Lions clear space
Club making moves that will shape 2019 roster
It’s clear Orlando City is undergoing yet another roster rebuild.
As of Tuesday evening, the club is making significant changes while still officially without a general manager after the club fired Niki Budalic. League sources confirmed to Pro Soccer USA last week that Luiz Muzzi from FC Dallas is set to take over overseeing soccer operations, but there has been no official announcement from the club on that front yet. Still, the Lions are continuing to revamp their roster.
Orlando City SC on Sunday sent $150,000 in allocation money split over two seasons to FC Dallas in exchange for forward Tesho Akindele.
Akindele provides some depth in the attack, but he has scored fewer and fewer goals since a Rookie of the Year campaign (seven goals and three assists) in 2014. Last season, he scored two goals during 19 MLS appearances (five starts) for FC Dallas. Most of his appearances as a sub were for short bursts – he was subbed on for more than 15 minutes just three times in 2018.
In just three days since Atlanta United hoisted the MLS Cup, the Lions have moved on from three players, receiving mostly assets in return and offloading some contracts.
During the half-day trade window on Sunday, Orlando City traded Brazilian left back Victor “PC” Giro to Vancouver in exchange for a third-round 2019 SuperDraft pick. Tuesday, the club traded left back Mohamed ElMunir to LAFC and centerback Amro Tarek to the New York Red Bulls.
El-Munir earned the Lions João Moutinho, the No. 1 pick in last season’s SuperDraft. The club also received a fourth-round pick in this year’s SuperDraft for Tarek.
Moutinho played in 14 games