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MLS Ticker: Union trade McInerney to Impact for Wenger; Toronto City backs BMO expansion; and more

JackMcInerneyUnion (ISIPhotos.com)

By CAITLIN MURRAY

After a slow start to the season, the Montreal Impact shook up their roster Friday with a blockbuster trade to land young striker Jack McInerney.

In exchange for McInerney, who is reportedly in the final year of his contract, the Philadelphia Union get a hometown boost in forward Andrew Wenger.

For the past two seasons, McInerney has been the Union’s top scorer, last year tallying 12 goals in 25 games and claiming a Major League Soccer All-Star spot. McInerney is in his fifth season of MLS, having been drafted seventh overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

“We are extremely pleased to be able to bring in a player of Jack McInerney’s quality,” Impact sporting director Nick De Santis said in a statement. “At a young age, he’s already showed the ability to score goals in this league and we feel his qualities and soccer sense fit well within our style of play.”

For Wenger, it’s a bit of a homecoming. A Lancaster, Pa. native, Wenger played for Union’s semi-pro affiliate Reading United before being selected first overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. He failed to meet expectations though, scoring just nine goals in four seasons.

“Jack was an important member of our squad over the past four years,” Union manager John Hackworth said in a statement, “but the reality is our team has evolved and this deal puts our team in a better overall position long-term. Andrew is a Pennsylvania native that we are familiar with from his time as a youth and Reading United player and he will be a great addition to our team as both a person and a player going forward.”

Here is some more news from around the league:

TORONTO CITY OFFERS FINANCIAL BACKING FOR BMO EXPANSION

Plans to expand BMO Field have gotten a blessing from the City of Toronto.

Toronto will invest $10 million into the stadium expansion after a 39-3 vote Thursday, with Mayor Rob Ford and Councillors Doug Ford and Mike Del Grande casting the dissenting votes, according to the Toronto Star.

Under the expansion, BMO Field would be lengthened to host Canadian Football League games and prepared to host 2015 Pan Am Games events, which includes bringing capacity to 30,000 from 21,566 and adding a partial roof to cover most seats.

“We’re very grateful for the leadership and support of the City,” said Tim Leiweke, president of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, which owns the stadium. “This is an important issue, not just for Toronto FC, but also the CFL, the Pan Am Games, our ability to host Winter Classics, Grey Cups, and the proposed 2026 World Cup bid for Canada.”

The stadium ownership group will seek additional funding from higher-ranking government while funding $90 million of the projected $120-million cost privately.

Toronto will earn back its investment with interest after 20 years, according to Joe Pennachetti, Toronto’s city manager. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, in turn, got a 10-year extension of its lease, now through 2037.

SOUNDERS’ ESTRADA GOES ON LOAN TO NASL CLUB

Seattle Sounders attacker David Estrada will join the Atlanta Silverbacks of the North American Soccer League on loan, the club announced Thursday.

Estrada, 26, has five goals in 40 appearances with Sounders FC, last playing in October. Sounders FC had selected Estrada with the 11th overall pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft.

Estrada made five appearances for Seattle in the 2014 preseason, scoring one goal.

WATSON AND HARRINGTON RED CARDS RESCINDED, WILL BE ELIGIBLE FOR WEEK 5

FC Dallas’ Je-Vaughn Watson and the Portland Timbers’ Michael Harrington are eligible to play this weekend after all.

After a joint appeal by the Portland Timbers and FC Dallas, a league review panel has overturned red cards issued to Watson and Harrington during the 40th minute of play in Portland last week. They each had been issued red cards carrying one-game suspensions for violent misconduct.

The review panel consists of one representative each from the U.S. Soccer Federation, Canadian Soccer Association, and Professional Referees Organization.

