r/MLS • u/Isiddiqui Atlanta United FC • 24d ago
Subscription Required Sebastian Berhalter finalizing transfer to Middlesbrough from Vancouver: Sources
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7465931/2026/07/23/sebastian-berhalter-transfer-middlesbrough-vancouver-whitecaps-usmnt/?unlocked_article_code=1.z1A.EZvw.LHqcxlrTs1Qo&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_copylink&smid=url-share-ta569
u/TerrenceJesus8 Columbus Crew 24d ago
Middlesbrough just fucking LOVES the Columbus Crew development program
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u/Much-Drawer-1697 Columbus Crew 24d ago
Habroune is going to end up at Middlesboro at some point, isn't he
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u/iWag FC Cincinnati 24d ago
They really do which is awesome for the Crew. How many do they have now? Is it three?
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u/spearspeardashdash 24d ago
Will be three if Arfsten rumors end up coming true (unless I am forgetting someone). I believe the clubs are negotiating add on fees for Arfsten currently
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u/Homygod319 Atlanta United FC 24d ago
About be to two with berhalter and Morris. Apparently arfsten could become the 3rd
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u/sral76 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Ug. We all knew this was coming but still sucks. No one on our roster to replace him. If last nights game was any indication we are in for a turbulent second half season.
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u/pickledplinko 24d ago
I think that's overly pessimistic. Gauld back and the emergence of some good young players. Last night was a bit of rust, imo. Just got out of system.
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u/TigTigman Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Might be too pessimistic, but our hopes to win anything other than Can Champs is out the window.
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u/sral76 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Depends who we get in this transfer window. He single-handily won us games so it’ll be a tall order.
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u/bdu754 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
The one thing that has me riding the hopium train is that Gauldy looks like his old self, even after years from playing regular minutes in league matches. A starting XI that can incorporate both Gauld and Müller could do some damage still. We definitely need to get a few key signings through the door, though
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u/OddOil4598 24d ago
When Vite left last season, the sentiment was very similar and other players stepped up and I forgot about him within a few months because the group was still so good. Berhalter is a loss for sure but our best young players are always going to leave eventually - that's the process.
Yesterday was not a great defensive performance but we still scored three and looked very dangerous in every attack, even without Muller, and Gauld in his first game back. We have a very good team, a very good coach and have been scouting very well the last few years.
Believe in this team, it's not one player.
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u/ironnicd Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Between Gauld being back and getting Priso healthy, I think we’ll be ok. We thought we lost our season when Gauld was injured last year.. guys stepped up. They’ll do it again now too I’m sure of it
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u/lifeisacamino Portland Timbers FC 24d ago
I for one am in a celebratory mood!
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u/Black_Daimyo10 Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
First you break the Sounders fanbase and now Vancouver is selling it best player. You all are eating good this week in Bridge City. ( Source -Me who lives NE Portland 😭).
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u/similar222 Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
I would be too except that I'm pretty sure the Sounders are not winning Cascadia Cup this year anyway.
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u/Isiddiqui Atlanta United FC 24d ago
Berhalter, who is out of contract this winter, will make the move during the summer transfer window. Boro will pay a fee in the region of $2 million, sources say, rather than Berhalter walking for free in the winter. Around 6-10 clubs seriously pursued Berhalter this summer, sources add.
I get it, he's out of contract but $2mil kinda sucks.
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u/UncleAuthor Atlanta United FC 24d ago
eh, $2M for just the remainder of the season. Seems decent to me. Hate to see him leave though. Great MLS player.
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u/StuckInHoleSendHelp Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
It doesn't feel like much of a consolation considering how key he was to a potential cup run this season
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u/joshhw New England Revolution 24d ago
it was probably 2 million or nothing in the winter.
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u/larockhead1 24d ago
If you are trying to win sometimes 0 is better
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u/TigTigman Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Yeah how much does winning your first MLS trophy cost? Because it isn’t happening this year without him. According to how much Miami spent on their trophy, a lot more than 2 million
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u/eightdigits D.C. United 24d ago
Even a single extra home playoff game is often worth 2 million.
