In a week that already was a busy one with roster moves on the domestic front for 最新杏吧原创 City SC, the team reached out to Europe again on Tuesday, signing Swedish winger Rasmus Alm to a three-year contract with an option for a fourth season.
There could be more moves to come. The team made room for more international players by acquiring two additional international slots in trades with other clubs, at a cost of $300,000.
MLS teams are given eight international slots on their roster, but can add more by acquiring spots from other teams. Alm鈥檚 signing gives City eight international players, but City acquired an international spot from CF Montreal for $100,000 in general allocation money and another from Nashville for $200,000. That gives them some flexibility and options as they enter the expansion draft on Friday.
鈥淚t gives us super, and I underline that, super flexibility,鈥 said City SC sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel. 鈥淚t gives us flexibility to act on the loan market, it gives us flexibility to act on the U.S. market for players without green cards, foreigners, it gives us flexibility to still look overseas and it gives us the flexibility to sell it at a later stage and having a profit out of it. This is for us right now, pure gold in our pocket. There are plenty of opportunities in how we can use that foreign spot.鈥
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Along with two trades made on Monday, City has traded $550,000 of its 2023 general allocation money. In 2022, MLS gave teams $1,625,000 in GAM to use in acquiring players.
Alm, 27, has played the last four seasons with IF Elfsborg of the Swedish league, with 27 goals and 17 assists in 108 matches. He was with three other Swedish clubs before that, starting with Landskrona when he was 18 and playing there five seasons. He then moved to IF Brommapojkarna in 2018, then he played for Degerfors IF in 2019, with five goals and four assists in 16 matches.
The Swedish league, like Major League Soccer, has a spring-to-fall schedule, rather than the fall-to-spring schedule the major leagues do, and the Allsvenskan season ended just last weekend with Elfsborg finishing sixth. Alm had six goals and six assists in 26 games, starting 20. He also played with Elfsborg in the Europa Conference League, the third-tier European club competition for leagues that don鈥檛 send a lot of clubs to the bigger competitions.
鈥淗e鈥檚 physically exactly the player we were looking for,鈥 Pfannenstiel said. 鈥淗e played in a system on a club that is a pure pressing team. I watched him for many years, I knew him from Europe. The last three years in Sweden were outstanding, so we got a player we really wanted. I think to get a player like him on a free transfer is really, really special for us. We are super excited.鈥
The MLS trade window closes at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, with no more action from City expected, and on Thursday, teams have to submit their list of protected players for Friday鈥檚 expansion draft. City鈥檚 five picks will be revealed on Friday at 6 p.m., though those players are unlikely to crack the starting lineup. The team then has until 11 a.m. on Monday to pick up any options on players for next season and free agency begins a week from Wednesday.
Alm is coming over on a free transfer and is the second Swedish player on the roster, along with center back Joakim Nilsson.
City鈥檚 senior roster for next season now stands at 12 players. Alm is signed through 2025 with an option for 2026.
