The Weekly Dis
The Crew buy out Daniel Gazdag. Why now? What's next? The eternal answer is, "I don't know." Plus, Porty pops back up on the latest episode of the Cannon Balls podcast.
Two weeks ago, rumors surfaced that the Vancouver Whitecaps were interested in Crew midfielder Daniel Gazdag, that negotiations were underway, and the Crew would facilitate a deal by buying out the 18 months remaining on Gazdag's Designated Player contract. Subsequently, those rumors quieted because the Crew needed Gazdag – his minutes, and whatever else he could provide on the field – as the club negotiated a congested schedule of MLS and Leagues Cup games.
Yesterday, a report (from Tom Bogert of The Athletic) that the Crew were working to buy out Gazdag's contract, and free him to sign a free-agent deal with the New England Revolution, led to a report by Disrespected Media that the deal was done. The buyout was done, anyway.
As of this writing, at sunset on Friday, we were still waiting on confirmation that Gazdag had signed with the Revolution. Signs are it'll be done by Sunday afternoon, when the Revolution visit Columbus to play the Crew; thus, Gazdag's relocation will be all of about 20 yards, or the distance between the home and road locker rooms at Fertilizer Field.
The Crew paid $4 million to the Philadelphia Union in a cash-for-player deal to acquire Gazdag in April of 2025, not two months after star Cucho Hernandez was sold to Real Betis of Spain's La Liga and Christian Ramirez was traded to the L.A. Galaxy. In hindsight, the Gazdag acquisition has at least a tinge of desperation to it.
Then-Crew coach Wilfried Nancy spoke in glowing terms about Gazdag, the Union's all-time leading scorer. Nancy had a lot to do with the acquisition. Crew general manager Issa Tall didn't hesitate to sign Gazdag to a contract extension that ran through the 2027 season (with a club option for '28) and was worth $2.65 per year in guaranteed compensation.
Nancy relegated Gazdag to a substitute role by the end of 2025. Nancy's successors, Henrik Rydström (fired in May) and Laurent Courtois, have used Gazdag similarly.
In 16 months with the Crew, Gazdag had 10 goals and three assists in 52 appearances (40 starts) across all competitions. He was universally hailed as an excellent human being, a great teammate, a smart player and a total professional, he just didn't score. Or, at least, he didn't score like a DP. Not in Columbus.
It didn't work here, as The Disrespected has chronicled:
Michael Arace
Michael Arace
Michael Arace
Why now?
The phrasing in the press release above – the part that says "mutually agreed to terminate" – indicates a negotiated settlement between Gazdag and the Crew.
It's not likely, then, that the Crew paid the full amount owed to Gazdag – around $3.97 million. What's more likely is that there was some bargaining involved: Gazdag weighed what he was willing to take in a buyout figure from the Crew while taking into account what the Revolution were offering on a non-DP deal; and the Crew were trying to save as much as possible in the process. Ultimately, a number was found that made everyone happy, or, at least, agreeable.
Here's a question: Why is it that fewer than two weeks ago, the Crew ultimately steered away from doing a deal like this when Vancouver was involved?
Cue the street poet, Charlie Bukowski ...
Barfly is a fine film.
The Crew have lost their last three regular-season games. Wednesday night, they were eliminated from the Leagues Cup tournament with a 2-0 loss to Club America. Heading into the weekend, the Crew, sporting a 5-11-5 MLS record, were in last place in the Eastern Conference and next-to-last place in the league.
The Crew are amidst a season-ticket drive for next year. They've also got single-game tickets to sell for seven more MLS home dates this year. Some of their most faithful fans are miffed over a screw-up involving the annual team gift to season-ticket holders. Then ...
Earlier this week, it was announced that the Crew-Revolution was being pushed from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon because of Leagues Cup schedule congestion combined with the demands of cross-country travel back from L.A. after the Club America game. The scant three days' notice of a schedule change struck fans as ridiculous considering that it was two weeks before everyone knew what the travel demands would be.
The negative perception of the front office goes beyond the clamor for more depth at center back. It'd be smart to put a good foot forward and not step on a rake. It'd be good for PR.
