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MLS Ticker: Dallas lands Hartman, Philly signs Colombian and more

Kevin Hartman (ISIphotos.com) 

Photo by ISIphotos.com 

By TRAVIS CLARK

After a lengthy wait, Kevin Hartman finally has a new home. One of the longest tenured players in MLS, Hartman found himself out of contract with Kansas City and unable to find a new club.

That all changed Monday when Hartman's rights were traded to FC Dallas The move comes amid rumors that FC Dallas is looking to upgrade from returning starter Dario Sala.

The 35-year-old is the all-time leading shot-stopper in MLS history with 1,235 career saves.

Here are a couple more transfer moves around MLS:

PHILADELPHIA INKS COLOMBIAN TORRES

Colombian soccer players worked well for Seattle last year, and Philadelphia will follow suit with one of their own. Roger Torres will join the Union on loan from América de Cali, a club in the Colombian first division. Torres, an 18-year-old midfielder, has been in training camp with the Union already and adds another young talent to the Phialdelphia roster.

UNITED SIGN MORSINK, RELEASE N'GALULA

The list of former Kansas City Wizards to join old manager Curt Onalfo grew to two over the weekend, when it was announced that D.C. United signed midfielder Kurt Morsink. The 25-year-old native of Costa Rica had been waived by the Wizards early in preseason, and had been brought in on trial last week. To make room for Morsink, United waived recently signed midfielder Flo N'Galula.

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What do you think of Hartman going to Dallas? Can Torres be successful in Philly? Did United make a good move?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. SBI, where did you hear this unsubstantiated rumor? Not asking for names, just an indication about the type of person (fan boy? media? insider? are they even in texas?)

    As a local FCD fan, I have never heard rumors indicating that SH (Schellas) was looking to upgrade over Sala. As Texgator says, SH believes in competition at every spot.

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  2. I’m very happy for Kevin but I wonder if this move undermines or strengthens the players’ position in the CBA negotiations? Obviously, Kevin didn’t have a choice, unless he wanted to retire (and, obviously, he doesn’t).

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  3. I understand it’s their rules, but I can also understand the union demanding a change in this rule. I’m all for controlled growth, preventing harmful salary explosions, etc., but tying a guy to his old club even after he’s out of contract seems excessive and unfair.

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  4. Hartman is a class act all around. “El Gato” still gets huge cheers from Galaxy fans when he plays at the HDC. Great pickup from FC Dallas and Shell-Us.

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  5. Please post the rumors of FCD wanting to upgrade from Sala.

    I’ll wait.

    No, nothing?

    That’s because they don’t exist. Schellas wants someone to compete with Sala for the starting role becuase he believes without competition players get to relaxed. I fully expect Sala to be the starter on day one….barring injury.

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  6. Well I think from statments this was something they made changes to, In Hartmans Case the wizards did want him just not for the term that he wanted.

    How can MLS insist on it? The same way the NFL can say that do to this next season not having a cap, the majority of the league magically becomes restricted free agents and not non restricted. It’s their league, their rules.

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  7. LOL…beat me to it! I think William is really an MLS lawyer trolling the Boards – ha,ha!

    Seriously, Hartmann’s situation is EXACTLY why this rule should be changed. Ridiculous that a player out of contract can’t move within MLS without a fee.

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  8. What are you talking about? There has always been a great influx of Colombian players in MLS. Colombia has given more players to MLS than Mexico ever has. At least good ones.

    (SBI-This is true, but more Colombians than ever have come in the past two years. Good news for the league to be so tapped into a very good resource for talent. Now if MLS can make some inroads in Peru that would be great as well. Plenty of top talent comes out of Peru, impressive considering the mess the national team is in and the federation and pro league for that matter.)

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  9. There’s enough pity from us fans, no need to extend a hand : (

    Sad days. With our first few transfers I thought, “right, at least we’re trying younger or new.” Now we’re back to mediocre talent filling the ranks in what should be an international competing side if we built upwards and not relied so many years on sidewards with aged players from bygone years.

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  10. According to Buzz at 3rd Degree lambo is going out on loan this season. He also believes that Hartman is there to push Sala but it will actually be nice to have cover for him when he gets injured.

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  11. sorry, Ives. I am not new to following the MLS in competetive terms, but I really don’t follow the labor side. it just sounded like a “free transfer” situation to me.

    (SBI-You’ve been around so long I would have figured you knew the way MLS works by now. There is no such thing as free agency, so even if a team doesn’t re-sign a player they still hold his rights within MLS.)

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  12. This is the old “reserve clause” from ancient times in baseball, under which a team owned your rights even after your contract expired. As far as I can tell, it’s indefensible. How can MLS insist on it? It goes well beyond the precious “single-entity” idea and simply hampers player movement within the league. How does MLS justify it? Any public statements?

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  13. They cut Burse, so now we have 2 great 35 year old keepers, don’t know whose going to play second fiddle, I rate them about equally. And then Lambo is still in the picture, I personally think goalkeeper was the last position on the pitch Schellas needed to look at.

    I guess the order will go:

    1) Hartman
    2) Sala
    3) Lambo

    Sad too, I’m really ready to have Lambo step up, give him a season, and then see how it develops from there.

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  14. Doesnt FC Dallas have Josh Lambo who had trials at some big clubs but decided to sign with mls. So now they have 1 MLS great and 2 great goalies, and a pretty goood 4th.

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  15. No surprise Morsink ends up in DC. I feel bad for DC fans….this kid has NO TALENT. He can’t even dive very well.

    Onalfo + Morsink = true love

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  16. Columbia = The new Mexico.

    I know that relations between the US and Columbia became stronger during the Bush years (as neighboring Venez. became a pain in our side) but man, I never imagined it would open a floodgate of new players to the MLS!

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  17. Anybody got any insight on Torres? From reading the scraps available on the Union scrimmages, it seems the kid is pretty good. It would be nice if the Union brass were a little more open about preseason, Toronto is doing it right by trying to include their fans in everything, maybe this year they can include them in winning.

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  18. welcome to the mls. it’s one of the reasons van den bergh doesn’t have a team now. dallas doesn’t want to pay him, but they also have the rights to him, so… they can force him to not play and not get paid. i wonder why the players want to strike?

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  19. If Hartman was “out of contract” what right did KC have to “trade his rights” to Dallas? If he is out of contract, shouldn’t Hartman himself be in control of his fate?

    (SBI-Come on William, don’t pretend you’re new to the MLS rules.)

    Reply

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