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What do you think of the McInerney-Wenger trade? Will the Union be able to get more out of Wenger? Will McInerney have a big impact on Impact? What do you think about BMO’s expansion plans?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. STOP HOLDING these guys back. Let them move to Europe. To Belgium or Holland to advance their game. Look at Agudelo. Too many years in MLS and can barely score in Holland (which is where u go to pad your stats)

    If you’re 18, 2 years in MLS then move to Belgium/Holland for 2-3 years and hopefully you’re ready for Germany or England.

    MLS needs to understand the NT is more important than trying to rival the PL, which won’t happen for 30 years

    if I were Jac Mac I’d move to Holland and collect my 500 K a season.

    Reply
  2. why doesn’t JK step in?

    Encourage Jac Mac to go abroad

    Championship or Belgium or Holland or 2 Bundesliga

    it makes no sense for him to transfer to another MLS club. Our young Yanks need to be fighting abroad

    Reply
      • better on the bench in Western Europe, then on the bench in MLS

        I’m not trying to trash our league. It’s growing but our best players and young prospects should be in Europe.

        develop them in Belgium/Holland after 3 seasons and hopefully they move to Germany or England and deliver.

      • Holland ?

        So go there, get your inflated goals total and then move on ?

        Stay in MLS and play real games for guys/fans that care about you.

      • That would be ideal if he doesnt mind getting paid $50,000/year

        Hope MIFC or someone else (NYCFC?, OCSC?) keep him around!

    • lol do you think JK has some veto power over MLS club moves? He’d get laughed off the phone line. Soccer in the United States is not some dictatorship with Kaiser Klinsmann.

      Reply
    • he can’t transfer to another MLS club. MLS has no free agency. Jac Mac’s rights will be owned by Montreal even after his contract is over with them.

      Reply
  3. blame MLS salary structure. They can’t offer mid level salaries. Only peanuts or DP contracts. The salary rules really need to change. Maybe just a straight $10 mil hard cap or something

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    • +million. MLS needs to raise the cap or expand the ‘retention funds’ (no idea how those work, only heard about zusi using those) to allow for players who perform to get simple increases from their draft pick salaries. The DP marketing idea is ok but if you actually want to build a solid 1-18 squad you gotta underpay a lot of guys for a while.

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  4. The kid is asking for big money after doing nothing recently. His form is terrible. He can’t hit the broad side of a barn.

    He’s barely worth what he’s getting now.

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  5. The natural tendency would be to think this a bad move due to Jack’s scoring touch along with his youth and capability. But even with being a Union fan, I really never thought he was that great. I liked his dedication and poacher’s ability, but the skill level was severely lacking. The key thing here is that the Union “have” evolved and it’s not just bs coming from Hackworth (this time, at least). The midfield play is so improved and the results will come. I’m confident of that. Anybody who’s watched their last couple of matches would agree.

    Reply
      • You mean you weren’t? Because Freddy Adu is pretty widely considered their best attacking player.

        Sucks for him they decided to trade away LeToux immediately prior to the season and left him feeding balls to… Pajoy.

      • Didn’t Ives compile (or at least mention) the large highlight reel of all Adu’s potential assists that player’s couldn’t finish?

      • And Jack was the striker then right? Plus the addition of a perfect attention drawer in Casey, maybe we can explain away Jacks goals. He doesnt create chances, he doesn’t hold up well, he doesn’t pass particularly well, he’s small, not outstandingly fast. He scored a lot of goals, but a better player would have done much more with his opportunity yet he’s gonna get more money based on those goals. Jacks been disappointing in Philly.

      • If you watched all of the unions game, Adu was the most infuriating player on the team. He hada couple of good games, but this situation is more akin to le Toux getting traded.

  6. dude Jac Mac should be in Europe. Belgium or Holland or even in Norway with Bob Bradley

    How does this help him at all? He’s like 22 and was playing for his hometown club. MLS always screws this up. sell him to a club abroad. surely he’s worth anywhere from 250-500 K. Let him go overseas to play and get ready for the NT

    Reply
      • actually that could kill his chances with the NT if he stays…. playin in mtl is like playing on pluto when it comes to exposure in the us soccer press.

        and canada is like puerto rico, our little sports bitch that we allow to hang around our sports leagues cuz they cant run their own.
        canada is our northern guam.

