The Best MLS Season Ever Thread (2016 obviously)

[HailtotheYo]

Tense so far ... Giovinco has his second FK opportunity aaaaaaand the wall does it's job.

Altidore, Bradley, and Gio have all looked good so far.  Nobody standing out individually but SEA playing good team ball ...

Marshall with a yellow.  Seattle's backline has been SOLID and Torres is a difference maker, jeebus.  

[Meacon Keaton]

What a fucking save!

[GoGo Yubari]

legen fucking dary

I'm so proud. I'm so proud of all of them. Torres, Frei, Valdez, Zach fucking Scott, Nico, Morris, Schmetzer, Flaco, Friberg, Evans, the goddamn Honey Badger. I hope I'm not working when they fly back into town because I want to be at that airport to welcome them home.

[HailtotheYo]

Freaking ridiculous save.  Certainly saved them the match ... but your TRUE MVP of the cup is this guy:

He was all over TFC's attack.  Fitting he knocked home the PK that sealed it.

 

It was rough, tough, gritty, but worth the watch.  Pretty fitting for America's domestic league title match.  HUGE HUGE HUGE bravo to Toronto.  It looked and felt like a big, big match.  That stadium and atmosphere came across unbelievably well last night.

[MDK]

What a save. Not only to get to it but to palm it away.

[Cymbols]

Incredible save. Sounders deserved it for that alone. 

[gunnar hendershow]

Missed the match last night, and not a ton of highlights from a 0-0 match of course. But that save is fucking top tier stuff, and something I suspect we'll see in every single Sounders highlight package until the end of time.

Very happy for Seattle. It's hard to be a long suffering club in such a young league, but besides New England the only other club that constantly sticks out to me as coming so close so often is Seattle.

[Meacon Keaton]

We traded Kevin Kratz, who we had for maybe two months(?), to Atlanta for their fourth rounder in the 2020 Superdraft. Sure. Why not.  

[HailtotheYo]

ATL traded GAM to Columbus for Parkhurst ... traded a 2019 pick for Harrison Heath ... and a 2018 pick for Romario Williams (who has already played for Jamaica)

NYCFC does indeed make the trade for Sean Johnson

 

[GoGo Yubari]

That Sean Johnson deal is so brutal. Traded to what would more or less be his hometown club under the assumption that he'd be the starter there in their inaugural season only for Guzan to decide he was ready to come back to MLS and Atlanta to decide that they'd rather have him. Not that NYCFC is a shitty place to land at all, no matter what he's in a better spot than he was this past season, but still.

It's also the most Chicago Fire deal possible because the rumor is NYCFC offered them more than Atlanta did but they wanted to do right by Johnson. Whoops!

[HailtotheYo]

D.C. United sent the rights to Kennedy Igboananike along with a 2017 international spot to the Timbers in exchange for a 2017 second-round draft pick, according to league sources.

 

Protected lists due out soon.  Very curious as to whom a few teams will be leaving open for selection.  Only 5 per expansion team this year instead of ten though so it's a bit safer to leave some players out there. 

[HailtotheYo]

Steven Goff reporting that DC United were "in the process" of trading M Miguel Aguilar and a future draft pick to the LA Galaxy in exchange for a selection in next month's 2017 SuperDraft.

[HailtotheYo]

Protected/unprotected lists: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/content/2016-expansion-draft-protected-and-unprotected-players

Biggest surprises IMO:

COL leaving Le Toux AND Pappa unprotected

CLB leaving Waylon Francis unprotected

HOU leaving Christian Maidana unprotected

MTL leaving Shipp, Dia, and Oduro unprotected

VAN leaving Giles Barnes unprotected

 

Where I one of the two clubs, I'd have a pretty damned good list of players lined up:

Barnes, Pappa, Francis, Maidana, Shipp, Ivanschitz, Goodson, Olave, McInerny, Duvall, Shipp

[Szumi]

Somewhat surprised to see Edu on the list too. Despite his injury problems this year he's a good, versatile player

[HailtotheYo]

Rumor mill has Junhino wanting to come back to the league (LA sold him so he'd go through allocation order) as well as Terrance Boyd going on loan to NYRB.

 

[Toe]

For a 0-0 game, the MLS Cup was fun to watch. Wanted Toronto FC to win, but as the extra time minutes ticked down you could see the writing on the wall - Seattle was destined to pull out the victory. The story of Toronto's former goalkeeper being the man to prevent them from winning was just too good.

[HailtotheYo]

Sources saying Greg Garza wants an MLS move.  I'm all for it.  Love this guy and he's been fringe USMNT for two years.  I think he'd be great and would love to see him get continued playing time for a possible USMNT return.

 

Galaxy will unveil new coach at 3 (following expansion draft) ... been leaked that it'll be Onalfo (LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL)

 

List of Free Agents that can start negotiating at 5 today http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/12/13/complete-list-mls-free-agents-2017-season

 

[HailtotheYo]

ATL Expansion Draft picks: Donny Toia (MTL) Zack Lloyd (FCD) Clint Irwin (TFC) Mikey Ambrose (ORL) Alec Kann (SKC)

 

MIN Expansion Draft picks: Duvall (NYRB) Collen Warner (HOU) Mohammed Saeid (CLB) Jeff Attinella (RSL) Femi Hollinger Janzen (NE)

 

OK, each clubs' first pick is a clear first team/starting choice.  Heath said going in that MINN needed to come away with 4 possible first teamers and I think they did that.  Duvall, Warner (was solid for Houston at Dmid after coaching change), Saeid, and either of Attinella or Janzen will fit into those 4 slots.  Janzen as huge upside and Saeid can play all over the midfield.  ATL has another starter in Lloyd, and Irwin HAS to be trade bait.  He's not backing up Guzan ... that'd be Kann.  Ambrose is a young defender with huge upside (he played in Austin and got to see him a few times).

MNUFC said they were building .... no player over 28yr selected.

 

*already reports about Irwin going right back to TFC for international slot .... and ATLUTD's twitter posted the selections for Toia, Lloyd, Kann with official graphics .. Irwin and Ambrose just action shots LOL no signs there.

 

[Szumi]

The Galaxy just acquired Jones from Colorado. LA sends their first round pick the other way.

[HailtotheYo]

Irwin goes back to TFC for DEF Mark Bloom and allocation money

HOU sends DEF Shaenon Williams to Vancouver for allocation money

Terrance Boyd now "highly unlikely" to be going to NYRB on loan

 

 

ATL are reportedly signing OSCAR ROMERO of Racing Club (another young Paraguayan INT)  HOLY FUCK ATL

 

Record setting MLS CUP ratings 3.5m total viewers