A player not in Hernan Losada’s plans gets picked
In the MLS Expansion Draft today, Charlotte FC selected D.C. United fullback Joseph Mora with the third pick. With the pick of Mora, no other D.C. United players will be eligible to be selected, and United will receive $50,000 in General Allocation Money because of the pick.
Overall, this is a best case scenario for D.C. United: they receive allocation money for a player that was not coming back to United anyways. Mora had a solid tenure with D.C. United under former coach Ben Olsen, playing well as a defensive left fullback since 2018. In Hernan Losada’s three back setup, however, Mora lost playing time to Kevin Paredes, who embodied the wingback role that Losada envisioned. Even when he got time on the field, he struggled in this system, and was released at the end of 2021.
The Costa Rica international will now move to Charlotte as a senior leader of the club, and will help the team kick off their first year in MLS. I have fondness in my heart for all that Mora brought to D.C. United, but I’m also happy that Charlotte FC gifted United some free GAM by selecting a player that was already gone from the team. D.C. United fans won’t have to wait long to see him again, as they will face Charlotte in February for the expansion side’s first game in Major League Soccer.