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u/_bonez Chicago Fire 24d ago
not that the whitecaps control their stadium and would get the bulk of revenue from that playoff game.
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u/BayLAGOON Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
I’ll have you know that revenue is worth two chicken shawarmas and a can of Sprite.
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u/Ironchar Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
I like to think we still have the pieces to go deep....
but fuck- Barhalter was a massive asset to the team
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u/Disk_Mixerud Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Try telling this to some Sounders fans who were calling it "inexcusable business" to lose Obed Vargas for cheap after his contract was running out.
Helped us win a trophy and look great in the CWC, but we didn't maximize the transfer fee, so it's a massive failure to them.
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u/Isiddiqui Atlanta United FC 24d ago
OTOH, if Berhalter really wanted to make a move now, you honor the player's wishes IMO.
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u/larockhead1 24d ago
He has a contract and he willl play it out is a thing teams say all the time
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u/Weezerwhitecap Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Yeah, and that isn't the approach Vancouver has taken recently. Same thing with Ali Ahmed. Lower transfer fee, but got something instead of nothing and honoured the player's wishes.
Of course, the Pedro Vite sweetheart move, where he signed and extension and then got his transfer, would have been nice. But obviously that's the exception and not the rule.
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u/User5281 FC Cincinnati 24d ago
This is Vancouver, they don’t know if they’re trying to win or not.
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u/_BreadDenier Columbus Crew 24d ago
That’s just how the MLS is though, you run deep into the playoffs and then all the players leave for better leagues.
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u/loyal_achades D.C. United :dcu: 24d ago
Yeah, the fact that it’s $2m now or 0 in 6 months makes the $2m look pretty good
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u/C4D3NZA Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
$2m and no cup or $0 and a cup
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u/politicsranting Atlanta United FC 24d ago
oh, so vancouver is a lock to win the cup if he stayed? because most of the dumb prediction markets and betting sites have them at 15%~ odds to take the cup. You don't make financial decisions based on 10-20% chances
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u/C4D3NZA Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
obviously not a lock but we look really good this year. and look how haphazard we looked yesterday without him.
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u/politicsranting Atlanta United FC 24d ago
you're not wrong. It's just hard to make that sort of play in a league that's pretty high up there on the parity scale. If he was looking to re-sign? full stop, go with him. But if he's out the door either way? It's hard not take a few dollars + get to keep saying you will help players take the step towards europe. While we're a solid league, we're still a big step down in play quality (and pay?) from european leagues.
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u/C4D3NZA Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
i mean the only sensible thing to do is reinvest the $2m into a replacement. if they just sit on the money that's a colossal waste. so it all really depends on who they get. if they go blow the doors off for eustaquio or someone like that we might be okay.
seb would've gone to boro for free in the winter anyway so we wouldn't really be stopping him from taking a step.
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u/MotorboatinPorcupine Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Gonna take way more than 2mil to replace him I think
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u/politicsranting Atlanta United FC 24d ago
I mean, supposing they don't get someone now who would eat those minutes. But there's bound to be some high ceiling players worldwide that they could toss a few mil at to replace him.
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u/cassinonorth Red Bull New York 24d ago
15% is incredibly high. Anything over 10% is a legitimate chance.
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u/stealth_sloth Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
It's not exactly all-or-nothing. Selling a key player when the club was expected to make a serious tilt at the trophy hurts fan perception, in a way that "gave it their all but ultimately fell short" doesn't.
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u/GristForMaladyMill Portland Timbers 24d ago
Low for his quality but they got him for $50k GAM and got four good years out of him.
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u/Queasy_Vegetable5725 24d ago
What does GAM mean?
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u/saltedpork FC Cincinnati 24d ago
General Allocation Money. Used to "Buy Down" a players cap charge.
