fire’s roster count to 30 players for 2021.
At first glance, this number seems a bit large. With the number of young homegrowns on the roster, perhaps the club will look to loan some of these players to USL clubs until they are ready for regular first-team minutes. There is also the issue of having more than the maximum allotted international players on the roster.
Although there is talk of expedited green cards, having too many active internationals could potentially lead to other moves. We could also see the team look to trade some of the existing roster.
With all that being said, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see the club make a couple of domestic moves for players with MLS experience. Enter the annual MLS Re-Entry Draft and Waiver Draft along with Free Agency.
After going through each team’s end-of-year roster decisions, here are players I believe are worth a look at as depth pieces in all areas of the pitch.
Goalkeepers
Andrew Tarbell (CLB, 27), Andrew Putna (RSL, 26), and Cody Cropper (HOU, 27)
Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
All three players would service well as affordable backup options to hopefully Bobby Shuttleworth who most fans would agree solidified himself as a clear number 1 goalkeeper for this team after the injury to the aging Kronholm. Additionally, it may be another year or so for Chris Brady to slot into the first team. Andrew Putna was RSL’s starter all year long and had some standout performances.
Tarbell was also a steady number two for MLS Champions Columbus and kept back-to-back clean sheets in the playoffs while starter Eloy Room recovered from COVID-19.
Lastly, Cody Cropper had stints with the US youth national teams at a young age but hasn’t really had much action in his pro career. At the end of the day, it is unlikely the Fire make any moves for goalkeepers unless they can somehow move Kronholm.
Defenders
Hassan Ndam (CIN, 22, CB), Eriq Zavaleta (TOR, 28, CB), Alvas Powell (MIA, 26, RB)
Hassan Ndam showed a ton of potential with NYRB II who made back-to-back conference final appearances while he was there. In the right system with the right players around him, perhaps he can provide some value in MLS.
Eriq Zavaleta has a ton of experience with Toronto, winning an MLS Cup a couple of years ago. He’s a solid depth defender in the peak of his career at 28.
Alvas Powell is a two-way fullback who was a regular starter for Portland in their MLS Cup-winning season. He never really settled in with Cincinnati or Miami.
Midfielders (Wingers)
Andrew Carleton (ATL, 20), Kekuta Manneh (NE, 25), Ben Mines (NYRB, 20)
Andrew Carleton is an exciting talent that has lacked a bit of discipline in his fledgling career with Atlanta United. However, he has a chance to revitalize his career after a strong season with Indy Eleven in the USL Championship. He has appeared for nearly all of the US youth teams. The potential is there.
Kekuta Manneh brings a ton of pace and could bring a David Accam’esque element to attack.
Ben Mines would the biggest question mark but is a versatile young player who scored twice in 6 appearances for the Red Bulls. He can play centrally and out wide while covering a ton of ground in the process.
Midfielders (Central)
Wil Trapp (MIA, 27, CDM), Fatai Alashe (CLB 27, CDM), Diego Fagundez (NE, 25, CAM), Valeri “Vako” Qazaishvili (SJ, 27, CAM), Kevin Molino (MIN, 30, CAM)
With Gaston Gimenez due to missing a handful of games due to international duty throughout the course of the season, it wouldn’t hurt to have an additional CDM on the roster. Perhaps that can be Pineda but Wil Trapp and Fatai Alashe fit the mold as well.
On the attacking side, there are a couple of available names that can serve as a much-needed creative component for this team. At only 25, Diego Fagundez can play centrally or as an inverted winger in the midfield. He has 53 goals and 45 assists in his career with New England despite playing much less following the arrival of Carles Gil. He also wouldn’t require an international roster spot despite being born in Uruguay. There is also Vako from San Jose who has recorded 26 goals and 13 assists in his four seasons there. However, he was a DP in San Jose which would likely mean some steep wages. A late addition to this list, Kevin Molino announced his farewell to Minnesota Tuesday night. He was a key attacking player for the Loons the past couple of years and has recorded 32 goals and 27 assists in his six seasons in MLS. He may come at a cost but his numbers show he would be worth it. He is also one of the few players on the list who would be an automatic starter straight away for the Fire.
Disclaimer: By no means am I saying that either of these players is the long-term solution to fill the playmaker role for this club. However, they can serve as additional sources of creativity in the short-term.
Strikers
Juan Agudelo (MIA, 28) and Rubio Rubin (SD Loyal, 24)
Photo: Steve Dykes/Getty Images
Although it is unlikely for the Fire to sign an additional striker after bringing in Chinonso Offor last month, there are a couple worth looking at if they feel the need to bring in a third. The one that makes the most sense would be Rubio Rubin who has spent time in Mexico and Netherlands before scoring 7 goals in 5 games for Landon Donovan’s San Diego Loyal in the USL this past season. He is still young and is a great finisher who can create chances for himself as well.
There is also Juan Agudelo who has 49 goals in 229 regular-season games in MLS despite only scoring three in each of his last three seasons.
Free Agency begins at 1 PM ET on December 16 (the day this piece is published) with the first stage of the Re-Entry Draft taking place at the same time on December 17.
That’s all folks.
Featured Photo: Chicago Fire FC
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