MLS The Daily Kickoff

By Anonymous (not verified), January 10, 2023
MLS Soccer

By Sam Jones
Good morning, y'all. Your pal Sam here. Let's soccer.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

SMALL-SIDED: BALE BAILS, VANCOUVER AND CHICAGO GET DEFENSIVE

MLS Kickoff Story
1. LAFC got exactly what they needed out of BaleGareth Bale in LA didn't last long. But no one at LAFC is going to complain. Yeah, it would have been nice to have him around for a CCL run, but he wouldn't have been a locked-in starter. Now, LAFC can focus on letting their younger (and possibly more productive at this point) wingers like Mahala Opoku and new U22 signing Stipe Biuk get a few more minutes, and they can take the max TAM money they were using for Bale and put it towards a starting caliber player as needed. And that might be very much be needed in midfield if Jose Cifuentes heads out this offseason.Or, I guess, it could all be going to Aaron Long. We'll find out eventually. Either way, LAFC got exactly what they needed here. Yeah, it ended up being a short-term rental. But Bale stirred up interest as fans watched LAFC win the Supporters' Shield and make their way to MLS Cup. And, of course, he happened to score a pretty important goal once they got there. That's a lucrative ROI. The fact he didn't overstay just makes that return even better.2. Another sensible signing in VancouverThe Whitecaps added a TAM center back yesterday in Mathías Laborda. I can't say for certain how he'll do in MLS, but it feels like another smart move from a team that seems to routinely make smart signings that fit their needs. The problem is, they haven't been rewarded for it yet.Part of that is they just don't have the budget to compete with some of the league's biggest teams, and the other part of that is they just felt a bit unlucky last year. Even with a horrible start plagued by injuries, they still very nearly made the playoffs.I'm not saying it will happen, but the Caps feel like a potential sleeper pick for a solid season in the West. Not MLS Cup level, but certainly playoff level. Some things will have to break their way, but is it really that far-fetched to see this group putting in a string of consistent performances that keep them above the line for most of the year?Ok, yeah, maybe. We're not talking about a roster brimming with all-stars. But we might be talking about a cohesive and well-constructed roster that doesn't tilt too far either way. That could be enough for a decent 2023.3. Tiki-taka
  • I'm not going to pretend to know exactly how Chicago's new signing Arnaud Souquet will do in Chicago. However, I will take an educated guess that Chicago's back four routinely set some of the worst lines in the history of the sport last year. It might be confirmation bias on my part, but the amount of times a player from an opposing team ran in behind with ease on Chicago felt like the highest total in the league. Hopefully, Souquet, a very experienced player, can help sort things out back there.
  • Atlanta United re-signed Amar Sejdic yesterday. Last year he provided (by far) the most bang for their buck in midfield. Now they bring him back on a one-year deal with two club option years tacked on. The Five Stripes still have a long way to go to get their roster up to their fan base's standards. But they're on a bit of a hot streak as of late when it comes to making steps in the right direction.
  • The San Jose Earthquakes picked up Michael Baldisimo in the Re-Entry Draft and were able to sign him to a new deal. Seems like an outstanding low-risk, high-reward move. Baldisimo had excellent moments at the start of his time in Vancouver before falling off. It wouldn't be surprising to see Luchi Gonzalez get Baldisimo back to a level where the good folks at Extratime are fawning over him again. Or at least somewhere close.

AND OTHER THINGS

THE READING RAINBOW

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