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MLS Ticker: Quakes sign DP forward, RSL makes Lennon move official and more

The San Jose Earthquakes found a new goalscorer from a part of the world that has been mined by MLS clubs all offseason.

New Quakes manager Mikael Stahre inked fellow Swede Magnus Eriksson as a designated player on Wednesday.

Eriksson led the Allsvenskan in scoring with 14 goals at Djurgardens, who placed third in the Swedish top flight behind Malmo and AIK.

“With Magnus, we have identified an impact player that embodies the attitude we want to represent in San Jose and the technical qualities of a leading goal-scorer in Europe,” Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli said.

“His ability to play multiple roles in the attack and his work ethic defensively were major factors in our decision to pursue him. He is in great form, having led Sweden’s top league in scoring last season, and is an elite attacking player that has maintained a high level of consistency over the last five years,” Fioranelli said.

The 27-year-old forward, who is being brought in on a designated player deal, is the fourth player to be signed by an MLS team from Sweden this offseason.

Colorado’s Johan Blomberg, NYCFC’s Anton Tinnerholm and Joel Qwiberg of the Quakes are the other new acquisitions from Sweden.

RSL makes Lennon’s permanent deal official

Brooks Lennon is returning to Real Salt Lake as an official member of the Claret and Cobalt.

Lennon was in the RSL squad on loan from Liverpool in 2017, and he recorded three goals and four assists during his loan stint.

“Lennon is another key player in what we believe to be one of the youngest and most exciting attacking groups in the league, and Brooks adds depth to the choices the coaching staff possess each day as he can fill multiple roles within the front four and play them all very well,” RSL general manager Craig Waibel said.

Union re-sign trio of players

The Philadelphia Union brought back Fabinho, Ilsinho and Fabian Herbers on Wednesday on new deals.

Fabinho and Ilsinho bring veteran presences to left back and midfield, while Herbers will continue to bring depth to the wing as part of the club’s young core.

“As we continue to build our 2018 roster, we are pleased to welcome back Fabinho, Fabian, and Ilsinho,” Union sporting director Earnie Stewart said. “Fabinho and Ilsinho provide excellent veteran quality, and Fabian is a young player with lots of potential. We did not want to lose any of them following last season, and we’re happy to reach agreements to have them return to Philadelphia.”

Comments

  1. in the tam era, this kind of signing must be viewed as (no offense) keeping up with the joneses. about six years ago, before the likes of diego valeri, this signing would have sent ripples of excitement around the league. now it’s just ho hum, yes?

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  2. Point #1. I guess we take it for granted nowadays, but MLS is now able to absolutely raid Scandinavian leagues and get their very best players. At the same time, we are sending players there to get some playing time

    Point #2. With the new TAM rules, signing this guy as a DP is a sign that San Jose is not going to be ambitious enough to take full advantage of the rules. I doubt that his salary + pro-rated transfer price is over $1.5mm meaning he did not have to be a DP.

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    • Quakes new manager is from Sweden. Apparently signing players from Sweden is all the rage this offseason. We’ll see how it works out. The Quakes need a second scorer with Urena lost in the expansion draft.

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