Cincinnati's choices include no Revs

FC Cincinnati elected not to select any Revolution players in the 2018 Major League Soccer Expansion Draft on Tuesday, making the second consecutive draft that league newcomers did not look Foxborough’s way to initially build their inaugural squads.

In 2017, Los Angeles Football Club did not use any of its five selections on Revolution players, but would trade for midfielder Lee Nguyen at the end of the Primary Transfer Window this past May.

Cincinnati selected DC United striker Darren Mattocks, former Revolution striker Kei Kamara from Vancouver — but subsequently transferred him to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for an international slot — as well as Dallas midfielder Roland Lamah, Houston midfielder Eric Alexander, and New York Red Bulls defender Hassan Ndam.

In addition, Cincinnati traded a combined $450,000 in allocation money to new MLS Cup champion Atlanta United for defender Greg Garza.

The Revolution had left Brad Knighton, Jalil Anibaba, Brian Wright, Cody Cropper, Wilfried Zahibo, and Gabriel Somi exposed for selection, along with Femi Hollinger-Janzen, Mark Segbers, Nico Samayoa, Claude Dielna, Guillermo Hauche, and Cristhian Machado, players who did not have their options picked up last month.

As it stands, New England have 20 players on its roster, with free agency beginning at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

BSJ Analysis

Keeping it short and sweet: Cincinnati picked up a couple of solid players in Mattocks and Lamah, plus a veteran midfield presence in Alexander. FCC certainly will be swift with the addition of Mattocks and Lamah — but those two carry hefty price tags. It will be interesting to see how they work the budget, and what they do with the international slot gained from trading Kamara.

Dealing Kamara — who spent two seasons in Foxborough — to Colorado also helps that outfit. (And let’s be honest — that's a group that needs all the help it can get.) Can you imagine Kamara’s shots in the thin Rocky Mountain air?

And the Garza trade, announced in the minutes after the expansion draft concluded, helps bolster its defending. I know of another club in MLS who needs a left back.

Curious that FCC did not go for a goalkeeper, especially with Knighton and Cropper available.