MLS 2018: Makeover in Orlando City completed in rapid time

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Jan 31, 2018

No team in MLS has made more changes in the offseason than Orlando City -- and with good cause.

The Lions have failed to make the playoffs in each of their first three seasons, and last season's 10-15-9 record was a step back from 2016 when they finished 9-11-4 and 2015 when they went 12-14-8 and finished in seventh place in the Eastern Conference.

If head coach Jason Kreis couldn't blow up his roster in his first full season in charge in 2017, he certainly has done it this offseason. Kaka has retired, Cyle Larin was sold to Besiktas, and 15 players in all are gone from the 2017 roster.

Since last July, Orlando City has completely made over its front six, adding two former MLS champions in Dom Dwyer and Oriol Rosell, teammates on Sporting Kansas City in 2013, Sacha Kljestan and Justin Meram, who have combined for 40 goals and 76 assists in the last three seasons, plus Peruvian Yoshimar Yotun and Paraguayan Josue Colman, both signed as Designated Players.

It's a good thing MLS has increased the TAM clubs have to spend. Orlando City has traded more than $3 million in allocation money or conditional allocation money to acquire Dwyer, Rosell, Kljestan and Meram, not to mention buy down their salary charges.

Both Yotun and Colman required transfer fees, making them Designated Players, though Colman, only 19, qualifies as a Young Designated Player with a lower salary charge.

2018 Orlando City Front Six Acquisitionsorl:
7/25/17 Dom Dwyer
From Sporting KC for ...
-- $400,000 in GAM;
-- $500,000 in TAM;
-- $700,000 in future conditional allocation money.

8/4/17 Yoshimar Yotun (DP)
From Malmo (Sweden) for ...
-- Transfer fee (undisclosed).

1/3/18 Sacha Kljestan (+$150,000 in TAM)
From NY Red Bulls for ...
-- FW Carlos Rivas;
-- DF Tommy Redding.

1/15/18 Josue Colman (Young DP)
From Cerro Porteno (Paraguay) for ...
-- Transfer fee (undisclosed).

1/29/18 Justin Meram
From Columbus Crew for ...
-- $300,000 in 2018 TAM;
-- $300,000 in 2018 GAM;
-- $450,000 in 2019 TAM;
-- 2019 Int'l roster slot.

1/30/18 Oriol Rosell
From Sporting (Portugal) for ...
-- Transfer fee.
No. 1 pick in Allocation Order from FC Dallas for ...
-- $400,000 in TAM.

Also ...

Orlando City has also acquired five players who can play in the front six since last August. They include a former MLS Rookie of the Year (Dillon Powers) and a two-time NASL MVP (Stefano Pinho).

8/10/17 Dillon Powers (trade from Colorado Rapids)
12/18/17 Stefano Pinho (transfer from Miami FC)
12/27/17 Jose Villarreal (trade with LA Galaxy)
1/18/18 Cam Lindley (Univ. of North Carolina via trade with Chicago Fire)
1/19/18 Chris Mueller (Univ. of Wisconsin, via SuperDraft)