Bwana sounders1/7/2024 To look at it another way, that’s more than the Rapids got in exchange for Kei Kamara ($150k) last month or LAFC got in exchange for Tyler Miller ($150k) in the offseason. Essentially it gives the Sounders added flexibility when building their roster and makes room to add or keep a veteran who might otherwise not fit. Lagerwey called the allocation money portion of the deal “the primary driver.” General Allocation Money, unlike TAM, can be used to buy down the salary-cap hit of any player. Still, the Sounders are well aware that getting the pre-injury version of Medranda is far from guaranteed. “We’re going to start Jimmy working with and see if there’s something there.” What about the money? “We were also able to get a player who was attractive but has had a rough go recently with injuries,” Lagerwey said. With five games left to play in the regular season and potentially four more in the playoffs, the Sounders know they need all the depth they can muster. Medranda has seen the most success as a left back, but he’s played all over the midfield as well. This year, he has just one 8-minute appearance, and that came way back on March 8. In the two years prior, he was arguably one of the team’s most important players both for his versatility and performance.īut his 2018 campaign was cut short by a knee injury and he’s struggled to get fit ever since. As recently as two years ago, he was regular starter on a Sporting KC team that finished the year at the top of the Western Conference standings. Medranda, by himself, is an interesting element to this trade. Given that, and his apparent desire to move, it sure looks like Lagerwey was able to get something like full value on the trade. ![]() While it’s entirely within the realm of possibility that Bwana fulfills the promise just about everyone sees in him and turns into a bonafide star, it was looking increasingly unlikely that he was going to do that in Seattle for whatever reason. Lagerwey also noted that Bwana was heading into the final year of his deal with the Sounders and will receive a long-term contract extension as part of the move. Chances are, Bwana will not only compete for significant playing time, but it’s easy to imagine him establishing himself as a starter in relatively short order. With just one goal this year, Bwana would be tied for sixth on Nashville, a team whose leading scorer has only three goals. Their 1.0 goals per game scoring average is the lowest among teams currently in playoff positions and is tied for the fourth lowest in the league. Nashville has gotten themselves into playoff position mostly on the strength of their defense. He’s in the process of trying to push through.” “Do they apply themselves everyday in training? He’s got plenty of talent. “It’s up to them,” Lagerwey said, seemingly alluding to some of those issues. Reading between the lines a bit, it seems as though Bwana was possibly falling short somewhere other than performance. That’s something like eight goals and six assists extrapolated over a full season, numbers you’d be thrilled to get from a 21-year-old. If we simply look at his numbers, Bwana has four goals and three assists in about 1,200 career minutes. “We weren’t eager to do a deal, but we were able to explore the market and got what we felt was a fair offer from Nashville.” ![]() “When we run into situations where young players aren’t getting time they want, we’re going to try to move them out to get them those opportunities. “We’ve talked very publicly about wanting to get our players opportunities and we want to continue to do that,” Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey told KJR on Tuesday. ![]() In three of those, he wasn’t even placed on the gameday roster while the Sounders left a spot completely open. We’ve yet to hear from Bwana himself, but the Sounders say that he asked to be traded. Let’s take a closer look at these various elements: Why did the Sounders trade Bwana? The Sounders will also keep a percentage of Bwana’s potential sell-on fee as well as receive an additional $25,000 in GAM if certain performance metrics are achieved. In return for the 21-year-old Homegrown Player, the Sounders are receiving MLS veteran Jimmy Medranda and at least $225,000 of General Allocation Money. Without knowing a ton about who or what the Seattle Sounders were getting in return, it seemed odd that the they’d be willing to part with a young player who has flashed plenty of potential and been reasonably productive in limited minutes.Īs the full picture of the trade started to come into focus, though, it’s a bit easier to understand. When the reports first surfaced that Handwalla Bwana was being traded to Nashville SC, reactions were very clearly mixed.
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