Blue Notes: Sporting KC II Signing, Freeman Loan, MLS Transfer Roundup

It’s been a hot minute since we did a bit of a round-up, let’s get right to it.

Sporting KC II Add a Forward

Today, Sporting Kansas City II announced they added another academy contract to their USL Championship roster. They signed forward Zion Long, their third forward signing of the summer. In his Twitter profile he’s wearing number 9, so maybe he’s a striker, but there isn’t much information out there. He is committed to Grand Canyon University, and this contract won’t interfere with his college eligibility.

SKC II have been lacking a true center forward since Tyler Freeman (who is more of a false 9) is off to 2. Bundesliga. Also, the team has been playing wingers in that role as of late as Enoch Mushagalusa and Rojay Smith have gotten most of the minutes. Ropapa Mensah has been hurt and Dominik Resetar has potentially fallen out of favor as he can’t get on the pitch.

Long joins fellow SKC Academy forwards Daniel Gutierrez and Coby Jones as recent signings. Jones has played both LW and LB since signing. Maybe Long will appear on Saturday as the team often makes signing when they are short players headed into a game.

More on Tyler Freeman’s Loan

Speaking of SKC Homegrown Tyler Freeman, there are new reports out of Germany that seem to show he is likely to play for the U-19s of Karlsruher SC, as opposed to their first team. This comes after this weeks announcement he’d spend the next year there on loan. That may come as a disappointment to some SKC fans, but the German first division is clearly higher than MLS and that would then seem to show that it’s second division is higher than USL. He’ll have to earn those minutes. (h/t to Mike Kuhn for the find).

Daniel Salloi — All-Star

Although he wasn’t voted in, MLS all-star coach Bob Bradley added Daniel Salloi to the all-star team. Then Salloi promptly stomped a hole in Bob’s defense on Wednesday. He’s the first Sporting player to go through the Pro Pathway and make the all-star team. The way that SKC told him was pretty cool.

SKC Reportedly Owe up to $15 Million of Cerner Debt

In a story in the Kansas City Star, Kevin Hardy is reporting that Kansas officials may look to reclaim $15 million dollars from Sporting KC as they were tied together with Cerner when the company and stadium came to Wyandotte County. Cerner has announced plans to sell their offices next to Children’s Mercy Park. The team is, of course, owned in part by the founders of Cerner in the Illig and Patterson families.

For their part, SKC say they’ve met their obligations.

“OnGoal and its ownership group has met all of its obligations associated with the Stadium financing, construction and operation, and it will always continue to do so,” the company told The Star.

MLS Transfer Roundup

So many MLS transfers have gone down in the last few days. We’ve covered the Sporting KC moves, but here is a quick look around the league.