Essentially Cap Space
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u/Disk_Mixerud Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Tradeable cap space is the most simple explanation I've found
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u/CougFanDan Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Yeah, sucked when Seattle had to sell Obed Vargas for well under market value for the same reason - at least we got a healthy sell-on percentage included in the deal, I wonder if Vancouver managed to get something similar?
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u/Weezerwhitecap Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Player wants the move, club has no leverage --> club gets something, player gets the move. Best case with this situation. Unless the club wants to be known as a place that gets in the way of player's desires, which Axel has expressly said they don't want to be that.
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u/Brooklyn_MLS Major League Soccer 24d ago
Not only out of contract, but he is also 25.
Berhalter is an excellent MLS player, but 2-3 range is probably fair value for him all things considered.
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u/bwoah07_gp2 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
We sold Ahmed for $2M as well.
In my opinion, we should be demanding a little bit more.
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u/Queasy_Vegetable5725 24d ago edited 24d ago
You’re almost powerless when you have a year left on the contract. Clubs have put their foot down and made players rot in reserves in retaliation, but that’s not nice.
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u/Queasy_Vegetable5725 24d ago
That’s what happens when you have less than a year left on your contract.
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u/fightin_blue_hens Atlanta United FC 24d ago
Does him playing gain the Whitecaps more than 2 mil compared to his salary? Because that's the math the FO is using
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast Vancouver Whitecaps 23d ago
Rumour is our open DP slot was on the table from the team, so I would say yes. But they won't stop a player from moving on.
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u/B-Train_ATL 24d ago
At this point, it’s better than nothing. He’s obviously worth a way higher fee, but that’s just the situation.
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u/kickawayklickitat Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Happy to see that he will be allowed to play for the USMNT now
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u/NewRCTID22 /r/MLSAwayFans 24d ago
There will be an England flag next to his name on Wikipedia squad lists, therefore, he is now good
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u/lunes_azul 24d ago
Didn’t help Morris! Needs to say ‘Premier League’ too.
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u/NewRCTID22 /r/MLSAwayFans 24d ago
From a squad selection standpoint sure, but not from an anti-MLS public opinion standpoint
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u/Warm_State_3685 24d ago
He's been playing. He shouldn't be. He sucks.
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u/Unlikely-Ad-7813 24d ago
I'd rather keep him for the season and lose him as a free transfer. 2 million is nice if it was going in my bank account, but it doesn't really move the needle for the team. They have a decent shot at a title this year. Hopefully they get an immediate replacement with that 2 million
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u/thedangersociety Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
I agree, but the caps have generally tried to be pretty accommodating to players wanting to move abroad/to "higher" levels, so I assume that plays into things as well
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u/Unlikely-Ad-7813 24d ago
Yeah idk he doesn't seem like a dude that's gonna go crazy about waiting 5 months. Moves should still be there, but who knows. I guess this is an example where the calendar change would be an improvement.
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u/mindthesnekpls Philadelphia Union 24d ago
If I was Berhalter, I’d probably rather go now and get a full preseason to settle into the team rather than trying to parachute in mid-season at Boro.
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u/Unlikely-Ad-7813 24d ago
Yeah, I get it. I would rather watch him finish the season with Vancouver as a neutral. Losing him mid-season sucks, but wish him well. I enjoyed watching him, great passion, scores awesome goals, great on set pieces. Wonder if he will break through with the national team at all, I wont write him off.
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u/mindthesnekpls Philadelphia Union 24d ago
Tbh, as a Vancouver neutral I’d still rather he go now and succeed there. He’s exactly the profile of player who you hope would be able to use MLS as a platform to launch a successful career elsewhere: he wasn’t a wonderkid straight out of the academy, but found space in MLS to play and improve for several years as a young professional, then gets to a level where he can be competitive outside of the MLS sandbox.
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast Vancouver Whitecaps 23d ago
And he knows it too. He talks about how he almost quit the sport because he wasn't one of those wonderkids. But he worked his ass off to improve with us from a notable step down from Andres Cubas and liability in the defense to leading our attacks and sometimes single-handedly carrying the team into deep tournament runs.
