Do Any Free Agents Fit FC Cincinnati (Abridged)

What Free Agents Fit

With all of this being said, after looking at the list of free agents according to the MLSPA, there are a few names I would love to highlight as being good fits. 

John Nelson - Backup or Starting LCB

Now, this isn't a need that is even listed above. However something is certain. When Johnny came back to Ohio he was very happy, and depending on who you want to believe, was unhappy when he was selected by St. Louis in their expansion draft. So unhappy in fact, when St. Louis had to resign him to a deal that would place him in roster slots 1-20, he must've only allowed them to sign him to a one-year deal. 

Halfway through this year, he began to feature less and less for Saint Louis, and has not appeared since the 24th of July. That just so happens to be right before the close of the secondary window. Could John Nelson return to Cincy this offseason? I think the chance he returns to Ohio are high, and if he were to come to Cincinnati, he unfortunately doesn't quite fit what we need in a leftback. He can progress the ball, but not at the level that Alvaro Barreal can. So I would expect him to be a solid, starter or backup left centerback. 

Griffin Dorsey - Starting or Backup Fullback

Griffin Dorsey was a Generation Adidas draft pick by Toronto. He left Toronto in 2021 with his tail between his legs, and it did not look like he would have a career in soccer. A month later, Houston picked him up! Since then, he has transitioned to a role as a right back rather than a winger. This has benefited his play, and made him a standout fullback in MLS. He slowly built up to taking Houston's starting rightback role, and profiles similarly to Santiago Arias. 

Griffin is currently on 150k a year, and I think offering him around 200k next year with incentives increasing towards 300k for 2025 with both years being guaranteed would be enough to tempt him to Ohio. The inner college soccer fan of myself did notice that Griffin does have a brother playing for the Wildcats right now. The Junior is a bright spot on what is a rather lack luster UK team right now. It's always been nice to have inroads into good college soccer teams. 

Griffin offers less flexibility than what it seems like Chris would like from his players (He can likely only play on the right), but with most of our other fullbacks being very versatile, it may allow for some stability along the backline. If Griffin were signed, in all likelihood he would be starting on the right side, with Arias playing on the left. 

Donovan Pines - Starting Right Centerback

A DMV lifer, Donovan Pines is DC United's standout centerback. He was signed to a homegrown deal when he was 20 after a few standout seasons at the Maryland Terrapins. When he has been healthy, he has been a perennial starter for DCU. Between his 93 MLS appearances and 2 appearances for the USMNT, he has cemented himself as a very important player in the US soccer landscape. With him being available on a free transfer this offseason, we should jump at the chance of making him an offer. 

A noticeable gap in our current roster has emerged for next season, and that is right centerback. With Yerson likely not being here next season, we will be down a left centerback and a right centerback. I believe there is a good chance Ian Murphy will start on the left on opening day, but regardless of that, we can not run out Alvas Powell at RCB, which did happen this season. With Donovan Pines, since he is a free agent, convoluted MLS rules will only allow us to offer, either 15% on what he already makes, or 15% on top of the max salary budget charge of $683,750. So the maximum offer Cincy could give would be either $786,312 or 15% on his current $200,000 salary, which would be $230,000. I can't find which one the league is currently using, but if we go by how Dom Badji was signed, it seems like the max would be more in line with with $786,312. It might be worth that whole chunk to bring in another consistent piece in a backline that, at times, has been a hodge podge of mis-fits. I would say offering around $600k would probably be enough to convince him to take the 9 hour drive to TQL Stadium. 

Xavier Arreaga - Starting Centerback

This is the first player who I will be talking about that is technically not out of contract, but has an option that is very unlikely to be triggered. Xavier was a starter for 4 of his 5 seasons in Seattle, a time in which they continued their greatness from the late 2010s, and a time in which they missed the playoffs for the first time in their MLS history. Shortly before the 2023 season began there was a controversial Instagram post reposted by Xavier Arreaga before he deleted it an apologized shortly after. There have not seen many redemption arcs by signee's in the Chris Albright era, in fact we have only really seen Chris decline the contract option of Geoff Cameron, a player who has been outspoken on his personal views. Since that post, and since the emergence of Jackson Regan, Xavier Arreaga has been relegated to garbage time minutes, and only a few halftime substitute appearances. Is there more going on behind the scenes? That remains to be seen, however Seattle did reportedly have him on the trading block earlier this season. That was around the time Charlotte traded for Bill Tuiloma from Portland. Portland received 800k in GAM spread over two seasons for a, at that point, an MLS starter for a team that missed out on the playoffs by 1 point. Arreaga had once been at the same level as Tuiloma, for a much more successful team.