• The Colorado Rapids signed left back Lucas Esteves on loan from Palmeiras (Brazil) through June 2022 with an option to buy.
• The Chicago Fire transferred for new SKC midfielder Jose Mauri’s teammate, Federico Navarro from Argentine club CA Talleres. The deal is through 2025 with a team option for 2026. He’s a young money signing (U-22 Initiative).
• The Vancouver Whitecaps loan striker Theo Bair to Norwegian club Hamarkameratene for the rest of the 2021 season.
• The LA Galaxy added defender Niko Hämäläinen on loan from Queen Park Rangers (England). They made a trade with the Fire by sending $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to move up to the first spot in the Waiver Order to make the signing. Hämäläinen previously was in MLS on loan to LAFC in 2019.
• FC Cincinnati signed defender Tyler Blackett from English Championship side Nottingham Forest. He joins through 2022 with an option for 2023.
• Vancouver traded for San Jose Earthquakes center back Florian Jungwirth for $200,000 in GAM with another $100,000 available via incentives.
• Los Angeles FC traded for center back Sebastian Ibeagha from New York City FC in exchange for $150,000 in GAM with another $50,000 available via incentives. This on the heels of giving up four goals to Sporting KC on Wednesday (on the loss of their starting center back to injury).
• Minnesota United signed Honduras midfielder Joseph Rosales on loan from CA Independiente de La Chorrera (Panama) for the next 18 months. He can also play left back.
• Atlanta United spend big to add another Designated Player. They signed forward Luiz Araujo from Lille OSC (France). The deal is reportedly for $12 million. He primarily lines up on the right wing and presumably will help lift and oddly bad Atlanta United team.
• Red Bulls New York acquired center back Lucas Monzon on loan through the end of 2022. He arrives from Danube FC (Uruguay).
• The Seattle Sounders bolstered their attack with two moves. They traded for Colorado Rapids midfielder Nicolas Benezet for a mere $50,000 in GAM (with another $50k available through incentives). And they signed Young Money for an attacking threat from the midfield and out wide in Leo Chu from Gremio (Brazil). His fee is rumored to be around $2.5 million, so while he’s a U-22 player, he’s more like a young TAM player.
• Jeremy Ebobise was traded from the Portland Timbers to the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for $1.167 million in GAM. Paul Tenorio of The Athletic reports it’s the most GAM ever in a deal (The Peter Vermes fleecing of Orlando City in the Dom Dwyer trade was for $1.6 million, but it’s unclear how much was GAM or TAM). Portland also keeps a 15 percent sell on fee.
• Portland also signed Young Money attacker Santiago Moreno from Colombian side América de Cali. That deal included $50,000 in GAM going to the Philadelphia Union for his discovery rights.
• The Caps also signed a Young Money player in attacking midfielder Pedro Vite from Independiente del Valle (Ecuador) through 2025. Coach Marc Dos Santos had said earlier in the year they were an attacking midfield away from being a contender. The 19-year-old has backup though.
• The Whitecaps also added a DP in the midfield in Ryan Gauld from SC Farense (Portugal). He’ll join through 2024 and will look to make an immediately impact.
• FC Cincy also swung a trade with RBNY for midfielder Florian Valot in exchange for $50,000 in GAM with another $50k available in incentives.
• The Fire sold midfielder Przemyslaw Frankowski to RC Lens (France) for a fee of reportedly $3 million.
• The Rapids made their first outgoing transfer from their Academy sending USMNT left back Sam Vines to Royal Antwerp (Belgium) for a fee up to $2 million.
• The LA Galaxy signed Serbian international forward Dejan Joveljic to a deal through the end of 2025. He’s a Young Money signing who has been banging in goals (20 of them) in the admittedly weaker Austrian Bundesliga.
• The Houston Dynamo acquired Adelberto Carrasquilla on loan from FC Cartagena (Spain’s second division).
• LAFC paid $2.5 million for TAM signing Cristian Arango from Millionarios FC (Columbia). The forward will reportedly replace the recently traded Corey Baird.
• Matias Pelligrini is on the move from Inter Miami CF via loan to Club Estudiantes de la Plata (Argentina). That’s where Miami got him from prior to the debacle that saw them carry five DPs (two more than allowed) during their inaugural 2020 season.
• Miami did add a player (presumably legally). They signed center back Ventura Alvarado, who formerly played for the USMNT. He joins through 2021 with club options for 2022 and 2023.
• The Galaxy have also sent out a player in center back Giancarlo Gonzalez. He heads to Costa Rica to join Alajuelense through the end of the 2021 season on loan.
• Austin FC signed their third DP in Argentinian forward Sebastian Driussi. He was sold to Zenit St. Petersburg back in 2017 for $17 million but had his contract recently bought out. He could be the missing piece for an often struggling Austin offense.
• Austin also added a 23-year-old winger from Hanover 96 through the end of 2022 with club options for 2023 and 2024. McKinze Gaines has bounced around Germany before returning home to his native Austin, TX.

For more transfer news, MLS has a great Transfer Tracker that can take you back as far as you are willing to click.