The Philadelphia Union's trade haul for former No. 1 overal MLS SuperDraft pick Danny Mwanga did not last very long at PPL Park.
Colombian forward Jorge Perlaza was unceremoniously cut by the Union not even three months after being acquired from the Portland Timbers in exchange for Mwanga in early June. Perlaza played just twice for the Union, making one start. In a combined 12 games this season, Perlaza did not register a goal or an assist a season after scoring six times and assisting on two goals in 31 games with the Timbers.
For the Union, the trade allowed them to wipe Mwanga's escalating salary off the books while parting ways with the franchise's first draft pick. He has scored one goal in 11 games (four starts) with the Timbers since the deal.
Here are a couple of more items from around MLS:
DYNAMO SIGN BARNES
Giles Barnes was once considered a top English prospect. Now he is a member of the Houston Dynamo.
The 24-year-old attacking midfielder and former U-19 English international was signed by the Dynamo Wednesday, providing yet another in-season attacking boost to a club that has benefitted greatly from the mid-season acquisition of Designated Player Oscar Boniek Garcia and reacquisition of midfielder Ricardo Clark.
"This is a very exciting signing for the club," Dynamo president Chris Canetti said in a statement. "We have acquired a young, talented and versatile player with the potential of being an impact player in MLS."
Barnes most recently spent time at Doncaster Rovers and West Brom over the last two seasons but made his name at Derby County, where he was the club's Young Player of the Year in 2007. He helped the Rams gain promotion to the Premier League that season,
PALSSON LOANED TO NEC
The New York Red Bulls have loaned midfielder Victor Palsson to Dutch club NEC for the 2012-13 Eredivisie season with the option to bring him back in May.
“We believe that this is an excellent opportunity for Victor to earn playing time in a good league,” Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler said. "Victor is still a very young player with a lot of potential and we look forward to tracking his progress in the Netherlands, with the option of bringing him back to New York next year."
Palsson played in 16 games for the Red Bulls this season.
TIMBERS PLAN TO WIDEN FIELD
Jeld-Wen Field has drawn plenty of acclaim for its atmosphere but has its detractors for the narrowness of the field. That latter won't be an issue starting next season.
According to The Oregonian, the Timbers will add two yards to either side of the field, bringing the dimensions from 70 yards wide by 110 yards long to 74 X 110. General manager and interim coach Gavin Wilkinson said that the decision had nothing to do with the pending hire of the team's new coach, which is Akron (and attack-minded) coach Caleb Porter.
"It's something that would be a natural development for us as a team," Wilkinson said. "Coming in as an expansion team, we wanted a tighter area with which to play, to feed off the emotion. The new coach hasn't had any input on this. This is a philosophical decision from the organization in the way we want to be recognized and the way we want to play."
IMPACT REDUCE TICKET PRICES
The Portland Timbers vowed this week to not raise ticket prices for next season. The Montreal Impact have taken things a step further by reducing their season-ticket prices.
The Impact have cut season-ticket prices by an average of 15 percent, and existing season-ticket holders will be getting a 10 percent rebate for their 2012 seats, the club announced on Wednesday.
"I am proud to confirm that there will be a price reduction and we will be rewarding the loyalty of our current season ticket holders," Impact president Joey Saputo said in a statement. "Even though we are currently having success on the field and in the stands, we will never take our ticket holders for granted."
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What do you think of the Union cutting Perlaza? Do you think Barnes is a steal for the Dynamo? What do you think of Palsson being loaned out? Pleased that Portland will widen its field? Impressed that the Impact are cutting their season-ticket prices after the success they've had in their expansion year?
Share your thoughts below.