The key in Arreaga is if Seattle will pick up his option. He is an MLS caliber centerback who was sent to the bench, and barely returned throughout the season. That is all well and good for a player making $300,000, however Arreaga makes $750,000 as a base salary. With Seattle being unable to find a suitor for a starting MLS centerback on that high of a salary, it makes no sense for them to keep hold of him. Any offer for Arreaga will likely still have to be a lucrative deal, but Albright will be able to afford that after getting out from under a few other contracts in the 400-700k range (IE Junior Moreno, Yerson Mosquera, and Alvaro Barreal). 

Alex Ring - Starting Defensive Midfielder

Now come the stretch players, who I don't believe will make it to free agency, but I would give each of them about a 40% chance of even leaving their teams. 

Once a pillar of NYCFC's rise, now reduced to a utility man in Austin. Alexander Ring has not had the best 24 months. With Claudio Reyna vacating the GM position, changes were bound to happen. Ring lost the captaincy of Austin, and due to a dearth of centerback talent, he ended up being pushed to centerback. He only recently moved back to midfield, to mixed success. 

Will Austin pick up his 1.5 million dollar option? There is always a chance Austin wants to retain one of the best utility knife players in the league, however at his price point, with Austin performed this year, and struggles throughout their squad, it might be worthwhile for Austin to part with the defensive midfielder they paid over a million GAM for. 

If he were to opt for free agency, Cincy would likely be giving him a deal similar to Kubo's current contract. 

Darlington Nagbe - Starting Midfielder

I just want to start this off by saying, I bought the Darlington Nagbe AM4MLS Adidas shoes that were made in partnership with an Atlanta based rapper, ATLUD, and Darlington Nagbe. 

Not Only did I love these shoes, but I bought 4 pairs of them when they were discounted to $60. Those ugly, uncomfortable shoes, that were nearly impossible to lace, I bought 4 pairs of them. 

I don't want Darlington Nagbe in Orange and Blue, I don't want him on the Orange and 2's, I don't want him on Columbus, I want him to go all the way to Portland and just hang out for a few more years. 

All of that being said, it is unarguable though that Darlington Nagbe would be a great addition to this Cincinnati team. With Moreno gone in this scenario, and Obi playing so well he might draw eyes from overseas, Nagbe would be a great addition for Moreno's spot, and has the experience in the league to help keep stability if any other players were to leave next summer. 

Once again, Columbus does hold on option on their captain, and the whole reason Nagbe went to Columbus was because of their proximity to home. So as long as Columbus wants him, there is a really good chance of him staying. However with his option being around 1.5 million dollars or more, what are the chances Columbus lets go of their captain? 

Columbus is in the middle of a squad overhaul for Wilfred Nancy, and Nagbe doesn't not fit what Nancy likely wants, however, there are young players that Columbus is trying to build around, notably in midfield. Both Aidan Morris and Matan are extremely important players for the Crew's future, and all the while, some fans have questioned Nagbe's commitment over some actions during games. Does this mean the Crew will let him go? No. If they do, should FC Cincinnati be in the conversation, absolutely yes. Do I hope Cincy is in the conversation? I sincerely hope not. 

Uri Rossell - Starting Midfielder

The most getable option player available in my opinion. It all relies upon whether or not Gaston Brugman is on a recovery path which could see him appear early next season. The Galaxy has a few other young defensive mids, on much cheaper deals. So why keep the MLS veteran on 500k? He profiles very similarly to Moreno, and is once again, a veteran MLS presence in the midfield. 

A very solid MLS midfielder, to replace a solid MLS midfielder. If the Galaxy were to reject Uri's option, and he were to stay in re-entry, I'd be inclined to pick him up in the first round of re-entry. If he does opt for free agency, I think offering him something similar to what he is on right now would be a perfect, maybe even a bit of a raise. Offering him 550k to be a Moreno replacement is probably not ideal, however, I do believe Moreno will be moving on to greener pastures, and he has so significantly out performed his salary, that we will not be getting MLS experience for the same price he joined us for.