If Gazdag was to be bought out, it had to be done before the summer transfer window closes at the end of Wednesday, Sept. 2. Five days hence, if you include today. It was done, primarily to open up a big-money DP slot on the roster. That was the motivation.
It follows that Tall, who has been very busy this transfer window, is trying to get yet another splashy signing under the wire. We've all been tracking rumors, which first popped up in Brazilian reports more than a week ago, about Botafogo attacking mid Santi Rodriguez being ticketed for a transfer to Columbus.
Neil Sika and I covered that ground during a recent episode of The Crewcible podcast, and Neil is quite knowledgeable on the subject of Santi, not to mention Santiago, so check it out. In sum, he said that Rodriguez, once a rising young star with NYCFC, might be just what the Crew need to unlock more offense. Plus, Rodriguez is in mid-season shape, and he has his green card, so he's potentially plug-and-play.
What's next?
For a while now, sources have been telling Disrespected Media that the Santi-to-CBus negotiations are "very complicated." But you don't need sources for that. Botafogo of Brazil's Serie A is basically bankrupt, and the club has been blackballed by MLS when it comes to further dealings with the league – because Botafogo still owes Atlanta United millions for the 2024 transfer of Thiago Almada, and Botafogo still owes NYCFC millions for the 2025 transfer of Rodriguez.
Is there a way for the league, Atlanta and NYC to be satisfied, or at least placated, to the point where a Santi-to-CBus deal can get done before midnight strikes on Wednesday? Man, that's a hell of a question, one that's beyond Charlie Bukowski, even. Because we might be talking about something in the neighborhood of $30 million in unpaid bills to the league.
According to the official website, FIFA no longer has Botafogo on its Registration Ban List. I guess that's a good sign. I've been told that talks continue to progress. I guess that's another good sign. Yet, we all know how Gianni Infantino's FIFA and Don Garber's MLS work and, unless you're Club de Internacional de Fútbol Miami, you can't have any idea what might happen next.
I have to think that Tall can't have any idea, either. I have to think that, while he's pushing to get a deal for Rodriguez done before the end of Wednesday, he can't count on it. And if he can't count on it, he has to have other things in the works. He has the DP slot left open by Gazdag's departure and the temporary (six-month) DP slot left with the season-ending injury to striker Wessam Abou Ali earlier this year.
One must also leave open the remote possibility of a proxy – some team in some league that would buy Rodriguez and turn right around and flip him to the Crew, maybe on loan with an option to buy at the end of the year. That's what one creative agent mentioned, purely as a thought experiment. It's Gianni's world, and anything is possible and impossible, depending on the price.
Now that the Crew have been eliminated from Leagues Cup, and now that they're all but eliminated from the MLS playoffs, there are only two crucial dates on their calendar. Maybe three.
The first is Sept. 2, when the summer transfer window closes. Can Tall get another DP in here by then?
The second is Sept. 16, when the Orlando City SCs visit to play the Crew in a U.S. Open Cup semifinal. Lamar's trophy is the one piece of hardware left for the Crew to fix on with a sober countenance. Courtois seems to fully grasp this concept. As his roster has been overturned by more than a third – and, arguably, been greatly bolstered for the future – he has spoken of having things sorted sometime around Labor Day.
I like the way the Crew are coming along under Courtois and it wouldn't shock me if they start to string victories together. Making the playoffs would, at this point, be a crazy accomplishment – but beating Orlando, and taking a shot at the USOC – the final is scheduled for Oct. 21, and it would be in Columbus if the Crew make it that far – is beyond a concept.
Beat Orlando. It might be all that is left.
The birthplace of Pilsener
Disrespected Media's First Team Video Coach Analyst Tim Arace, while on a European scouting mission with Nina, visits the Czech Hockey Hall of Fame, They pay respects to two Blue Jackets legends -- Jaroslav Spacek, a delightful man and stand-up defenseman who (sometimes) barked "NO TALKY!" after a bad loss, and David Vyborny, a stylish scorer who was, by acclaim, the funniest man among the Original Jackets.
This week in Discasting
It's always a pleasure to hear from Porty
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