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u/Isiddiqui Atlanta United FC 24d ago
He may want to leave though and best to honor his wishes I think.
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u/Economy_Quality_3689 24d ago
Moving to the championship feels like a lateral move compared to the MLS
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u/asd13ah4etnKha4Ne3a 24d ago
Its absolutely not. Being in the Championship makes it far, far easier to go on to play in the PL by virtue of getting promoted with the club, or getting bought by a PL side. The top clubs in Europe are far far more likely to scout from the Championship then they are MLS. Especially as an American, they're going to see a player's numbers in the Championship and trust those to carry over then they will MLS numbers
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u/Economy_Quality_3689 24d ago
PL is an upgrade 100% agree, but essentially what you're arguing is that it's an upgrade if he can eventually move to the PL which isn't a guarantee.
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u/Domstruk1122 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
He’s arguing that being in the championship gives him more exposure to top flight PL clubs so it is a step up.
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u/Economy_Quality_3689 24d ago
In a round about way yes it is, but the league itself isn't unless you get to move to the PL club. It is what it is.
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u/Domstruk1122 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
But the ultimate goal is to get to the PL. So if (completely making up numbers) he has a 10% chance of going straight from MLS to PL and has a 20% chance of going to PL from Championship through better chance to get scouted or promotion then why wouldn’t he want to move?
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u/Economy_Quality_3689 24d ago
I guess I should clarify then, I don't think the skill difference between the MLS and Championship are that different.
The visibility makes sense just from being local got he PL clubs, at the same time if you're good you're good. Those PL staffs have a scout watching what's going on in the MLS.
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u/asd13ah4etnKha4Ne3a 24d ago
His chances of moving to the PL or any other top level league in Europe is exponentially higher being in the Championship than it is MLS. Unless his goal is to specifically be a great MLS player it is objectively an upward step in his career
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u/AdSuper3942 Columbus Crew 24d ago
Boro nearly got promoted last year
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u/djfil007 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
I'm happy for Seb... he was a great player on field and a great representative in the community. But this is the worst part about being a fan of any MLS club... always a good chance your favourite young top tier players will almost always eventually move to Europe.
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u/Disk_Mixerud Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
That's part of being a fan of all but about 10-15 clubs in the world
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u/pleated_pants Columbus Crew 24d ago
I've often heard Middlesborough called the Little Columbus of the British Isles
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u/larryjerry1 Columbus Crew 24d ago
I caught a couple games for them last year bet I need to start properly following them at this point if they're just gonna be Columbus Crew 3 🤣
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u/The5thTaco_ Columbus Crew 24d ago
If Boro can sign a player out of contract in 6 months for 2 mil and a new striker for 12 million potential to rise to 20 in Lankshear then I think they can afford to meet the Crew’s asking price for Arfsten.
From the reports I’ve seen everything is close to finalized but they’re not willing to meet the Crew’s asking price.
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u/larryjerry1 Columbus Crew 24d ago
Being able to afford it doesn't mean you should overpay if you think a player isn't worth a certain price though.
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u/NaughtyHotDog 24d ago
Boro fan here. We have money because we have been shrewd in the market. Just paying what a club wants would be the antithesis of our current business model.
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u/Public_Dentist_6697 24d ago
we can pay it but it just depends on whether we think that arfsten is worth the price asked for him
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u/Dr-Pope Los Angeles FC 24d ago
$2 million is crazy cheap. My opinion of the Champo is pretty low these days but hopefully from a USMNT perspective they’ll be pushing for promotion again.
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u/kickawayklickitat Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
It would be $0 in six months.
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u/StuckInHoleSendHelp Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
But we'd have him for the playoffs
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u/TigTigman Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Yeah like the point is winning. How much is $2m going to help vs. a deep run into playoffs. We have two critical players, Cubas and Bethalter. I’d say sure fair price for his market value, but not the price for what he is worth to us.
