Tchani dealt to Vancouver for fast forward
Looking at his roster while examining early-season trade options, Crew SC coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said he wanted to improve versatility and speed up top.
The fourth-year coach feels he did that Thursday in adding Vancouver Whitecaps forward Kekuta Manneh, a 22-yearold whom Berhalter said can play any of the top four attacking positions.
The Crew traded veteran midfielder Tony Tchani, along with $225,000 in targeted allocation money and $75,000 in general allocation money, to Vancouver in exchange for Manneh, the club announced Thursday.
Also, if Columbus signs Manneh, who is in the last year of his contract, to a new contract, then Vancouver also will receive the Crew’s natural first-round MLS SuperDraft selection in the following draft. The Whitecaps will receive more general allocation money if Manneh is traded by Columbus before Dec. 31, 2018, and Vancouver retains a percentage of any transfer fee if Manneh is transferred outside MLS.
“There are not too many people as quick as him in the league,” Berhalter said of Manneh. “One thing that I think is overlooked is how good of a finisher he is. He’s very good in front of the goal, and I think it makes us more dangerous.”
Manneh is a native of Gambia but recently obtained his U.S. citizenship and participated in the U.S. national team camp in January.
Manneh, 5 feet 9 and 140 pounds, has made 101 regular-season appearances for Vancouver since 2013, with 22 goals and 12 assists. In three games — two starts — with Vancouver this season, Manneh had three shots without a goal.
At 18 years and 283 days old, he became the youngest player in MLS history to complete a hat trick with three goals against the Seattle Sounders on Oct. 9, 2013.
According to MLS Players Union data, Tchani’s guaranteed compensation in 2016 was $283,333.33, making him the sixthhighest-paid player on the 2016 Crew roster. Manneh’s guaranteed compensation for 2016 was $157,000.
Tchani, a 6-4 midfielder from Cameroon, was a fixture in the Crew’s central midfield for several years, but he did not play in the first four matches of 2017. New acquisitions Artur and Mohammed Abu instead played beside team captain Wil Trapp.
On several occasions, Berhalter listed depth as a reason for Tchani’s absence from the lineup. He said Tchani was an effective teammate during a humbling situation.
“I think Tony was a big part of this team,” Berhalter said. “I think there was a role for him to be played, maybe not necessarily as a starter, but when this opportunity presented itself, we thought that we could immediately improve the team by doing this deal.”
Berhalter said he expects Manneh to compete for minutes right away with Crew SC, adding he expects Manneh to join the Crew “as soon as possible,” leaving the door open for a possible debut against Orlando City SC on Saturday.
“He is excited to be added,” Berhalter said. “There could be a possibility that he can play a role as soon as this weekend.”