      • I would like to point out that they won the gold medal in hockey. That’s hardly a “little sports bitch.”

        And don’t say “ya well this is a soccer website.” You generalized, not me. So quite simply you are wrong.

      • They probably won the gold medal in curling too, but who cares?!? So yeah Canada can definitely classify as our “little sports bitch”.

    • I see this as in the manner of Freddy Adu being shipped to RSL, except McInerney is actually good. So maybe more like Agudelo to NE. Getting rid of a player who is gone anyway. Except I think cap room or a pick or something would be more valuable than a mediocre veteran who has a similar cap charge and less production. Either that or you get DiVaio or someone actually good. But I don’t see how this makes Philly the slightest bit better other than some sort of locker room argument.

      Reply
  7. Toronto is really becoming a large club. Its time to add a 4th DP for the league and add some cap flexibility, maybe do a minimum cap and a maximum. Its not like teams with high priced DPs are dominating the MLS.

    Reply
      • True but Red Bulls, Seattle and Toronto haven’t won and they’re the other big spenders. LA may have won but they haven’t dominated. Celtic dominated the SPL. They win every year and win games 4-0.

      • Lol at thinking the Supporters Shield is important when a) the schedule is unbalanced and b) NYRB lose in their first playoff matchup

      • didn’t the Galaxy win the Supporters Shield a couple of times too in their title runs?

        that’s pretty dominant but to each his own

    • pleas explain to me a business plan fr an mls team that involves putting 110 million for two players?
      i love how some people just think spend, spend but unless you charge 1000$ tickets and 500$ beer, teams do not make much money outside tix and local ads, where do you get 8 million a yr for a player?
      unlesswere going for the sugar daddy route as a business model.
      im all for paying players a ilving wage so the bottom third of a roster doesnt NEED to have roommates but business plans have to be viable.

      ipad typing sux

      Reply
      • Look at the teams that got the players: Seattle and Toronto. Seattle averages 44k a game more than twice the MLS average. Toronto’s charges more than double what MLS teams charge for tickets. Both teams also have alot of sponsorships. Revenue for Toronto/Seattle is roughly 50 million per year. Some of teams like Columbus/San Jose have revenue of 17 million.

  8. Sounded from Hackworth that they knew McInerney isn’t re-signing with MLS and this was a move to get something. I’m pretty sure McInerney has talked about Europe publicly.

    JackMac to Stabaek, let’s make it happen.

    Reply
  9. Sure hope Andrew Wenger is no relation to Arsene Wenger. If so, the Union can look forward to the next 15 seasons without trophies.

    Reply
      • Correct. Although I love MLS, I pay next to no attention to the draft, which is an attempt to superimpose the tradition of other American sports onto soccer, which has a different set of traditions and which could do without a draft.

        That being said, I could care less if the joke is old, recycled or outright stolen. It’s still funny. Might I suggest that you either switch to decaf or perhaps seek out colonic therapy?

      • It is funny if you follow English soccer, which has a different set of traditions and really could use a draft to keep the league from being a complete one sided boring competition.

      • Hmmm. I do follow English soccer, as well as the Dutch League, the USMNT and the Dutch National team. As noted above, I also love MLS (see the very first sentence of the comment you responded to).

        Seems to me that the Premier League has been anything but one-sided this year, with United sucking and four other teams swapping places at the top during the season. And, where is English soccer, or any European League for that matter, going to draft from?

    • Or 15 years in the Champions League.

      PS Sure hope Bruce Arena is no relation to Sports Arena! If so, he might become a 15,000-seat venue for sporting events not far from USC!

      Reply
    • He said he basically was going to leave at the end of his contract (this year) unless he got a huge raise. The Union decided to get something for him now rather than nothing later on.

