FC Cincinnati were involved in three moves Tuesday night that saw the club add a player, lose a player and gain allocation cash for future roster movement.
In summary, here’s what the club acquired on Tuesday:
- F Brandon Vazquez
- $150,000 GAM
- $50,000 GAM
Here’s what FCC sent outgoing on Tuesday:
- No. 3 pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft
- $150,000 TAM
- D Alvas Powell
On acquiring Vazquez from Nashville SC (Atlanta United FC)…
FCC GM Gerard Nijkamp has been public about his desire to bring in reinforcements at forward this offseason.
In Vazquez, they brought in a young, domestic forward for a small sum. That’s good business.
After Nashville drafted Vazquez eighth overall from Atlanta in the Expansion Draft, FCC traded $150,000 TAM for the striker’s rights. (That figure could jump to $200,000 with certain on-field performance incentives.)
This deal makes a lot of sense for Vazquez and Cincinnati alike.
For Cincinnati, they got five goals from three forwards in 2019.
For Vazquez, he scored two MLS goals in 11 appearances (and added four more in U.S. Open Cup play) in 2019, mainly playing behind a world-class striker: then-reigning MLS MVP Jozef Martinez.
With this move, FCC brought in a young forward who had a base salary of $150,000 in 2019. Getting him involved in the attack – an area that has been pointed to as needing improvement – is a plus. In Cincinnati, Vazquez will be out of Martinez’s shadow and can be an option for head coach Ron Jans as the team is continued to be retooled.
