Wednesday’s soccer news starts with Kacper Przybylko’s move from Philadelphia to Chicago for a total of $1.15m in allocation money. Not lost on anyone is that Przybylko scored a dozen goals for the Union last season, double the next player on the list. Taking Chicago’s allocation money now requires more of a revamp than most expected for Philadelphia. It also set another metric for valuing players within Major League Soccer.
“Obviously, it was very nice to get even the offer,” Przybylko said during his introductory press conference. “There was like a big offer, like that’s a huge meaning for someone who is almost 29, getting to their 30s. So the people justto reach out to my agent, like “we want him.” It shows how valued you are. That was one of the things why I decided to consider that.”
What’s also worth considering is how quickly an MLS can rework a roster. The Fire, under new coach Ezra Hendrickson and sporting director George Heitz, now has a key component to build an attacking team in practice rather than theory.
“Here when (Heitz) called me, he was like, I want to build a team around you,” Przybylko said. “Obviously around all the strikers, but we want to be a team that’s like connected, like it doesn’t matter who’s going to score but at the end of the day everyone has to do their jobs. It was nice to hear that he came with that great offer and also the vision that, hey, Kacper, you’re going to be in front. We want you to feed you with so many balls as we can, and then from there you’re just going to have to do your job and just finish it off. It was nice to hear that. It’s like a huge value to me.”
It’s also another example of how a club can recruit within MLS. That’s another tool in a contemporary era that offers plenty of them. As this article was going to press, FC Dallas announced a $2m allocation money trade with DC United for Paul Arriola. The strategy is similar, bringing in a proven MLS player to anchor a rebuilding effort.
“To have a player like Paul Arriola come to FC Dallas is really an amazing thing,” Dallas president Dan Hunt said in a press statement. “Very few players have a resume like he does at the age of 26. He’s also an incredible locker room guy. You don’t get to captain the U.S. national team if you’re not of the highest caliber and a great professional who works hard and has the admiration of his teammates and the coaching staff. We’re thrilled to welcome Paul to Dallas.”
Moving to the soccer scores, Christian Ramirez’s Aberdeen lost 1-0 at St Mirren to a 61st minute goal in the Scottish Premiership. “There’s not many games where we don’t score a goal so that just adds to the disappointment,” Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass said. “Especially coming off the back of the run we’ve had, where the boys are feeling good about themselves. We need to shake that off and make sure we are back at our best on Saturday.”
In Belgium’s Pro League, Sam Vines’s Royal Antwerp drew 1-1 at home with Sint-Truidense. Michael Ange Balikwisha scored for Antwerp in the 32nd and Sint-Truidense equalized in the 53rd. Ethan Horvath was on the bench for Nottingham Forest’s 3-0 home win over Barnsley in the Championship. Keinan Davis opened the scoring int he 15th minute and Ryan Yates made it 2-0 in the 38th. Brennan Johnson finished off the goals in the 75th minute.
US Soccer explains the work required to get fields in shape for cold weather World Cup qualifiers. The Athletic’s Sam Stjeskal and Paul Tenorio work through the qualifying scenarios. Fox Sports’ Alexi Lalas urges the USMNT to set a goal for this round of qualifiers. The Washington Post’s Steven Goff reports on a potential Paul Arriola move away from DC United. SI’s Jonathan Wilson on the tragedy at the Cup of Nations. Football365’s Will Ford works through manager changes over the last decade of the Premier League. Soccer America’s Ian Plenderleith explains the increasing cost to watch the Bundesliga on TV in Germany.
THURSDAY’S SOCCER TV
Concacaf World Cup qualifying on ESPN2: United States vs El Salvador at 7pm. Jamaica vs Mexico is on CBS Sports and Telemundo at 7pm. Universo has Costa Rica vs Mexico at 9pm ET.
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