The exodus continues at Chivas USA, which has traded two more talented men who don’t fit the clubs new-old developmental model, which is to cultivate the talent of Mexican heritage.
A day ago, Chivas USA traded Ben Zemanski, a versatile midfielder who averaged 24 games a season over his first three years in Southern California. Zemanski went to Portland in exchange for allocation money and the MLS rights for sometimes U.S. international Jonathan Bornstein.
The deciders in Chivas USA land are, at least, smart enough to retain All-Star goalkeeper Dan Kennedy. So far at least.
Bornstein started at Chivas, and he fits the club’s new personnel mandate. As the elusive “allocation money” is never disclosed, this one makes some sense. Some.
But not so with James Riley, who has moved today to D.C. United.
Chivas essentially gave the guy away.
So they join Nick LaBrocca, Shalrie Joseph, Casey Townsend, Danny Califf and Peter Vagenas as those expelled under the new way. We can debate if this purge is right … but they really need to extract value where they can, and not makes themselves the Dollar Store of MLS.
What did D.C. United have to give up for a 32-game starter in 2012? A second-round pick in the 2015 MLS supplemental draft, which is getting close to the “insult zone” for a seven-year starter in MLS.
From Washington, the Soccer Insider (a.k.a. The Washington Post’s Steven Goff) reported that Chivas USA will continue to pay a heavy portion of Riley’s $125,000 salary. So, it was essentially a roster dump.
Riley was never a game-changer, not at Chivas not in previous stops at Seattle and New England. Still, he’s a veteran, typically popular with local fans and now looks like the quintessential depth provider – especially if someone else is paying most of the freight.