Was it right for the Revolution to turn down $750K for Nguyen?

The New England Revolution turned down $750,000 in Allocation Money for Lee Nguyen, according to ESPN commentator Taylor Twellman. Was this the right move? Let’s see what our experts have to say.

Jake: Absolutely Not

The short version of this is that the Revs are getting far more for Nguyen than he’s probably worth. Teams know the Revs aren’t going to play him and that’s going to hurt them when they go to the negotiation table. Plus, the amount offered is nearly double what LAFC gave Sporting KC for Benny Feilhaber, ($400K) who is older. It’s also only a bit less than the over $1 million traded for Dom Dwyer and Justin Meram. Mathematically, $750K seems more than fair and the Revs can’t afford to wait for a better deal or a bidding war with the prospect of Nguyen sitting on their roster idle for half a season. They need to make a move now, even if it’s with a trade partner in the same conference.

If the Revs are worried about trading Nguyen inside their conference because they’ll likely be competing whatever team gets the midfielder then they should just be playing him. Not playing him, or at least having him on the bench, is a sign that he’s not valued at the club. If this is the case, they should be willing to trade him. Just a thought...

Jonathan: Yes

There are two parts to this. First, fans would rip the Revs’ front office apart for trading Nguyen to an Eastern Conference team they’re likely competing for a playoff spot with. Imagine, say, Chicago gets the 6th slot over the Revs, who then finish 7th. That’d be a horrible stain on Brad Friedel’s first year as New England’s head coach and some higher ups would rightly need to be held accountable. If you’re going to trade Nguyen to another MLS team, send him out West. It’s conventional wisdom, because he’ll do less damage to the club’s aspirations out there.

Second, I think $750K is too low of an offer for Nguyen based on what the TAM/GAM market has demonstrated over the past year or so. Orlando City acquired striker Dom Dwyer from Sporting Kansas City in a trade that could reach $1.6 million in allocation money. Atlanta United acquired Darlington Nagbe from the Portland Timbers in a trade that could reach $1.65 million in allocation money. Benny Feilhaber, another creative midfielder was sent from SKC to LAFC for $400K in allocation money this past offseason.

Now, given Nguyen is approaching 32, his value is probably a bit less than a younger Dwyer (27) or Nagbe (27). Still, he put up 11 goals and 15 assists last year, and is a damn good midfielder in MLS – arguably one of the top attacking ones. All that goes to say $750K is too low based on Nguyen’s production levels and what the fluctuating market demands. No qualms on my end if the Revs passed up on this offer.