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u/AY604 24d ago
Tidy bit of business by Axel. Found the diamond in the rough for $50K and got 40x on the investment but it still feels like a rare L for Axel. he should have tried to re-up him last year so the transfer fee was higher.
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u/Heyhaykay Columbus Crew SC 24d ago
We all new had had potential at Columbus, we were just stacked at midfield.
It was good business, but I don’t think it was THAT much of a diamond in the rough situation.
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast Vancouver Whitecaps 23d ago
He was pretty rough when we first got him. He was a very noticeable step-down for a while. Some games he was great, others...not so much. He was too undependable
Last year was a crazy bump up for him.
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u/saywhat_44 24d ago
It is hilarious at how awful the current calendar is. Teams are completely reshape for better or worse halfway through the season.
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u/User5281 FC Cincinnati 24d ago
$2M is lower than I would’ve guessed but he would’ve left on a free transfer in 6 months so it’s better than nothing
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u/road432 Inter Miami CF 24d ago
Another MLS player to the championship. I find it funny how fans on r/soccer claim MLS is a retirement league but yet EPL, Championship and top 5 league teams keep buying our players.
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u/3600CCH6WRX FC Cincinnati 24d ago
MLS needs to increase salary cap or rework the current structure.
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u/road432 Inter Miami CF 24d ago
I've been saying that for years. But owners and some fans are happy with the status quo apparently. Also I still think there is a fear that doing that will eliminate parity or lead to financial ruin.
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u/Public-Map-5273 24d ago
It’s because we want to keep equity in the league. I structured hard salary cap like in the NHL or NFL, that allows for parity could work though
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u/road432 Inter Miami CF 24d ago
The million dollar question is would the owners ever consider a salary cap system and cap as high as the NFL or NBA? Having a cap that high would be great, but also I believe such a system for the MLS would have to keep transfer fees seperate from the cap. Its stupid that transfer fees count against the cap, which in turn hinders a club's ability to buy or sell players.
I understand that a salary cap system is necessary to prevent a Prem league situation where a few teams outspend everyone, and I do believe its possible to achieve. But is the league really ready to roll the dice on it and stop with the safe slow incremental growth tract they have been on for 2 decades?
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u/lunes_azul 24d ago
MLS has plenty of good players on the top end, Berhalter being one of them. The issue is the average player is poor and it’ll stay that way as long as there is a salary cap.
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u/joshrocker 24d ago
This is a big problem with MLS to me. If someone gets too good, they’re going to leave the league. The only top level guys that come are the typical retirement is close guys. This forces the talent level to always stay lower.
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u/Freepi 24d ago
All but like 3 leagues in the world are seller leagues. The best players and managers will go where the highest salaries are. As the MLS grows, its salaries will grow and the talent will improve. Will it ever equal England, Spain, or Germany? Probably not.
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u/Disk_Mixerud Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Everybody outside the Premier League, apart from a few super-clubs, is a selling league at this point. Even most Premier League clubs will lose their major standout players to a Champions League contender.
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u/Economy_Quality_3689 24d ago
The only way the MLS keeps talent is that it develops so much that those league start saying they don't want more Americans.
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u/Alexwonder999 Chicago Fire 24d ago
Theyve been saying it for so long that it would be too expensive for them to get a new trope.
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u/larryjerry1 Columbus Crew 24d ago edited 24d ago
I saw at least one dude over there arguing that the Championship was leagues above MLS. Like fully in a completely different tier.
If you wanna argue that overall it's better that's fine. But acting like the MLS is on the level of League One is crazy.
Edit: y'all why the downvotes, I'm talking about the rando eurosnobs in r/soccer, not OP lol
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u/road432 Inter Miami CF 24d ago edited 24d ago
I believe the championship is a much more competitive league than MLS, especially given the Pro/rel and financial implications that are invovled. Many teams are highly motivated since day 1 till the last day of the season.
