Rumor: Galaxy to Trade for Dan Kennedy

Reports out of the Los Angeles Times and SportsDay Dallas are linking FC Dallas goalkeeper Dan Kennedy with a move to the LA Galaxy, and we could be hearing about it sooner rather than later.

The reports suggest that the completion of a trade for Kennedy will be announced by both clubs tomorrow, so we're running out of time to speculate on who's going to Dallas.

Since Donovan Ricketts is gone and Jaime Penedo will not be returning to the Galaxy, this is a trade that makes sense. Despite being a successful keeper in MLS, it seems as though Dan Kennedy once again finds himself expendable after being pushed down the depth chart by homegrown Jesse Gonzalez and backup Chris Seitz. Kennedy currently makes more than either of those two keepers, so it makes sense for Dallas to make this move as well.

When these rumors originally began in November, Omar Gonzalez was supposedly the one on his way to Dallas, because LA would no longer be able to afford his $1.45M contract after using all of their available TAM and other allocation money to push him under DP level for 2015. Since then, however, Major League Soccer has thrown $800,000 worth of TAM at each team, making it easier for LA to keep Gonzalez should they choose to do so.

Of course, the Galaxy could still be looking for some allocation money in addition to their TAM to get Omar's contract under that $500K threshold, meaning the deal will need to be super sweet in order to facilitate Dallas floating the dough to LA. It's likely that LA doesn't need TAM up front, but if they do, it changes things, and there could be a few moving parts in this deal.

However, at the end of the day, the main purpose of this trade is so FC Dallas can get an expensive backup goalkeeper off their books, so we'll see what happens.

As I mentioned before, we're running out of time to speculate. So that's why we're going to do all of that right now. If the Galaxy want Kennedy plus allocation money, there are a few possibilities in play...

Let's have some fun.

So who's going to Dallas?

It could be Bradford Jamieson IV. BJIV broke out very early last season, scoring his first MLS goal at the age of 18, but dealt with a few injuries and ended up missing most of the season with concussion issues, which should be resolved by now. Dallas loves playing their kids, LA not so much. So what could FC Dallas want more than a 19 year-old very bright attacking prospect with loads of confidence on the ball to shore things up during an off-season that will almost certainly see them selling Fabian Castillo?

For their third string goalkeeper and around $100K of allocation money, the answer is probably not much.

But then again, this FC Dallas team is one that still needs a quality No. 9, and even though they snagged Portland's Maxi Urruti off waivers, I'm not sure Dallas (or me) are convinced that he's a full-time solution up top.

Where am I going with this?

Jose Villarreal, folks. Another incredibly talented, young attacking player with loads of potential and a very high soccer IQ who just can't seem to make a dent in the LA Galaxy starting lineup, even though he has difference-maker level talent. He struggled with some lower body injuries this year, but it's a long off-season and he's young enough that Dallas could definitely still take a chance on him. He would cost them a pretty penny.

There's one more option yet, though.

Relax, this is just for fun, folks. Indulge me.

Yes, that's right, Gyasi Zardes could be headed to FC Dallas. Even though he had a breakout year for the US Men's National Team, he was inconsistent for the Galaxy, failing to come anywhere near his 2014 numbers. Part of that is a lack of positional consistency. He's been played on the wing by Arena and Klinsmann alike over the past year, and it hasn't been a good fit, while Robbie Keane and Giovani dos Santos have claims to the center forward spot. Additionally, Zardes has been the subject of interest from across the pond, notably from Reading and several teams in Belgium and elsewhere. However, FC Dallas might be in the market to give him the money he feels he's worth and keep him stateside. Designated Player money, perhaps. Should that happen, the LA Galaxy will be able to keep Omar and then some.

We'll (probably) find out tomorrow, so get a good night's sleep tonight. It's gonna be a big day.