Moves just keep on coming
Acquiring McCarty continues Fire’s active offseason
As Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez prepared for the Major League Soccer SuperDraft last week, he did so with a bit of uncertainty.
The Fire held the No. 3 overall pick, a selection Rodriguez realized was valuable, given the needs of a rebuilding franchise. So when he traded the pick for $ 250,000 in general allocation money, his strategy of storing up for the future fell into place.
That quickly took shape when the Fire acquired midfielder Dax McCarty on Monday from the New York Red Bulls. In a statement issued by the Fire, Rodriguez said acquiring McCarty had been his top priority since the middle of last year.
Making it happen was the latest move in what has been a productive offseason for the Fire. Rodriguez continues to build a roster he thinks can bring sustained success to a franchise that has endured plenty of disappointment in recent years.
‘‘ We believe adding [ McCarty’s] character and leadership in the locker room, as well as his exceptional soccer abilities on the field, dramatically improves our team,’’ Rodriguez said.
In an interview with NextSportStar. com, Fire coach Veljko Paunovic said obtaining McCarty gave the team the package of leadership and on- field ability it has been seeking. He said the Fire sacrificed making other moves last season because of the investment that would be required to land McCarty.
The Fire signed McCarty to a guaranteed one- year contract with team options for 2018 and 2019 and will pay the Red Bulls $ 400,000 in general allocation money over the next two years.
‘‘ We believe we brought in the right guy for our locker room,’’ Paunovic said in the interview. ‘‘ We have what we didn’t have before. We have important depth in our midfield and, for sure, a guy that can help us to be successful next season.’’
Rodriguez doesn’t appear to be done making moves, but McCarty joins a collection of offseason acquisitions that includes forward Nemanja Nikolic, midfielder Juninho and goalkeeper Jorge Rodrigo Bava.
Rodriguez said in a conference call last week that he still is focusing on shoring up the Fire’s defense, as well as adding a top- producing forward to an offense that lacked firepower last season. But this offseason appears to be a move in the right direction.
‘‘ Overall, we’re in a very good position now,’’ Paunovic said. ‘‘ We’re in a very good spot.’’
Follow me on Twitter @ JeffArnold_.