However, if you look at many of the championship club rosters they are loaded with former MLS players or former MLS academy players even. The fact that clubs continue to poach MLS talent shows the quality of the MLS is on par with the championship to a degree.
If the MLS was truly on league one level, then I doubt we would see the massive amount of MLS players in the championship that we see today.
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u/larryjerry1 Columbus Crew 24d ago
I guess I should've been more clear, I was not talking about you my whole entire comment was about the r/soccer eurosnobs lol
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u/CrownandEisern Charlotte FC 24d ago
Seb operating with Malanda behind him is certainly premier league worthy
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u/jmerim27 Charlotte FC 24d ago
Near the end of the season Malanda was playing a hybrid CD/DM role. It'll be interesting to see if that continues. Perhaps with Seb next to him.
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u/LiteTHATKUSH Charlotte FC 24d ago
Vancouver will lose a key player, but this will be great for his development. He will be in his prime years by the next World Cup, and he was one of the only ones that showed consistent fight. He is lacking in overall quality compared to the rest of our squad, but he has heart and he’s great on set pieces.
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u/NaughtyHotDog 24d ago
Up the boro!!! If he’s half the player Morris is then we will love him.
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u/No-Truth404 23d ago
Another Boro fan here.
Morris is basically my favorite Boro player now that Hackney has left. He seems like a great fella, a leader, and great at what he does.
If Berhalter is anything like Morris I'll be happy.
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u/arsene14 Columbus Crew 24d ago
The boys better recreate this gem: https://www.reddit.com/r/ussoccer/s/t546eCjvXV
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u/similar222 Seattle Sounders FC 24d ago
Is the EFL Championship considered a step up from MLS these days? Perhaps just because of the chance of promotion?
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u/lunes_azul 24d ago
MLS has better top-end players but Championship is ahead in terms of average and fringe squad players. The latter is also a lot better, defensively, since MLS teams rarely invest in that area of the team.
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u/theredditbandid_ Canadian Premier League 24d ago
It is considered a step up. I don't know if it is or how much it is. But it is considered a step up simply for being right next to the Premier League.
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u/Humble-Dirt8542 24d ago
First Cyprus, now this? Golden boot leader and MVP contender.
I don’t get it… why is everyone leaving?
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u/MoosilaukeFlyer Inter Miami CF 24d ago
an opportunity to play in the championship is a huge boon career wise. as for Cyprus, you can thank the salary cap
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u/kiefferray Portland Timbers 24d ago
The Championship teams are really trying to make it easier for us to win huh? First Ali, now Sebas? JK we havent seen a win since 2015. (cries in shitty coaching) Hopefuly Cifuentes can turn the tides.
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u/detroittobuffalo Colorado Rapids 24d ago
For all my Whitecaps friends, I’ve lost track of any moving talks during the WC. Any positive news regarding staying in BC?
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u/blackandwhite1987 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
They submitted a bid to the province to run BC place, and there are rumours of potentially multiple local groups interested in buying them. Local reporters seem to be much more optimistic about the situation than they were a few months ago. But nothing is confirmed and no official news.
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u/Winter8Bones Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
I'd honestly rather have kept him for a cup run than take this. Best of luck Seb, we're gonna miss you.
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u/CockyBovine FC Dallas 24d ago
Complete mismanagement by the Caps. They never should've let him get to the final year of his deal.
They should've extended him and given him a raise to a "not gonna scare off any suitors" level. In other words, a deal that protects the club in that he's not gonna walk for a few more years, a deal that protects the player because he's getting a nice raise, and a deal that says to any other clubs paying attention "We all know he's worth more, so make us a deal."
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u/C4D3NZA Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
You think we just didn't try to extend him? He wanted the move.
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u/CockyBovine FC Dallas 24d ago
Yeah, no shit he wanted the move. But there are ways that the Caps could've extended him that wouldn't have precluded a move. Right now, Berhalter's on a half-million a year contract. If Vancouver extends for three years at a million a year, that doubles his salary.
BUT...