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    • 1) Money. Jack made it very clear he was not going to re-sign after this season unless he got a very large raise, which the Union are not inclined to give him (and frankly, unless he has an excellent season, I wouldn’t blame them). They wanted to get something for him before they get nothing.

      2) Locker Room. John Hackworth may have been getting tired of Jack’s on-field tantrums and sulking whenever he doesn’t get the ball in the right place. Rumors (just rumors) are that he was becoming a disruptive influence in training.

      As for on-field benefit, not much. This leaves the team woefully short up top…

      Reply
      • You have (had) a solid young striker who scores in double digits (and is already scoring this year) and is in demand by club and country, and then after him you don’t have much. In exchange for him you get a jack of all trades master of none who won’t fill the offensive gap you are about to open.

        I could understand the attitude from a playoff team but this is a team with one appearance.

        From a cold blooded perspective he had a year left on his deal and scores pretty well for a moderate paycheck. You’ll be lucky to find someone to produce like that for $120-180K this year, nor does he clear a ton of space for next. In fact, by taking on Wenger who is CBA guaranteed you’ve already spent all your nominal cap savings on a player who is less productive. Personally, I’d rather have all the cap space at the end of the year than an exchange of cap numbers now for someone not even as good……the other way you can pick who to spend that money on from all comers, picks, trialists, foreign signings. This money is already dedicated.

        When the team put up with Ruiz, it was good. This way they will have their principles and be sliding back down the table.

      • Problem with MLS in a nut shell…they will dump stupid money on DP’s for foreign players or returning US nationals, but they wont invest in keeping their top young talent who are willing to stay over money. Is it any wonder we’ve spun our wheels for a decade now?

      • …and they may be regretting the Omar deal right about now. Partially proven young Yank. Gets big payday, and he has been crap ever since. No sugar coating it. He has been poor.

      • Sigh….MLS has shown they will pay players of they produce.
        Jack has had one good half season as of right now. That is it.
        MLS got burned big time when EJ had a good half season, and they threw a million a year at him….and then he basically did jack for two and half years. He then had a hot half season again, was sold to Fulham, and they spent a ton on a guy who couldn’t cut it. MLS learned on that one and got lucky at the end.
        In a nutshell, if you are gonna criticize, have some perspective on each situation…..if possible. If Montreal wants to toll the dice and pay him them they can, but the kid has to show more than he has.

      • Wrong.

        I can give you many examples on my team ( Sounders ) alone.

        Keep whining though Cosmosfan…something will stick….well probably not, but it will entertain us.

      • For the Sounders who has performed more Dempsey or Neagle? Who makes 100x more? Even Cooper or Barrett makes a lot more!

      • +1, minor problem with MLS and US Soccer. A player is only valified if he performs at the international or european level. Case in point Okugo; top 5 cb in the league but lack of spotlight keeps him in my tax bracket. As soon as he gets his Nigerian passport he will get paid in Europe.

        I understand the fustraition with JackMac but I would give him Wondo money if he steps it up this year.

      • True, the best teams in MLS do it right though. RSL doesn’t flash around big money to “name” players. They reward guys internally and have a handful or more players making a nice living between $150-350K. That is a really nice living but reasonable. Similar to SKC. Those teams have been amongst the most consistent despite being in smaller markets. Other teams seem to either pay guys millions or nothing.

    • Outside of the money, the contract year, their experience with Wenger in reading, and the fact that this is at least the third time I’ve heard jacks name in trade rumors… They have a very similar but much lower price tag player in Antoine Hoppenot. Hes less of a poacher and more of a speed guy, but none of our strikers have really meshed with the midfield anyway. It’s not a terrible trade from the Union perspective.

      Reply
    • has to cap consideration expect impact to dp him. many mls moves make little sense until u factor this in. he also may have told team of his desire to ply his trade europe

      Reply

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