Colorado Rapids acquire Awaziem, Murphy from FC Cincinnati
Colorado Rapids have bolstered their center-back group, announcing Monday they've acquired Chidozie Awaziem and Ian Murphy from FC Cincinnati. In return, Cincy receive up to $1.2 million in General Allocation Money ($1 million guaranteed; $200k conditional). They also retain a sell-on fee if either player is transferred abroad or traded within MLS.
San Jose Earthquakes acquire Harkes, Kaye & Romney from New England Revolution
The San Jose Earthquakes have acquired three players – defender Dave Romney and midfielders Mark-Anthony Kaye and Ian Harkes – from the New England Revolution. In return, New England receive $500,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) split across 2025 and 2026. They also get a 2025 international roster slot.
Red Bulls, Inter Miami announce end-of-year roster moves
The Eastern Conference champion New York Red Bulls and Supporters’ Shield-winning Inter Miami announced their end-of-year moves yesterday. Notably, New York picked up their option on Carlos Coronel, while Inter Miami saw contracts expire for multiple defenders. See the full list of moves here.
DC United acquire Barraza from New York City FC
D.C. United have acquired goalkeeper Luis Barraza from New York City FC. In exchange for the 28-year-old, NYCFC will receive up to $150,000 in General Allocation Money ($50k guaranteed, $100k conditional).
Austin FC exercise contract buyout on Zardes
Austin FC have waived and exercised a contract buyout on forward Gyasi Zardes. He will no longer occupy a senior roster spot, and his wages will not count against the club’s 2025 salary budget. He made 61 league appearances for Austin, contributing nine goals and four assists.
Free agent list, expansion draft list released today
MLS will release the official list of free agents and expansion draft-eligible players today. The 2024 MLS Expansion Draft is tomorrow at 10:30 pm ET. Free agency opens Dec. 12 at 1 pm ET.
We’re officially in offseason mode now. And yesterday’s half-day trade window has already given us plenty to think about for 2025.
Rapids add a pair of Cincy center backs
Colorado sent $1 million in GAM to FC Cincinnati yesterday in exchange for center backs Chidozie Awaziem and Ian Murphy. That’s a huge chunk of GAM and two very intriguing additions for a Rapids side that struggled defensively in 2024. No playoff team in the West allowed more goals than Colorado. There’s some solace in the fact their underlying numbers were closer to mid than terrible over the entirety of 2024, but it’s also a reminder Zack Steffen’s shot-stopping numbers finished well below average.
Even more concerning, the Rapids were especially terrible after the departure of Moïse Bombito. Bombito left for OSG Nice in August after earning a reported $7.7 million transfer fee. Colorado found a way to finish third in Leagues Cup and earn a berth in next year’s Concacaf Champions Cup. They then immediately cratered.
In their eight post-Leagues Cup games, the Rapids had the worst defense in the league. American Soccer Analysis’s data has the Rapids allowing 2.01 expected goals per game in that span, the worst mark in MLS. They allowed 2.13 xG in that stretch, the second-worst mark in MLS and the worst mark in the West.
That didn’t improve during the playoffs. Yeah, they were up against the Galaxy, but giving up nine goals over two Audi MLS Cup Playoff games is what most would call “really bad” regardless of who they’re facing.
The Rapids responded by immediately going out and doing a very Rapids thing. Colorado love an intraleague trade. And they’ve also been very effective lately at recognizing and addressing their most pressing needs. With Bombito gone, Lalas Abubakar on the outs and serious holes at center back, they didn’t waste time adding two players who should immediately contribute.
There are still question marks here, though. We only saw a little of Awaziem in MLS this year. Cincinnati brought him in as one of their reinforcements following Matt Miazga and Nick Hagglund’s injuries. Reviews from Cincy were largely very positive and Awaziem has a solid resume. We still don’t quite know exactly how good he is or what kind of fit he’ll be on this team.
Meanwhile, Murphy is a known quantity in MLS at this point. He’s played 5,270 minutes since being drafted in 2022. That’s a decent chunk of playing time for a very good team. Murphy isn’t a day-one starter like Awaziem but can clearly be a meaningful contributor.
On the other side, Cincy will be looking for another reinforcement or two on the back line, but the hope is Matt Miazga will be back with the team soon. His original timeline after tearing his PCL had him back with the team for preseason training. They have cap room and some GAM to work with now. They could potentially go out and add another high-level starter at center back. There’s clearly some kind of plan being put in motion here. You just tend to expect the best from Cincinnati anytime they make a move.
Bruce Arena gets his guys
San Jose officially completed a trade for Dave Romney, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Ian Harkes yesterday. It’s the kind of move you’d expect from a Bruce Arena side. Arena loves getting culture-setting guys into the locker room. These three are there to be Bruce guys as San Jose try to reset after a Wooden Spoon- "winning” season.
All three, for better or worse, were significant contributors for a bad Revs team in 2024. Romney started 24 games, Harkes 17 and Kaye 15. They won’t come in and fix the Quakes. But they can still be meaningful pieces.
Overall, it feels like this is a move that’s step one for San Jose in a rebuilding moment. There should be more on the way. Adding quality, proven MLS guys is always a step in the right direction though.
Tiki-taka
- Do D.C. have their new keeper? There’s a chance Luis Barraza, who lost his job to Matt Freese after 23 starts in 2023, is the new No. 1 following yesterday’s trade. D.C. declined options for Alex Bono and Tyler Miller at the end of this season.
- Gyasi Zardes is a free agent and Austin no longer have a contract buyout available. There’s a chance someone will take a flyer on Zardes on a veteran deal. More notably though, Austin cleared $1,000,000 in budget charge with this move.
Real Salt Lake acquire Wolff from Atlanta United: Real Salt Lake have acquired the rights to Tyler Wolff from Atlanta United, signing the winger through 2026 with options for 2027 and 2027. In exchange for Wolff, Atlanta receive $50,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money (GAM).
San Diego FC acquire Ángel from LAFC: San Diego FC have acquired forward Tomás Ángel and a second-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft from LAFC in exchange for $200,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM). The 21-year-old Colombian youth international joined LAFC last winter, scoring twice in seven games across all competitions.
New York Red Bulls sign Meara to extension, bring up Valencia from MLS Next Pro: The New York Red Bulls have signed left back Omar Valencia from MLS NEXT Pro affiliate New York Red Bulls II through 2027 with an option for 2028. Additionally, they signed veteran goalkeeper Ryan Meara to a contract extension through the 2026 season with an option for 2027.
- Riqui Puig is eyeing an LA Galaxy dynasty.
- Matt Doyle looked at what we learned from the LA Galaxy and from New York Red Bulls in 2024.
- Here’s the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup Schedule.
- Take a look at how each team qualified for the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup.
Good luck out there. Don’t get boring.
