Analysis: United Cut Ties With Captain, Trade Calvo to Chicago

Photo Credit: David Berding (USA Today Sports)

Minnesota United made an eye-opening announcement Friday when the team revealed it was trading captain Francisco Calvo to the Chicago Fire.

In return, United will receive a total of $400K in allocation money (both target and general) from Chicago, which could rise higher based on player performance. The Loons also smartly added a sell-on clause, meaning should Calvo be sold for a large sum abroad then United would get a sizable cut.

This trade is quite comparable to deals United has done in the past. The Christian Ramirez trade saw the Loons receive $550K in guaranteed allocation money, but reports indicated it could have reached $1 million. The Loons then seemingly flipped that exact amount of resources a few months later to Sporting Kansas City for center-back Ike Opara, with reports indicating the deal worth $900K in various forms of allocation money, which could also reportedly rise to $1 million.

In other words, MLS allocation money is what draft picks are to the NFL, at least in terms of asset value. The system is, however, far more complex and befuddles even the most earnest MLS reporters, so we won’t go into it in more detail here. (You can try this MLS level resource, but I don’t know that it’ll bring you much more clarity.) From that analogy, I think you could conclude the Loons essentially acquired a mid-first or second-round draft pick in this deal. (Again, in NFL value, not NBA.)

The news comes after recent unrest made the Costa Rican’s position as team leader untenable.

Many have speculated that it’s heavily due to his most recent red card incident against Toronto FC. But the team denies that claim and in this case, I tend to believe them.

Though that needless suspension certainly didn’t help, it was what transpired after that forced Minnesota’s hand. United’s defense has been woeful almost its entire time in the MLS. Calvo has been a mainstay of that unit and over the years it’s become clear that individually he’s been at fault for numerous opposition goals.

With him suspended for the match against the Los Angeles Galaxy, Minnesota played strong defensively and recorded a shutout. The following game against D.C. United, the Loons again performed well and again produced another shutout.

This was the first time in franchise history United had back-to-back clean sheets. The evidence was overwhelming.

“We thank Francisco for his two-plus years of service with the club,” Minnesota United Sporting Director Manny Lagos said. “He was a big part of our growth into Major League Soccer and has been a great asset to our Minnesota community. We wish him all the best in the future.”

In the short term, Cavlo appears to have been replaced by Eric Miller at left back. United hasn’t allowed a goal since the Woodbury native was inserted into the starting lineup. Miller is a solid MLS pro but his upside is limited. The former Colorado Rapid is also not a natural left-sided player.

United’s biggest area of need at present, and for some time now, is defense. It’s not hard to imagine that the Minnesota front office made this move with the direct intentions of quickly flipping these newfound resources for some more tangible, on-the-field assets.

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