#1 Hope (and pray) that Joshua Yaro signs a Generation Adidas Contract

Joshua Yaro is one of the best players in the 2016 draft class. It’s also arguable that he’s the best defender in the draft also (Prospect XI and SBI rate him, I’ve not watched him play before.)

If he is as good as he’s been hyped it to be, then Chicago should take him with their #1 pick in the First Round of the SuperDraft.

Thinking optimistically, if Yaro does sign a Generation Adidas deal with the league then the Fire will have a starting calibre centre back that does not take any money away from the remaining $726,000. This is pretty rare in the draft to get a regular defensive starter, with Andrew Farrell being the only #1 Draft Pick who has had a similar history that I could find.

This is not a straightforward move though, as it’s rumoured that Yaro has other options in Europe and therefore may not sign with the league. If he does sign outside of the league, then I’d look to leverage the draft pick with a team lower down the pecking order for a sizable amount of allocation money, or a starting defender.

#2 Use the TAM to get a DP calibre centre back from abroad

As seen in the league previously with the signing of Gastón Sauro to the Crew or the buying down of Omar Gonzalez’s salary to below DP levels at LA - using TAM (or Targeted Allocation Money) is a good way to bring in a good centre back without using up a DP slot.

It’s also worth noting that the Fire currently have a DP slot free, having bought Kennedy Igboananike’s salary to below DP levels to accommodate the signing of Gilberto from Toronto last season.

From a Front Office point of view, it makes more sense to use TAM rather than a DP slot on a defensive player. For me, defensively a team is not about individuals but about the collective organisation and how they work together. For that reason, you’re likely to get more for your money by buying a productive attacking player with DP money, rather than one individually good centre back.

Equally, I think that it’s best to increase the quality of the whole defensive line rather than just one player. With Adaílton and Larentowicz gone - both of whom were 32 years old - the Fire have the opportunity to bring in defensive players who are of a better quality than Adaílton and Larentowicz and younger also. The use of TAM will allow them to do that.

So, who can they bring in? I don’t have a publishable list of targets - but I think that there is value in the Central American markets. If you can pick up an international calibre player like Ramon Torres using TAM, or Kendall Waston for just $225,000 (aka - peanuts) then there are surely others who are younger and potentially cheaper also.

#3 Get a league established centre back

I was surprised that Chicago didn’t go for Drew Moor in free agency - but my gut tells me that they could have done and the big bucks in Toronto outbid them for his services.

This does leave Toronto with 11 recognised defenders on their roster currently:

Toronto FC roster at time of writing

Toronto therefore have an oversupply of central defenders in Nick Hagglund, Ahmed Kantari, Drew Moor, Damien Perquis, Josh Williams, Clement Simonin and Eriq Zavaleta all vying for two starting spots.

From this pack I’d look to move for either Hagglund ($60,000 - non-cap salary) or Perquis ($323,000) using allocation money. Hagglund is a really promising centre back in my opinion, and Perquis (despite being 31) is definitely starting quality for Chicago.

Equally I might look at Orlando City, who have nine defenders currently on their roster:

Orlando City roster at time of writing

Aurelien Collin knows the league well, but is a pricey option ($500,000). Seb Hines is probably the best defender value for money wise - being only 27 years old and costing just $108,576 last season. It remains to be seen whether he’ll move back to the league again from Middlesborough or not though.