McCarty photo courtesy Chicago Fire
Offseason acquisitions are officially (unofficially!) here. Per The Athletic‘s Paul Tenorio, Nashville SC has traded for($) Chicago Fire captain Dax McCarty and LA Galaxy defender Dave Romney.
The Fire will get $50,000 in General Allocation Money, $50,000 in Targeted Allocation Money, and a second-round draft pick in exchange for McCarty. The Galaxy pick up $225,000 in unspecified allocation money in exchange for Romney.
The 32-year old McCarty just finished his third year with the Fire after six as a member of the New York Red Bulls (where he was also captain), having played five years for FC Dallas prior to that. The 13-cap US International is a stay-at-home defensive midfielder who will remind fans plenty of a slightly downgraded Michael Bradley (with a couple extra years of tread remaining on his tires). While that wouldn’t necessarily impress on the international stage, it’s a type – and caliber – of player who can have a huge impact on a Major League Soccer team. A 2015 MLS Best XI selection, McCarty has the potential to be a cornerstone for the new bunch.
Romney is a much more under-the-radar player, not least of which because he plays on defense for an LA Galaxy team that is… consistently pretty poor defensively. However, the 6-2 centerback/left back is regarded as one of the better Galaxy defenders, and his production from a defensive standpoint looks to be solid:
At 26 years old, he’s one of the younger players to (reportedly, at this point) sign with Nashville SC from within MLS, with only 22-year old Philadelphia Union Homegrown Derrick Jones beating him out from a youth perspective.
If/when these two signings are formally announced, they will bring Nashville SC’s current MLS roster to nine players. See the currently-signed group here.
Club and Country 