Fire Decline Options on Husidic, Conway, Duffy

[Jntg4]

The Fire announced on Tuesday afternoon that they will not pick up options on midfielder Baggio Husidic and reserve goalies Jon Conway and Alec Dufty. All three players will be available for selection in the Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 5 and Dec. 12.

The Fire declining Husidic’s option comes as a mild surprise. The 24-year-old signed a Generation adidas contract out of the University of Illinois-Chicago in 2009 and showed decently in his first three years with the Fire, totaling five goals and six assists in 50 league games with the club.

Husidic’s salary was likely a key issue in the Fire declining his option; according to Players Union documents, Husidic was guaranteed six figures in 2011.

Conway and Dufty played limited roles last season. Conway played six league games behind starter Sean Johnson while Dufty didn’t see any MLS action.

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[Jntg4]

Bye Conway, I personally won't miss you too much. Bye Husidic, I liked you in your time wit the Fire. Bye Duffy, you played minimally if at all, but I hope you can find a new team and maybe see some MLS action.

 

[Jntg4]

The Fire announced on Tuesday that they will not exercise their club options on midfielder Baggio Husidic or backup goalkeepers Jon Conway and Alec Duffy. The process of finding new clubs for these three players is different than that in baseball where they would simply become free agents and sign wherever they want to. In the MLS, players whose options are declined are sent to a Re-Entry Draft (this year it will be held on December 5th and 12th).

Husidic is the most surprising of the three to be let go, as the 24-year-old performed decently in three seasons in Chicago (five goals and six assists in fifty games) after signing a Generation Adidas contract with the club out of University of Illinois-Chicago in 2009. Husidic’s salary has been cited as a main reason for the move, as he was guaranteed a six-figure contract according to MLSPU documents.

Conway played in six league games with the Fire, including a stint as the starting goalkeeper as Johnson struggled early in the season, and gave up all three goals in the Manchester United game off the bench. Duffy never saw any MLS action in 2011.

Fire decline options on Husidic, Conway, Duffy |

 

[giaco]

Conway I will only miss in a strange way, and not because of his play--he seemed to interact with the club and the players well enough and was a good spirit in the locker room. Baggio I won't miss. I wish I could say that I would, but I won't. Never available, mostly disinterested (it always seemed), and then incapable when he did see the field. I mean, DUDE, you could have scored against Manchester FUCKIN' United from FIVE yards out and you miss?! Holy hell....and you cost us $125,000 MINIMUM.....BUH-BYE. Dufty is a great guy and a good keeper. I'm not sure why we're not keeping him, nor what the plan is for a back-up keeper.

 

[Jntg4]

Do we have any good keepers in the Academy?

 

[giaco]

meh...some of the kids are not bad, but they're not ready for first team. Hardly even ready for being a backup.