Crew SC, Duka part ways
Dilly Duka’s second tour with Crew SC has ended.
Coach Gregg Berhalter said Monday that the team was in the process of waiving the midfielder.
“That’s something we’ve discussed with the player,” Berhalter said. “He actually requested that. In this case, due to the lack of playing time, and with the season just about past the midway point, we thought this would give Dilly the opportunity to find a place where he could potentially play.”
Duka had his exit physical Monday morning before the Crew returned to practice. Players had been off since the July 4 victory at Minnesota.
The Crew’s next game is an exhibition on Monday against Eintracht Frankfurt of the Bundesliga at Mapfre Stadium. The team doesn’t play a Major League Soccer game until July 22 against visiting Philadelphia.
Duka’s salary of $175,000, according to players’ union data, is guaranteed through the 2017 season. Crew SC will be on the hook for the remainder of his salary if he is not acquired by another team.
The Crew selected Duka eighth overall in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. He was re-signed in June 2016 following an injury to Federico Higuain after Duka was not retained by the Montreal Impact. Duka’s only appearance in 2017 came as a substitute in the U.S. Open Cup loss to FC Cincinnati on June 14.
“I think he played a very specific role last year in coming in and helping us make that playoff push when Federico was injured,” Berhalter said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t work out this year.”
Duka, 27, made his displeasure known about his lack of playing time with a quickly deleted tweet showing that he ranked third on the team in win percentage during training. When Berhalter responded in the media that players should not violate trust that’s built in the locker room, Duka answered by tweeting that “trust goes both ways.”
Asked Monday to sum up Duka’s second stint with the Crew, Berhalter replied, “What I would say is that for the most part Dilly was a professional and worked hard. No one is happy not playing. Everyone wants more playing time. That’s completely understandable. That’s why when you can have things like this take place that can potentially give him playing time, that’s a plus-plus.”
Injury updates
Center back Nicolai Naess practiced Monday. He left the Minnesota game because of an ankle injury. … Berhalter said midfielder Niko Hansen, who had sports-hernia surgery on June 21, is “doing stuff.” Asked about his availability against Frankfurt, Berhalter said, “That may be a little tough,” before adding, “We’ll see. Potentially.”