Source: MSN Pro Soccer Wire, posted here for comment
Photo by Marjorie Elzey
U.S. men’s national team prospect Jack McGlynn is reportedly on the move, in what could be the first major trade using a new MLS rule.
A report from GiveMeSport says that the 21-year-old midfielder has been traded to the Houston Dynamo, with the Philadelphia Union netting a fee “in the region of $2 million.” Further reporting from the Philadelphia Inquirer placed the transfer fee in excess of $2 million, and added that the Union will receive 50% of any transfer fee Houston gets should McGlynn be transferred in the future.
Per the reports, teams in England, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain have held talks about a McGlynn transfer, but Houston’s offer won out. In January, MLS announced that teams can now make up to two trades involving cash, rather than needing to move players or MLS-only assets like allocation money, international spots, or draft picks.
McGlynn is among the more highly-touted players to come through an MLS academy in recent years, and made his USMNT debut in January 2024. Last month, he appeared in wins over Venezuela and Costa Rica, showcasing his vaunted passing ability and scoring his first international goal.
Across four seasons, McGlynn has appeared for the Union 108 times (regular season and playoffs), posting seven goals and 15 assists. However, he has been something of an awkward fit with the hard-charging, high-pressing Union philosophy. The New York native suits a possession-oriented style in which his team controls the game at a slower tempo, and at times the Union’s tactical needs kept McGlynn on the bench.
That won’t be a problem with the Dynamo, who head coach Ben Olsen built around Mexico international Héctor Herrera in recent seasons. Herrera departed the club this winter, eventually joining Toluca in Liga MX, and McGlynn figures to be a plug-and-play replacement as the deep-lying playmaker in Olsen’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Interestingly, the Union’s substantial share of a hypothetical future transfer fee may not amount to as much as the club would have liked. Per the Philadelphia Inquirer, the club broke MLS rules governing academy signings by leaving their geographic territory to get McGlynn into its academy in 2019. With McGlynn’s family in favor of the move, MLS eventually allowed the signing to stand, but sanctions against Philadelphia included granting 20% of the player’s rights to both New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls.
McGlynn’s reported move is not the only intra-MLS cash deal that could come to fruition in the near future. GiveMeSport reported Friday that Sporting Kansas City is completing a $4 million deal to land LA Galaxy striker Dejan Joveljic, another seven-figure deal that underlines the potential for this new rule to change the dynamics across the league.
PSP Ed. Note: As of this writing, there has been no comment posted online by the Philadelphia Union.
This article originally appeared on Pro Soccer Wire: USMNT: McGlynn reportedly traded to Houston Dynamo in major MLS deal
That’s So Union
Gobsmacked ?
Good Luck to Jack.
Sell the team.
This team is a complete joke . I have zero interest in watching a development team lose and our owner sell players just to make money . Had 6 season tickets for 10 years, either watched or listened every game since I gave them up, but officially don’t care about them now. Money grab at every chance with zero interest in winning.
Unpopular opinion. He’s unathletic, a defensive liability in this system doesn’t score much and gets too few assists with his skill set. Take the money now and when he gets sold again.
Not unpopular. Correct, given everything we’ve been told about the team’s philosophy.
That’s how I’ve felt about him, too. I much prefer Quinn for our system, and I’m sure Cavan will get a lot of time on the other side now. It’s possible to resent Sugarman for not spending, but also realize this isn’t a horrible move.
Have to agree. Like the kid, but he’s too slow to likely ever make it to Europe. He’s still a kid and can develop, but I think MLS is his ceiling.
+1
And do what with the 2 million? I doubt the Union will be better without him.
Can’t say I totally disagree with the opinion that Jack is a great left foot, not very athletic and awful defensively. The highlight moments seem few and far between.
That said . . . I’m also reminded of the scene in “Major League” where the evil owner of the Cleveland Indians talks about “our big team concept” and the GM says, “What *is* our big team concept?”
I wonder the same about this side.
Wow you guys must know more about soccer than Mauricio Pocchetino, who seems to think McGlynn is a pretty good player. Let’s see, as a coach I have a rising star who is still developing physically and plays for the national team. Should I (a) be rigid in my “system” (that is, if running around and “pressing” is a system) and get rid of the kid, or (b) adapt my strategy and style of play to include the player?
So when most the players on the team are capable of playing the system and the academy is producing players to play in the system, you want to change the system for one player?
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It seems everyone hasn’t realized that the last team reached its ceiling and this is a rebuild with a 15 year old phenom that has a four year shelf life and the team is already into year two.
Agree Ben. He is Union’s best soccer player by a wide margin and if they want to score goals by 60% transitions and 30% set pieces then he should move on. Every player is flawed, if he was perfect, he would be playing for Barcelona and not the ugly, direct style of play of the Union.
