Bruce Arena said after the LA Galaxy’s early exit from the 2015 MLS Playoffs that “there are going to be changes.”
On Tuesday, we saw a major one, as the Galaxy sent their second and third round picks in the 2017 MLS Draft to FC Dallas in exchange for veteran goalkeeper Dan Kennedy.
“Dan is a very good player and proven goalkeeper in our league,” said Arena in a team-issued statement. “He will be a strong addition to our team both on and off the field.”
The Galaxy struggled throughout 2015 to find a good fit between the pipes. For the first half of the season Jaime Penedo and Brian Rowe battled for the starting position, but Penedo was eventually allowed to leave when he could not agree on a new contract with the Galaxy.
The Galaxy then turned to a familiar face in Donovan Ricketts, but after giving up three goals in a disappointing playoff loss to Seattle, the club declined its option on Ricketts’ contract.
For FC Dallas, the 33-year-old Kennedy had become a costly backup. Jesse Gonzalez, 20, took the starting job at the club during the second half of the season, and led FC Dallas to a penalty shootout win over the Seattle Sounders in the playoffs. Making less than $70,000 a year, Gonzalez comes in at a fraction of the price — and he’s a better fit for FC Dallas’s uniquely youthful side.
Kennedy’s six-digit salary is easier to stomach for LA, though the Galaxy still have questions to answer in the offseason as they try to take advantage of a league-wide increase in Targeted Allocation Money to keep their roster together.
With Jesse putting his stamp on the No. 1 jersey, I figured Dan was going to be on the way out…but 2 draft picks, neither being a 1st rounder, seems like LA is getting the better side of the deal. I mean it’s great that we’re freeing up a lot of capital but I feel like we might be kicking ourselves for not taking more from moneybags LA if they come back strong in 2016 and Kennedy proves to be a big part of that.
Kennedy was part of us getting to No. 1 in the West this season, thanks Dan and good luck in LA (but not against Dallas)!
“Money bags LA” is restricted by the salary cap and rules as every other team. Not sure what else FCD could have asked for. If the price was too high, LA would have simply looked elsewhere for a new keeper. Two draft picks is sufficient.
There are many other options…an international roster spot, a trade for another player, TAM, regular allocation $…draft picks seem like the least valuable and least effective option. How many players per year are coming out of the draft and making significant impact within 1-3 years? Maybe the first handful or two of first rounders, with a few outliers…otherwise those players are usually cut or traded within that time. If we traded Dan for a single first round pick then maybe it’s worth the gamble, but a 2nd and 3rd round pick trade for him is pretty bad in my opinion.
But who knows…maybe those were the last pieces missing from the plan that somehow brings a huge DP that really changes the team’s fortunes going forward, or maybe Oscar and Fernando are confident enough in the plan they already had in place to where all they needed was some minor bargaining chips and the freed cap space…either way, they’ve had a decent track record of wheeling and dealing and this is really the first perceived hiccup i can recall offhand (we’ll see how the Escobar acquisition pans out), so I’ll defer to the experts and trust that the FCD coaching staff and technical director know what they’re doing.