This coming Sunday marks another notable date on the MLS offseason calendar as clubs are allowed to make trades for the first time in 45 days.
Whitecaps FC may participate during the half-day trade window from 6 a.m. through 10 a.m. PT, but one must keep in mind that Sunday is just the first of many opportunities to make moves prior to the start of next season.
"We may be active during that window but this is not the only possible time to trade players so there will be another window before the season starts," said CEO and sporting director Axel Schuster. "If we get something finalized during the window, yes. If not, then we take our time to do these moves in January. I never like to rush things so if something is really finalized, we have no problem making a move in that window."
With 14 players aged 23 or under, there is also the possibility of exploring loan options for some prospects at some point in 2021.
"If we get every player we are trying to recruit, it could be even more difficult for the young player to get meaningful minutes," said Schuster. "With the current restrictions, questions remain about the U-23 platform for our club. If that is not feasible, then the loans are our options."
As it stands, the 'Caps have 25 players under contract for the 2021 season, with four senior roster spots available and two supplemental roster slots open:
Goalkeeper (4): Isaac Boehmer, Evan Bush, Maxime Crépeau, Thomas Hasal
Defenders (8): Ali Adnan, Derek Cornelius, Gianfranco Facchineri, Erik Godoy, Cristián Gutiérrez, Jasser Khmiri, Jake Nerwinski, Ranko Veselinović
Central Midfielders (7): Michael Baldisimo, Janio Bikel, Simon Colyn, Patrick Metcalfe, Leonard Owusu, Damiano Pecile, Russell Teibert
Wingers/Forwards (6): Theo Bair, Lucas Cavallini, Cristian Dájome, David Milinković, Ryan Raposo, Tosaint Ricketts
Domestic players (17): Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, Isaac Boehmer, Evan Bush, Lucas Cavallini, Simon Colyn, Derek Cornelius, Maxime Crépeau, Gianfranco Facchineri, Cristián Gutiérrez, Thomas Hasal, Patrick Metcalfe, Jake Nerwinski, Damiano Pecile, Ryan Raposo, Tosaint Ricketts, Russell Teibert
International players (8): Ali Adnan, Janio Bikel, Cristian Dájome, Erik Godoy, Jasser Khmiri, David Milinković, Leonard Owusu, Ranko Veselinović
Designated Players (2): Ali Adnan, Lucas Cavallini
Homegrown players (9): Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, Isaac Boehmer, Simon Colyn, Gianfranco Facchineri, Thomas Hasal, Patrick Metcalfe, Damiano Pecile, Russell Teibert
Senior players (16): Ali Adnan, Janio Bikel, Evan Bush, Lucas Cavallini, Derek Cornelius, Maxime Crépeau, Cristian Dájome, Erik Godoy, Cristián Gutiérrez, Jasser Khmiri, David Milinković, Jake Nerwinski, Leonard Owusu, Tosaint Ricketts, Russell Teibert, Ranko Veselinović
Supplementary players (8): Theo Bair, Michael Baldisimo, Isaac Boehmer, Gianfranco Facchineri, Thomas Hasal, Patrick Metcalfe, Damiano Pecile, Ryan Raposo
Away on loan (1): Simon Colyn with Italian Serie B club SPAL through June 2021
Below are key upcoming dates in December. Visit mlssoccer.com for more information on the 2020 MLS offseason calendar.
December 13: Half-day trade window
December 15: 2020 MLS expansion draft: Austin FC may select up to five players from the eligible player list. The list of players eligible for selection in the 2020 MLS Expansion Draft will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 14
December 16: End-of-year waivers: The list of players eligible for the End-of-Year Waivers will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 14.
December 16: Free agency opens: MLS Communications will make the complete list of Free Agents available on Dec. 14.
December 17: The Re-Entry Process (Stage 1): The list of players eligible for selection in the Re-Entry Process – Stage 1 will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 14.
December 22: The Re-Entry Process (Stage 2): The list of players eligible for selection in the Re-Entry Process – Stage 2 will be released by MLS Communications on Dec. 22 at 7 a.m. PT.
Stay tuned to whitecapsfc.com and @WhitecapsFC on Twitter throughout the offseason for more news and updates.