If the fanbase actually watched games, then they would know the issue last year was the lack of defensive pressing of the 9s and Gazdag. In addition Quinn is a worst defensively than Jack but has the freedom to stay higher and have sporadic good moments, so he gets a pass. It’s weird when he plays with the National team or YNT, that is not a concern as the coach plays to the strength of the players and not a system. Ernst now controls the style of play with Jim gone. He is a dinosaur and the league is improving. Could be a long year but good luck to Jack. I enjoyed watching him.
Re-read my post. Never said he was a good or bad player. He is indeed unathletic which is a widely made criticism. He is a liability in “this system”. Not his fault. He also has 7 goals and 15 assists in 108 games. I pointed out that “with his skill set”, which is an acknowledgment of his good left foot and very good passing ability, this is objectively not a good return. However he is certainly not good enough to change your entire organization’s system. So, my opinion is that the sale is a good move.
System? Delusional fanbase to think you have a style of play? It’s shit kick ball you see on every high school or college field.
You are correct however the sale is a good move for players that want to play with the ball and not just against it. When Leon wants out to Poland, you know it’s bad.
The Union have officially announced it. $2.1 million + up to $1.3 million if certain performance metrics are met.
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In unrelated news, Jay Sugarman announced he is staging a production of No, No, Nanette.
If you ever wondered about Union’s business strategy, read the headline on their website. Houston did not acquire McGlynn from Philly, “the Union acquired up to $3.4 million from Houston.” That says it all.
They’re not even pretending to be competitive anymore. I hope Bedoya drank from the fountain of youth in the offseason, because he’s about to go 90 every game.
So this is the Philadelphia Union people are talking about? This is the club that has a professed mission statement of developing youth prospects and selling them on for profit? This is the club with the owner who has repeatedly stated how he operates his club according to these principles, and has a record of operating to these principles and selling said young players here and abroad? This is the same club that has risen it’s rather, relative to other recent teams to MLS, small investment to a recent evaluation of $700 million while building a stadium, multiple practice fields, a workout center, a second team, an academy, and for those in the cheap seats, paved parking lots?
This is the Philadelphia Union? People are surprised and upset by the McGlynn trade….Why exactly? Maybe you have misunderstood what is on offer. If you believe your voice hays a say because you have x amount of time and money invested in this club, then you are wrong. You are wrong because you are paying for this. This is the product. You helped make it the success it is. Congrats.
Am I a fan of the Union and the way Jay Sugarman does business? Certainly not. I went from being a fan, to a supporter, to now just a follower. I grew. I came to realize that nothing in this world is worth fanatical devotion. Support? Sure, many things are worth supporting. Local women’s and homeless shelters. Local animal rescues. People in need. Not the Union. Follow? Sure absolutely. The Union are worth a follow. I enjoy seeing a team develop and watching soccer being played by a local team. I really enjoy seeing young players develop and then get sold to play abroad. But I won’t mistake the Union as a team of this community, for this community and by this community. The Union aren’t “ours”. They aren’t community owned or driven. Some NY dude gets all the money. Which certainly hasn’t spread much further than the borders of the property he owns down in Chester. The rising tide hasn’t raised all ships. It’s certainly not worth lying to yourself into believing this will ever be anything other than a vehicle for Sugarman to make a profit. Because that’s exactly all it ever has been. You are fooling yourself if you think it’s anything otherwise and you have no one to blame and yell at but yourself.
OGPG your well stated and pointed comment resonates with me. But you yourself also helped create the problem at hand. If you once put season ticket money into this franchise, then you also helped to backup the mission statement. All of us who spend any money on the team have helped in a small way. I’m guilty of owning season tickets! So I’m still putting money into the pockets of ownership. And I hope you keep following the team even though you no longer attend games. I am frustrated with how things go with the team. I don’t own or coach the team I just watch from the stands. So until I finally get completely fed up as you have, I’ll continue to go to games and enjoy watching. It’s not always good soccer, but it is live professional soccer. Cheers to you sir!
To be clear, I don’t see the owner as the problem. Sugarman is doing what he should do for his investment. If this were a community club and the funds went back into the community, I would applaud his efforts. The funds don’t though or at least enough for me to feel comfortable giving him money.
I do agree others see him as the problem. I think they miss the whole point. The problem is MLS as a whole, and it’s strangle hold on USSF. The problem is the closed tier system.
What I have a problem with is people complaining about something they were not only told would happen, time and time again, but have also been shown what will happen from actual experience. The failing isn’t on the owner. It’s on the misguided consumer. Caveat Emptor.
I don’t buy season tickets and I don’t pay for the apple package. There are other ways to follow the team. I will go to a match if given or am offered to buy tickets. I’ll even buy merchandise on discount. I’m just not going to actively put money in Sugarman’s or MLS’s pocket. If you do, that’s fine. It’s your choice. You just have no ground to stand on when getting mad at the Union for doing exactly what they told you they were going to do and have done for at least 5-7 years now. There’s precedent. This should be a surprise to no one.
I agree with this assessment
Hard to get excited by team and league that isn’t open to both success and failure
I will enjoy it like I enjoy watching Phillies AA affiliate, not as a major league product
Viewed this way, the Union is doing a great job.
Simply not able to accept it as a major league product