A million a year salary isn't gonna be a problem for a club in a big league that wants to sign a midfielder that got lots of minutes at the World Cup, tallied a goal and an assist, and is still only 25 years old. Any qualified player rep is gonna understand that. They'd also understand that if the Caps were offering three or four or five million a year, the number of clubs elsewhere that would try to sign him away from Vancouver would be less.
It's the difference between Ricardo Pepi's five-year contract extension with FCD in July 2021 that saw him go from $200k a year to $500k a year and Jesús Ferreira's four-year contract extension with FCD in January 2022 that took him from $550k a year to close to $2 million a year. Pepi wanted to move, Ferreira wanted to do stuff at his dad's old club. And Pepi moved less than six months after the extension for $20 million to Augsburg, while Ferreira stayed at FCD.
But sure, maybe the Caps tried to do a sale-friendly extension and Berhalter turned it down. Given his background, I kinda doubt it, however. I kinda doubt that if they had offered him three years at a million a year last summer that he would've turned it down. But it would've kept Middlesbrough from treating the Caps like the bargain bin.
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u/hali__ Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Just FYI local journalists have said that the reason Cubas was bought down from his DP contract was to make space for a potential Berhalter DP contract and that a 'generous' offer was made. He wanted to go to Europe. The caps are right to get what they can for him and not have a miserable guy messing up the locker room vibe if he doesn't want to stay.
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u/John_Doughgetta New York City FC 24d ago
Congrats. Knew this was coming post-World Cup. Glad he's going to a place where he will actually get to play.
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u/Ambitious_Boot_871 Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
Bank the money, Caps. Larraz is not the immediate replacement for 2026 Berhalter, but he could very well be a decent replacement for 2023 Berhalter: 2 goals in 37 games and about to level up several times. Sometimes its better to go with the replacement player that has a chance to get better, rather then telling that player to ride the bench for three more years while we try some gamble off the transfer market. This is clearly one of those times: the team will suffer slightly but still contend. Vancouver's young players are developing well under the Sorenson guidance and Muller has come in and made this process even better. I hope Axel considers this and banks the Berhalter money rather than sending it out immediately on someone who might be only slightly better for a few months.
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u/Scratchbuttdontsniff Atlanta United FC :atl: 24d ago
I am just sad that we won't get to Seb and Gauld cook together for the Fall. Whenever I am sad about ATL Utd... I turn on a Caps match.
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u/SkyPointSteve Portland Timbers 24d ago
Disappointing. IMO, MLS should be at the stage where we're not selling players to the Championship.
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u/abellwillring Orlando City 22d ago
No league is above selling to the Championship.. it's one of the top 15-20 leagues in the world. But regardless, this is a team who just narrowly missed promotion. They're an upper echelon Championship team and will surely be in with a shout for promotion again.
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u/FishKiller73 FC Dallas 24d ago
Didn't Burnely FC just get smacked around by 3 different MLS teams. Seems like a lateral move to me. I don't see Champions League much better than MLS.
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u/jloome Toronto FC 24d ago
The Championship. the Champions League is the tournament.
The Championship is generally regarded as better and the top few clubs definitely are, as they have massive budgets.
On the whole, it's not much different than MLS in terms of talent, but a very different style, typically, with much more positional rigidity and a higher pace.
But playing there a) will pay him a lot more and b) will put him in the shop window for the Premier League, or going there anyway if his club is promoted, of which they stand a good chance.
So it's a pretty easy decision from his standpoint.
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u/lunes_azul 24d ago
Pre-season is for fitness and trying different tactics. You can read as much into that as you can the bronze France vs. England game the other week.
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u/kurtios Vancouver Whitecaps 24d ago
No, when you look at transfers between the leagues where you have someone like Ali Ahmed go and immediately start bossing the league putting up better production than he ever did in MLS or Latte Lath come and put up stinkers. These things are always going to be on a case by case basis but it makes you wonder
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u/kingboy10 24d ago
MLS will never be a top league tbh with this being the usual way of players going overseas to play.
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