Negotiations to bring Brian McBride to the Chicago Fire and Major League Soccer by way of Toronto FC have stalled, writes Greg Lalas, quoting “a source with close knowledge of the situation” who doubts whether the deal will take place at all.
Chicago does not want to gut the nucleus of its young side, and Toronto, which owns the player”s rights, “does not want to give up such a valuable commodity for nothing,” Lalas quotes the source as saying. “Supposedly, in exchange for McBride and possibly another player, TFC has asked variously for Justin Mapp, Chad Barrett, or Chris Rolfe, or some combination thereof.” But, the loose-tongued source revealed, “”Honestly, I don’t think Chicago wants McBride that badly.””
Does this mean the deal won’t happen? “Not necessarily,” Lalas points out. “This is MLS, and things like this often seem to get done, one way or another.” But it’s now been six weeks since McBride’s return to MLS was trumpeted following his spell with Fulham in the English Premier League, and “it’s not surprising to hear Chicago may not be as enamored of McBride as everyone originally surmised. Allowing young talented players like Mapp, Barrett or Rolfe to go would be risky for Chicago.”