Union grab $175k for international roster spot from NYCFC; Blake and Ilsinho get green cards
02/28/2018 07:21 PM
This adds to a pretty hectic day in Chester The quick and dirty here? Philly gets $175,000 from a conference rival all while gaining a net of one International slot. First let's look at the international slot that changes hands. The Philadelphia Union give New York City FC one 2018 International slot for $175,000 dollars of General Allocation Money. That's cool; GAM is a nice asset to have and really anytime you can get a conference rival in a "more for me, less for you" situation is great. That being said, the other news that goes along with this announcement is fantastic. The Union were able to give up an international slot because goalkeeper Andre Blake and crafty winger/former CAM Ilsinho have both received green cards and no longer count as internationals. As a result, the team has gone from having eight of eight first team international roster spots filled to six out of seven. Bethlehem Steel FC, meanwhile, has four of their seven allotted spaces, meaning there is room still room to send players on loan to Steel should the Union need to add more than one international. By MLS standards, $175k isn't anything to laugh at. That's Tim Melia/Kelyn Rowe kind of money going off 2017 figures. Finding a nice depth piece or maybe a more readily available left back that fills that gap between the elder statesman role of Fabinho and the "trial by fire" that Matt Real would have should Fabinho be unavailable might also be on the table.
