For the second time this week, the LA Galaxy have said goodbye to an important member of the club.
The Galaxy announced on Thursday that they have transferred three-time MLS Cup winner Juninho to Liga MX side Club Tijuana. The departure of Juninho comes just two days after the Galaxy sold stout centerback Omar Gonzalez to Pachuca.
“We thank Juninho for his contributions on and off the field during his time here,” said LA Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena in a club-released statement. “We wish him the best of luck with Tijuana.”
The move frees up more cap space for the Galaxy as they look to retool their roster ahead of the 2016 campaign, but subtracts one of the more experienced players from the squad. Goal USA is reporting that the transfer was for $1.5 million.
“We don’t like to lose players that are important to us, and that is Omar and Juninho,” Galaxy president Chris Klein told LA Galaxy Insider. “However, the Galaxy has shown over the course of our history that we will have players that will leave, and we will replace them with players that will make our team stronger. That’s our aim and focus. Nothing has changed, and we’re going to be as aggressive as we’ve ever been heading into 2016.”
The 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder made 187 MLS regular-season appearances since joining the club back in 2010, and helped the Galaxy lift the 2011, 2012 and 2014 MLS Cups.
Juninho appeared in all 34 regular season games for the Galaxy in 2015, and started 32 of them. He scored four goals and had seven assists, and was also named to the MLS All-Star Team for the first time.
What do you think of the Galaxy’s decision to sell Juninho? Smart move? Expecting the club to make some serious additions this offseason with the freed up cash? Hoping Juninho is presented as Yoda at his Club Tijuana press conference?
Share your thoughts below.
What da f*ck?! First Omar & now Juninho?! They both are still young, so this is going to be a stupid move if they replace them with old people, 30+ yrs old. Maybe Omar didn’t deserve DP money, but they definitely should have held on to Juninho
Maybe I’m just a heartless optimist, but I like the sale of Omar and Juni. I love them for what they’ve contributed to the team, but if Juni was really sold for $1.5m, Omar has to be higher than that. That’s a lot of cash. And honestly, the talent level around the league is rising, and Galaxy need to bring in higher upside talent. It’s weird to talk about their upside like that, but Omar hasn’t been the same and Juni is a work hard glue guy type you need but is far from irreplacable.
Plus with the new TAM money, they can now spend that on some more serious talent. Along with freeing up time for the amount of young talent they have coming through the system, this just makes sense. The youngsters are going to have to play somewhere soon, and I’d rather it be for LAG.
Has anyone heard of or seen the actual/estimated transfer amount for either Juninho or OG? Not the salary saved, the actual transfer fee.
I see the $1.5mil for Juninho is estimated.
When you say “sell,” do u really mean he escaped craptastic mls?
I’ll all for being critical of MLS when it’s deserving, but your posts are simply annoying. You’re the antithesis or “Stop Whining about Us Soccer”.
SBI would be better off without you both.
You’re like old school on Saturday, no class.
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I stand by my comments, he escaped, too bad you have a problem with my post instead of mls taking money from the USNTs.
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That’s the real problem, stick your head back in the sand.
Gerrard ends up being a terrible move not just because he doesn’t have the heart anymore but his in ability to cover box to box brings into question a stud like Juni who had to cover for him. He is 26 and the heart of the team. Super Bummed. Maybe I will switch to LAFC when they arrive.
Sounds like they are really trying to get JJ.
Maybe you’re on to something.
Surely these salary cap dumping moves can’t to be capture Ashley Cole. Especially considering they’re offering a non-DP deal, apparently. Do they have another “big name” (close to retired) player in mind?
We shall see. As of right now, I’m not a fan at all of these deals, the direction and what this says about our league. However, maybe they’re not done and another name is coming…like Jermaine Jones.
interesting possibility. Love JJ. would be a very old midfiled with him and Gerrard unless Gerrard is moved further upfield and the Galaxy go with two others in midfield and remove him from that space altogether
I didn’t even think about that. He would take less money to be home with his family, but I would require him to retire from the nats.
Use the money to get Sarvas back……
Juninho will be missed, no doubt. He does have his green card and will be becoming a US Citizen in the near future. Going to Tijuana means he won’t really have to relocate his family as TJ is only about 2 1/2 hours away down the I-5. That being said, his stats this last year were quite a bit off from his best and on top of that, his next contract would have to be a big one. Selling Juninho means the Galaxy will be able to make Lletget a “legit” contract offer this year.to keep him.
I don’t think Ashley Cole will solve the Galaxy’s backline issues and the Galaxy do need a veteran center back to pair with De La Garza, but it will be a lot of fun to see who the Galaxy will pick up after the salary savings from OG and Juninho leaving, and after contract extensions to Lleget and Zardes. I think there might be some new players from South America that he team may be bringing in.Or maybe Mike Magee mat return> Make for a real surprising and interesting off-season for the Galaxy
hey man,I appreciate your positive angle. we’ll see
I can understand the Gonzalez move because a move had been in the works for a while but losing a 26 year old Juninho who’ll be entering his prime years? I don’t think this move was necessary or well-advised.
I hope the Galaxy realize that they still need to play defense next year.
wow, I hate this move. we had Marcelo and Juni, thought they were the BEST pairing in MLS, some can argue that view, and I respect that.
But wow, this one hurts.
Hes only 26?! Either way the Galaxy are just clearing space for geriatric has beens. Not smart imo
Mexico > USA. Pathetic. Low salary cap is killing the league.
As a Galaxy fan, this one hurts more then the Omar one. Omar needed a change of scenery. Juni has been the heart of the team for a long time. With Stevie G getting a full offseason, Klein sees enough to think of Juni as surplus goods. Although hurting, I have a ton of faith in Bruce and the what the front office can do.
I was disappointed with his play this year. It doesn’t surprise me LAG decided to pull the plug before his value goes down.
Can see where you would say this. But then he wasn’t playing in the same place he was prior to Stevens arrival. I for one will miss his class! Good luck J!
I too could see why you say this, but will give a different perspective to consider
Gerrard was bad in midfield, and Juni was asked to cover ALL the ground behind him because Gerrard would fade by the 60th or so, sometimes earlier, and the hole above the back four was enormous when that happened…for extended periods as games wore on. Gerrard would make one hard defensive run or two, make great plays even, but then never make another covering run the entire game.
before Gerrard’s arrival, Juni was about as tidy a player as there was in the league, total confidence displayed, and with Marcelo as his running mate, those two closed down that hole with a flippin’ vengeance; the two of them, together, and it was very successful.
last season, that messy hole above the back four developed as the season wore on, and I would argue that alone killed the team, as it does any team! then add the GK fiasco and boom, they were not a good team no matter how many goals they scored.
LA used to be great at winning 1-0 before last year, but last year and especially on the road the only hope was to outscore teams, by a lot. Gerrard came in and did not deliver that aspect while, in my view, was the root cause for the team’s defensive struggles.
It may change, some DPs suck in those mid season transfers, but idk…he looked old and in a position that is most unkind to father time, and all others had to cover for his lack of mobility and coverage, and with him not delivering on the other end of the field…well, that is a recipe for disaster.
LA screwing with chemistry in total makeover, and as a Galaxy fan it disappoints me tremendously. we’ll see if this works out, but in my view, chemistry more important than all else when it comes to winning MLS Cup, let alone CL.
If this is to make room for the reported transfer of Ashley Cole, I think they are making a terrible mistake–selling 2 decent to very good players around the midpoint of their careers to get a name player at the end of his. I fear the Galaxy are seriously going off the rails.