Dynamo offseason picking up steam, World Cup rosters being announced, and much more.
One more week before the World Cup! There is still a lot of news to look forward to and this is the last weekend of club football! Let us get it started! Oh, and make sure you stay tuned to our social media channels, we’re planning some cool things around the World Cup matches, you won’t want to miss them!
Houston
It feels like the floodgates are just opening for Houston’s offseason after the announcement of Ben Olsen as head coach. Foward Fafa Picault has been traded to Nashville SC for GAM that could be accumulated up to $250,000. Fafa has been with the club for 2 years and scored 18 goals and had 8 assists for Dynamo. People will remember him for his passion on social media for the club especially his hashtag, Slow Feet Don’t Eat.
Now the bigger news. General Manager Pat Onstad was on Soccer Matters with Glenn Davis explaining some decisions and future roster choices. He explained that even though Ben Olsen was recognized in D.C. using with a low block system, he is confident that he can bring attacking, exciting, and gritty football that the city can identify with. Ben is the right choice for the club, someone who knows the league and can push the club forward.
He also mentioned the players. Midfielder Marcelo Palomino, who was a star for Dynamo Dos last season, will not be back in the Dynamo organization in any capacity. The reason behind it was his contract being high to trigger and he felt that it’s a risk that he wasn’t willing to make. As for the ones that are lingering with options such as Zeca, Memo Rodriguez, and Darwin Quintero, Pat confirmed that there are no further discussions with these players and they have until November 14th to decide what they want to do.
Lastly, the Dynamo made known the players who are available for the MLS Expansion Draft this evening. 16 players are protected including Designated Players Hector Herrera, Coco Carrasquilla, and Sebas Ferreira. The most interesting of those who are available is Tim Parker, who was the captain last season and played a lot of minutes with the club. Also Beto Avila can be selected. He came up from Dynamo Dos last season. Backup goalkeeper Michael Nelson is available as well. We will see who will get picked tonight at 6 PM streaming on the MLS website.
MLS/USMNT
MLS is still on everyone’s mind but now the USMNT has released their roster and everyone has an opinion. Gregg Berhalter announced his 26 man squad, 9 of the players ply their trade in MLS. People are shocked to see Zack Steffen and Ricardo Pepi not make the squad! Instead Berhalter included Ethan Horvath and Haji Wright, who have been playing constantly at their respective clubs. Tell us what you think about the squad and how far can they make it.
Nashville, Nashville, Nashville. What are they are doing? As mentioned, they did business with the Houston Dynamo in a trade for Fafa but they made other trades. Nashville also traded 4 international slots for $750K in GAM and a 2nd round SuperDraft selection. That’s a lot of GAM and to boost up their money pile. We will see what they will do with it.
Around the World
As mentioned before, this is the last weekend of regular club football before players head to Qatar. Enjoy the last week with your favorite football club and see where they end up before the World Cup.
With the World Cup in 9 days, the majority of the teams have released their rosters. France, Germany, England, Brazil, Belgium and USA are the ones with the most attention. Of course, we are still waiting for teams like Argentina and Mexico to see who they pick. Interestingly, France is the only team to pick 25 players instead of 26 players. Who are you looking forward to seeing in these last days before the World Cup?
A lot of football this weekend! Let us know what we failed to mention that you are looking forward to. Enjoy the weekend and see you back on Monday!