Dan Kennedy returns to Stubhub Center as a member of the “team down the hall.”
by Matt Hoffman
A new MLS season, it’s almost here! With it comes the redolent and absurd predictions that seem so plausible at one point only to be comically absurd come April.
So in the tradition of showcasing transcendent players, the ones whose signings cause a seismic shift; Players like Shaun Maloney, Steven Caldwell and Mike Magee’s second season in Chicago, here’s seven signings to look for in 2016 MLS Season.
John Goosens, Chicago Fire
Okay, so as of February 22nd, he’s still a trialist. But dammmmnnnnnn, the Dutchman has some skills.
Not just that, but the former Ajax man is on a preseason tear with a great game against the Vancouver Whitecaps in the Simple Invitational.
“He performed very good,” Fire head coach Veljko Paunovic said. “What I can say right now, at this point, his status as a trialist is still the same.”
Why it might not work: Again, he’s a trialist not signed to the team. Chicago may be a team rebuilding and not wanting to pay the Dutchman’s requested salary. Despite how well he’s playing, it’s hard to see Chicago opening the wallet considering a stated reason for trading Harry Shipp was to shifting timeline past Shipp’s prime years.
Shkelzan Gashi, Colorado Rapids
Perhaps the biggest signing in the history of the Colorado Rapids hails from the same country that (allegedly) garnered nuclear power secrets from the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant.
The acquisition of Albanian International Shkelzan Gashi brings a Champions League striker to a team desperately in need of scoring talent. A two-time Swiss League Golden Boot winner, Gashi will occupy the hole, though he can play on the left as well.
This is great news for the Rapids as it will free Dillon Powers to be assume his normal role (more of a box-to-box player) while providing linking play to Colorado’s strike corps.
Why it might not work: The curse of history. Major League Soccer has seen plenty of Golden Boot winners fail to catch fire in the league. Meanwhile, Colorado has seen plenty of DP strikers fail to catch fire in the league.
It’s reasonable to expect a learning curve for a player coming from a league where the largest distance between two cities (St Gallen and Route de Suisse) is 175 miles.
Luciano Acosta, D.C. United
D.C. United struggled to score last year. They team has overhauled it’s attackers and it hopes it can find a spark with the 21 year-old Acosta who is on loan from Argentine giants Boca Juniors.
Why it might not work: Let’s assume for the sake of argument that Acosta is re-signable, that he’s contract has an option to buy at a modest, cap-friendly cost. There’s been a rotation for years in the nation’s capital with a different player each year doing the goal scoring for D.C. United and none of the team’s last four Golden Boots players weren’t on the team the year before. Acosta won’t have the benefit of a being in the D.C. United system and Ben Olson might keep a tight leash on a player who he might not fully trust yet.
Blas Perez, Vancouver Whitecaps
Another season for the Vancouver Whitecaps to bring in another talented striker. Unlike Nicholas Mezquida and Octavio Rivera, it won’t take time for rival fans to lock onto Perez, the Panamanian is already widely disliked throughout the league for his ability to antagonize. Traits that fit right in with a Whitecaps team that plays a physical game.
Why it might not work: Maybe it was bad luck or maybe it was being at the most far flung outposts in MLS, Vancouver lost an absurd number of man minutes to injury last year. Perez, now 34, has had his fair share of injuries and will be battling for minutes in a single-striker system with Rivero and Masato Kudo.
Max Urruti admires the Western Conference trophy
Maximiliano Urruti, FC Dallas
The man replacing Perez was also a player Timbers were reportedly loath to let him go. The player, however, had a contract kicker that would have severely impacted Portland’s salary cap. No longer limited to spot starter status, Urruti has already had a brace for his new club in a preseason match.
Why it might not work: Urruti is somewhat of a darling on the advanced stats community. If there were a stat to count high-leverage (read: clutch) goals, Urruti would be likely near the top of the list. If MLS ever used a metric to normalize performance for 90 minutes, Urruti would kill it. Yet for his 67 MLS appearances, Urruti has only 28 starts. If Dallas opts to make Urruti a starter, how will his numbers respond?
Dan Kennedy, LA Galaxy
You could make a compelling argument for any of Bruce Arena’s well-known (and one would assume well-paid) back line henchmen (Jelle Van Damme, Ashley Cole, and D/M Nigel de Jong), but it’s the return of the native that ties the Galaxy’s cup ambitions together. Just ask Santos. The emergence of Jesse Gonzalez last year made Kennedy and his contract expendable. Kennedy always performed well despite being on the target range the was the Chivas USA back line, and he showed he can play well on a good team as well with six shutouts in 15 games.
Why it might not work: Once a strength, the Galaxy defense has faltered over last season. Where Omar Gonzalez once sat protected by Marcello Sarvas and Juninho, there’s Van Damme, Cole, de Jong, and Steven Gerrard. Stars certainly, but a lot of money is tied up in names, not necessarily abilities.
