During the 2014-15 Major League Soccer offseason, the Montreal Impact made some major changes to their roster. These changes made by Technical Director/Manager Frank Klopas were not frivolous, but rather, were necessary. The Impact finished dead last in the table in 2014 and the season was downright embarrassing for the club and its supporters.
Playing for 90
Whether the additions to the squad are beneficial remains to be seen, but a historical run in the CONCACAF Champions League coupled with some respectable performances in MLS have Impact fans thinking positively once again.
Let’s take a look at the breakdown of how Klopas and his staff added these players;
Players added:
Chivas USA Dispersal Draft – 1
MLS SuperDraft – 2
Re-Entry/Waiver Drafts – 3
Transfers/Signings – 3
Trades – 3
The fact that a fourth of their players added in the offseason came via trades is interesting. Trades are unique to Major League Soccer and are almost exclusively seen in North American sports.
Most soccer teams, especially European superclubs, add talent through signings and transfers, but this is not always the case in MLS nor for the Impact.
This got me thinking, are trades actually beneficial to the clubs or are they just a waste of time and resources that they could be using to sign free agents or to pry a single player away from another club?
Since entering the league in the 2011 offseason, Montreal has made 12 trades, which averages out to around four a season. Here are the five most shrewd trades made by Montreal Impact managers.
Honourable Mention:
Date: November 28, 2011. Manager: Jesse Marsch
After plucking Sinovic from Sporting Kansas City in the Expansion Draft, Montreal flipped the defender back to the Midwest for hard-nosed midfielder Davy Arnaud. Arnaud would serve as the club’s first captain and score the Impact’s first ever goal in Major League Soccer.
Next: 5. 'Keeper Swap