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Tracy signs with MLS

Tracy

One of the more heralded U.S. attacking prospects of the past few years is coming to MLS.

Former Wake Forest standout forward and Hermann Trophy winner Marcus Tracy signed with MLS Tuesday and will be assigned to a team through a weighted lottery on Thursday, two days prior to the roster freeze deadline, the league announced.

Chronic knee tendonitis has derailed the start of Tracy's professional career and prevented him from reaching the heights expected of him when he left school. He opted to spurn MLS for a European career after his time at Wake Forest and signed with Aalborg in Denmark, but injuries prevented him from gaining a foothold with the club, and he was eventually let go last October. He has been rehabilitating from his latest surgery ever since and was recently training with the Philadelphia Union.

The Houston Dynamo originally drafted Tracy, now 25, in 2009, taking a calculated gamble with a fourth-round SuperDraft pick that he might come to MLS within the two years following the draft, a period in which they maintained his MLS rights. Those have since expired, though, which made Tracy a candidate for the weighted lottery.

What do you think of this development? Hope to see your team land Tracy?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Certainly FCD needs a quality 2nd striker. Lack of a solid backup for Perez (and his extended injury absence) has been the biggest problem of the whole problem-filled season for FCD. Doubt Tracy is in any shape to impact the team this year, but bringing him in now would allow a good look to see if/how he fits into the plan for next year.

    Of course nearly every team could use another quality striker. Without knowing the salary cap hit that he brings it’s impossible to say whether he’s a good pick up or not. The injury risk is significant and would need to factor into the decision also, but maybe less of an issue if you’re looking to bring him in as a backup.

    If his cap number is reasonable (<100K), certainly I'd hope FCD puts in a claim.

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  2. I just hope the guy gets back to 100% … with whatever team it may be. Still just 25, he should still have a lot of high-level game to be played.

    Honestly, I’d love for him to grow into a real talent and then get picked up in the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft by FC Raleigh (sorry, please indulge me for a sec.).

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  3. Actually I have never wondered why they join leagues in lower Europe. More money and the potential for more money.

    That is it. Because they can chose which team in Denmark to play for ? That is a ludicris idea to me.

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  4. this is what really annoys me about MLS. Why must a player entering the league go through a lottery to see where he plays? He should be allowed to negotiate with any team he wants (and that wants him). This is how it is done in every other league on he planet. But no, in MLS, the player has no say. We wonder why so many good young players spurn MLS to join lower quality Euro leagues in Denmark.

    Tracy is from Philly and clearly wants to play for his home team. But because MLS is MLS he could wind up anywhere in the country, or even in Toronto or Vancouver.

    Soccer is a global game. This is not the NFL where they are the only league with no competition.

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  5. I remember following him out of Wake Forest, really excited about both him and Renkken but was constantly let down. Wish him the best but not holding my breath.

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  6. Except “let go last October” is almost a year now of no team. I’m worried Holden would be out of shape with rust a couple layers deep, but this guy?

    It might not be totally hopeless, Colin Clark is well into double digit appearances for the Dynamo despite two ACLs and a bout with sensitivity training, although IMO in year 3 he’s struggled to beat anyone for speed, down to 6 starts. I think you can clean up and drain the knees but a la Clark and Ching you don’t get over them.

    Personally, I’d not waste my effort, because all Philly can do right now is look horizon-level, and you ideally don’t want to be worried about health right along with simply making the team better. But it’s their team to play with.

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  7. I think you need a striker, period. I know you have some injuries but the Dynamo have extracted 5 goals (like Perez and Castillo) from an old and slowed Brian Ching. My impression when Dallas came to town and lost 2-1 was y’all could move the ball through the midfield and get it to wings but could use a finisher and maybe some better crossing.

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  8. Training with the Union, makes me think the “local boy” will be a Zolo come Thursday. He and Soumare can rebah their ailing knees together and prep for 2013.

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  9. some team that already has a good set of strikers (Seattle, LA, RSL, etc) is going to take a flyer on him. If you actually need a striker now, this is a bad bet.

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  10. Kid has chronic tendinitis in both knees ala Owen Hargreaves. Has been to see Dr Richard Steadman in Colorado for the same treatments. Don’t think his career is headed anywhere.

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  11. “The Houston Dynamo originally drafted Tracy, now 25, in 2009, taking a calculated gamble with a fourth-round SuperDraft pick that he might come to MLS within the two years following the draft, a period in which they maintained his MLS rights”

    With our wonky system at times, I feel like Houston should still have his rights.

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  12. Isn’t this more of a Renken-type situation?

    Someone’s just going to take him cheap, stash him on IR/reserves and hope for the best with his knees.

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  13. Very different injuries. I think Oden had issues with both knees.

    That said, they are both prospects who had their careers limited early on by injuries.

    Wish them both well with their respective recoveries

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