The Union stepped into the offseason with a splash today as they signed Chris Pontius from D.C. United and will send Cristian Maidana and Andrew Wenger to the Houston Dynamo. But while these trades will certainly shake up the locker room, the question remains: are they worth it?
- As a forward/midfielder, Chris Pontius can fill a position of need for the Union. At his best he can tear up the league, but for the last few years it seems like he's been injured more often than not. For what the Union gave up for him (an undisclosed amount of allocation money) this could end up being a good trade for the club, but Pontius' $400,000 paycheck raises some red flags, too. This might turn out to be a great move, but it also has the potential to be a real flop - we might just have to wait and see.
- This July, the Union dealt Sheanon Williams to the Houston Dynamo for allocation money. Today, Cristian Maidana and Andrew Wenger went the same way. On the face of it, this looks like a bad move. Trading the team's assist leader and a former first round draft pick for allocation money seems like a step back, but it might not be. The 2016 season will be Andrew Wenger's fifth in MLS, and so far he has yet to make a real impact on the league. In 2015 he was hot and cold and was on the periphery of the action in the majority of the games that he played in. Trading him to Houston might not be a bad move, but Cristian Maidana is who the trade really centers around. Maidana notched 15 assists in 2015, and was second only to MVP Sebastian Giovinco (16 assists) in that category. He was an integral part of the offense throughout the first half of the year, but his production tailed off somewhat towards the end of the season. Like Andrew Wenger it seemed like he showed up for some games, but not others and despite all his offensive production, he might not be missed in 2016. Maidana's role as the team's attacking central midfielder forced summer signing Tranquillo Barnetta to play on the outside, but with Maidana gone Barnetta can slot back into the middle, effectively taking over Maidana's role while Chris Pontius, Sebastien Le Toux or another signing step in on the left wing. It's true that Maidana did a lot for the offense last year, but Barnetta can do the same or better and is sure to hustle every game, not just some.
What do you think of the Union's signings? Email us at theblueandgoldblog@gmail.com or check us out on Twitter @blueandgoldblog to let us know.
.
