The day was centered around the SuperDraft, but MLS transfers weren’t limited to the event as Atlanta United finally, officially signed Barco.
Forty-six players were selected in the opening two rounds of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. Loan deals, trades, and signings are still ahead for the young group. (Chuck out the entire draft tracker here). For now, we will focus on the official MLS transfers that were completed on this busy day across the league.
Note: It appears as though the LA Galaxy and the Columbus Crew are finalizing a trade between Gyasi Zardes and Ola Kamara. Look for the confirmed details tomorrow, or by Monday at the latest.
Ezequiel Barco
Prior Club: Independiente
New Club: Atlanta United
Deal: Transfer ($15M)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Outlook for 2018: Completes the devastating starting attacking lineup of Miguel Almiron, Josef Martinez, Darlington Nagbe, Hector Villalba, and Yamil Asad. Exciting, attacking football at its best.
David Accam
Prior Club: Chicago Fire
New Club: Philadelphia Union
Deal: Trade for $1.2M in TAM and GAM.
Position: Attacking Midfielder / Forward
Outlook for 2018: Should partner up top well with C.J. Sapong, the two had a combined 30 goals last season. A strong move for a front office that has been under fire recently from fans for their lack of ambition.
Welcome to Houston @CerenDarwin!
— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) January 19, 2018
Dynamo trade for the Salvadoran midfielder: https://t.co/w0EBUQg5yE #ForeverOrange pic.twitter.com/XvsQs6NRSu
Darwin Ceren
Prior Club: San Jose Earthquakes
New Club: Houston Dynamo
Deal: Traded for $150K in GAM/TAM
Position: Midfielder
Outlook for 2018: A great pickup for a Dynamo side that was explosive on offense, but struggled away from home. Ceren should be able to help Houston stabilize their defense and provide outlet balls for quick transition play.
Jo Inge Berget
Prior Club: Malmo
New Club: New York City FC
Deal: Free Transfer
Position: Midfielder
Outlook for 2018: Very experienced 27-year-old, having appeared in across Sweden, England, Norway, and Scotland. Will slot in somewhere across a midfield attacking three behind the main striker.
Matt Lampson
Prior Club: Chicago Fire
New Club: Minnesota United
Deal: Traded, along with $175K allocation money, & a draft pick that was used to select the highly touted Wyatt Omsberg.
Position: Goalkeeper
Outlook for 2018: Likely the backup for Bobby Shuttleworth.
Next: Opinion: It’s time to move on from the MLS SuperDraft
Foster Langsdorf
Prior Club: Stanford University / Portland Timbers U-23s
New Club: Portland Timbers
Deal: Homegrown Player.
Position: Forward
Outlook for 2018: Timbers 2. Sits behind Adi, Asprilla, Polo and last year’s Round 1 draft pick Jeremy Ebobisse.