On Monday December 9, Major League Soccer will open a Half-Day Trade window (9 a.m. ET – 1 p.m. ET) prior to this week’s Expansion Draft for San Diego FC. Per MLSSoccer.com, MLS clubs may begin adjusting their rosters by conducting trades with other MLS teams during the window.
This unique window falls outside the standard FIFA transfer period and allows member clubs to shuffle players and assets prior to the 2025 season. It also allows for clubs to position their rosters to protect their 12 coveted players before San Diego selects 5 players in Wednesday’s Expansion Draft.
Prior to the 2022 Expansion Draft for St. Louis, MLS opened a short two day window. With no expansion last season, MLS opened a long window following MLS Cup through the FIFA transfer period, opening in January. MLS clubs traded 17 players following the opening of last years window with 7 players exchanging teams in the short time prior to the 2022 Expansion Draft.
We asked members of our team to bring out their Crystal Ball and give us an idea of what they would like to see out of FC Cincinnati or within the league in this short window. This marks the beginning for FC Cincinnati’s offseason, but one that could provide general manager Chris Albright with some flexibility in his 2025 roster build
Gracin Galbreath: I’d like to see FC Cincinnati make a trade for a depth player. Their squad was comparably thin in 2024—especially in midfield. Other contenders for the league had their fair share of depth players who were able to step in and make a difference when needed. That kind of value is necessary to compete, especially as clubs navigate multiple competitions. If Albright is able to do this, it would bolster the squad in a season where the championship window is still open.
Bryan Weigel: Major League Soccer clubs have long experienced pain points when trying to move players within the league. Straight swapping of players, draft picks for player or mechanism rights and the ever popular Allocation Money for players have arguably held back the league from keeping some quality stars within the league. An aspect that has long been discussed is how to be incorporate “buying” of players similar to the international transfer market. I hope to see clubs enter into agreements where a club will purchase a player for cash on Monday.
Clubs who sell players internationally can now convert sale amounts into General Allocation Money (up to $3,000,000 per year). Potenial cash sales within the league could literally infuse the clubs with significant resources to buy players, buy-down other players cap hits and to make the league better as a whole. There is potential to add up to $90,000,000 in new roster budget mechanisms per year with cash sales! That is roughly the salary of the bottom 6 teams in MLS. While I might be naive in thinking this can happen at the end of a league year (even if rumors point in this direction), I think it could really set the tone for a flurry of activity for the new season.
Josh Dye: Let’s shuffle the deck in the GK room. Send Alec Kann to San Diego for a handful of GAM or as an expansion pick protection. He’s only got one more year left on his FCC deal and his oft-injured state means he never really pushed Roman the way we thought. In his place, let’s find a vet out there who wants one more shot at a trophy and will actually put pressure on Roman to find the form that landed him on Best GK lists.
Justin Blair: If I was FC Cincinnati, now would be a good time to bring in a solid depth piece in the midfield. With the potential departure of Lucho Acosta and the conclusion of Malik Pinto’s contract, FCC’s midfield depth is looking shallow. Obinna Nwobodo and Pavel Bucha will likely reprise their roles in their respective positions, while Gerardo Valenzuela will provide supplemental minutes. I speculate that Yuya Kubo will return to the midfield in some capacity in 2025. So, for me, now is a time to shift focus on adding to the group.
Piggy backing off the chaos in the managerial musical chairs the MLS is experiencing, I would target someone that has experience and potential. Someone in the profile of Kosi Thompson of Toronto FC. The Canadian midfielder has turned heads and received high praise from every manager he has worked under. Thompson recorded 1087 minutes in 2024 and was a key contributor off the bench. With John Herdman out at TFC and that roster needing to trim fat, you could bring in a Thompson as a supplemental for low value.
Jacob Holton: There are a lot of different directions that FC Cincinnati could go in if they decide to make a move during the half-day trade window. They could move a centerback to open up some cap space, they could move one of the strikers that haven’t quite worked out yet, but I think those moves need more time. I would like to see FC Cincinnati acquire another wing back. At present the depth is just simply not there. Right now it’s Bret Halsey who is still unproven, DeAndre Yedlin who is still playing well, but he’s also 31 years old and Father Time could catch up at any time, and Alvas Powell who is also 30 years old. If Luca Orellano is going to continue playing in an advanced position this is something that needs to be addressed.
Brian Biedenbach: FC Cincinnati made a bold move in acquiring Kevin Denkey this off-season, and if he lives up to the hype, this team could make a case for having the best combination of players straight down the middle of the field in the entire league – the Belgian golden boot, the 2023 MLS MVP (and 2024 contender), a lightning-fast left-footed wizard who can shoot from his front yard, a no nonsense ball hawk at the 6, the 2023 MLS Defender of the Year and another contender for the same title this past season. You know from those references that list does not even include the likes of Kubo, Bucha, and the room full of talented (and expensive) CBs that FCC leaned on late in the season. Given that strength down the middle, FC Cincinnati will look to acquire another piece or two to solidify play closer to the touchlines. Unfortunately that likely means less depth at center back, but hey, what could go wrong there?
James Oden: FC Cincinnati needs to make some major moves in their centerback room. Everyone agrees that they have solid depth in that position. However, that comes with a cost…. Literally. The market values range from $800,000 to $5.26 million. Seems like there is some wiggle room here! With center-backs Chidozie Awaziem, Teenage Hadebe, Matt Miazga, Ian Murphy, Nick Hagglund (Questionable), and Miles Robinson, that is SIX (6) center-backs total for the side. Needless to say FC Cincinnati has some fat to trim here if they want to be able to afford more depth players at other urgent positions. I’m looking for them to make a solid trade or two (player trade, GAM, international roster slots, etc.) to cut some of it down and still have solid depth in that position. Who they part ways with is totally up in the air at this point, but I’d like to see them go into the new year with some additional financial flexibility earned through freeing up some space in the center-back position as soon as they possibly can.
On Monday December 9, Major League Soccer will open a Half-Day Trade window (9…
FIFA has published the 63-game match schedule for the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC)…
It’s time to pack up all of the kits for the season and watch…
FC Cincinnati and General Manager Chris Albright released their offseason options and roster decisions…
On Thursday, it was announced by Mario Coelho Vasco on X that FC Cincinnati…
Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Cincinnati Soccer Talk with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
On Monday December 9, Major League Soccer will open a Half-Day Trade window (9…
FIFA has published the 63-game match schedule for the FIFA Club World Cup (CWC)…
It’s time to pack up all of the kits for the season and watch…
FC Cincinnati and General Manager Chris Albright released their offseason options and roster decisions…
On Thursday, it was announced by Mario Coelho Vasco on X that FC Cincinnati…
Copyright © 2018 CST Media, LLC.
