Philadelphia Union
Daniel Gazdag sold to the Crew for $4 million
When MLS introduced a new cash sale system in the offseason, my immediate reaction was to look at the roster and see what two players (the league limit) would get sold off for cash. Jack McGlynn was the obvious first choice but I admittedly did not have Daniel Gazdag on my Bingo card.
Though it’s clearer now that Gazdag is less of a fit in Bradley Carnell’s 4-2-2-2 formation than he was in Jim Curtin’s 4-4-2, selling off your club’s all-time leading goal-scorer 7 games in the season is still a massive shock.
It’s a surprising move that comes with similar reactions from within the fanbase – from the sky is falling again and this is the worst thing ever to the more pragmatic spin of it being good business. No matter the reaction or how it will pan out long term, the Union have lost an MVP-caliber player for the rest of the 2025 season and will need to quickly regroup.
The opening of a designated player slot and the reported $4 million cash also means there’s another shoe to drop and how that pans out will likely be the final say on the move.
Gazdag’s legacy is pretty firmly cemented but his move fits in with the philosophy of the team going forward. While it would be better for Gazdag to be returning to Europe than to the Columbus Crew, it opens up opportunity for a future acquisition and in the mean time more minutes for Indiana Vassilev and competition within the team from Cavan Sullivan, Jeremy Rafanello, David Vazquez and CJ Olney.
Future forecasting of course isn’t the answer to the urgency of making the playoffs this season – and losing Gazdag with an insanely crowded May coming soon won’t help that – but it’s a reminder not to get too attached to any player once they get into their late 20s and contract talks are happening. Gazdag rightfully wanted more money on a new deal and, like Jack Elliott and others before him, that’s not really in the cards or the player budget for a team that wants to supplement smart international transfers with players sellable players promoted from within.
