For obvious and correct reasons, all of the focus these few days have been on Austin FC leading up to, and following, the Expansion Draft.
Following a busy half-day trade window on Sunday and then Tuesday's Expansion Draft, Austin added 10 new players after entering the week with just two. There is plenty to dive into there. My man Matt Doyle analyzed all of that and more, I heavily encourage you to read that, as per usual.
But Austin weren't the only team impacted on Tuesday night. They completed a trade with the Montreal Impact (for Kamal Miller, after selecting him from Orlando City) and poached players from the San Jose Earthquakes (Danny Hoesen), LA Galaxy (Joe Corona), Nashville SC (Brady Scott) and the New York Red Bulls (Jared Stroud).
Here's what it meant for everyone else involved in moves.
Montreal splurge for Kamal Miller
As is the case in all recent iterations of the Expansion Draft, another MLS club found a player they liked from the unprotected list and orchestrated a trade.
Defender Miller heads to Montreal for $225,000 in General Allocation Money and the No. 11 selection at the 2021 SuperDraft. Not cheap, but his profile is a solid addition for the Impact.
Montreal struggled to find a cohesive unit of capable defenders, with Thierry Henry often changing the system and personnel in search for the right combination. Miller, 23, is a Canadian international with 23 starts over his first two seasons and is also a valuable piece to have given his versatility. He can play center back (in a back four or a back five) and left back in a back four.
On the other end of the transaction, it should come as no surprise an Orlando player was taken, as the club had a number of intriguing options left unprotected.
Miller, Uri Rosell and Tesho Akindele were three who media and fans alike speculated could be an option, while Alexander Alvarado and Matheus Aias were two international attackers acquired late in the Secondary Transfer Window. It ended up being Miller picked.
Orlando had more intriguing players than they had ability to protect, in large part because Orlando revamped their squad quickly over the last two seasons that led to their club-record 2020, but also because they had few regulars auto-protected. Only Daryl Dike and Benji Michel played meaningful minutes of their six players auto-protected.
Good result for the Quakes
Hoesen wasn't returning to San Jose in 2021, already out of contract and available for selection in the Re-Entry Draft. If he was selected in the Re-Entry Draft, or left in free agency, the Quakes wouldn't have received any compensation.
With Hoesen departing via the Expansion Draft, San Jose receive $50,000 GAM for their troubles as well as being exempt from next year's Expansion Draft. It could've been a worse night for the Quakes.
Austin may have been compelled to move in the Expansion Draft given reported interest in the forward from FC Cincinnati, who have the top spot in the Re-Entry Draft on Thursday.
As for the Red Bulls, Galaxy and Nashville...
It was a bit more straightforward than San Jose and Orlando so we'll group 'em together.
Corona, like Hoesen, was currently out of contract, though the Galaxy were in negotiations about a potential return. The 30-year-old departs after two seasons with the LA Galaxy, opening further flexibility for Dennis te Kloese (and a new manager) to enact change. They currently have only 13 players under contract.
While Nashville won't be happy about losing a highly-rated prospect like Scott, the club are well-covered in the goalkeeping depth chart. The two-time member of United States squads at the U-20 World Cup was behind starter Joe Willis while Elliot Panicco was selected 13th overall in the 2020 SuperDraft. They'll add another goalkeeper this winter.
Stroud departs the Red Bulls, as he was left unprotected. He is a cheap, versatile, hard-working option who graduated from RBNY II to the first team and earned a regular role in 2020.
Interestingly, the Red Bulls used one of their 12 protections on Mathias Jorgensen, who had already departed the club on loan to Denmark. The deal came with a purchase option AGF could trigger. If Jorgensen was unprotected and selected by Austin, then Austin would receive that transfer fee if AGF make Jorgensen's stay a permanent one.
