Five days after the Portland Timbers won MLS Cup, two popular members of the team have departed.
Left back Jorge Villafaña was sent to Santos Laguna of Mexico’s top league for an undisclosed transfer fee. Forward Maximiliano Urruti was selected by FC Dallas in the Stage One Re-Entry Draft.
The Timbers wasted no time finding a new left back. Portland acquired defender Chris Klute from Columbus, sending an unspecified amount of general allocation money to the Crew.
Klute, 25, has appeared in 71 career MLS matches (63 starts) since 2012 when he debuted with Colorado. In 2015, his only season with Columbus, Klute made 14 appearances (eight starts).
“Chris is an experienced MLS defender that also has a big upside, similar to when we acquired Jorge Villafaña two years ago,” Timbers general manager Gavin Wilkinson said in a statement from the club.
Timbers coach Caleb Porter said Klute has the potential to develop into one of the better left backs in MLS, something Villafaña did in his two seasons with Portland. Porter called Klute an effective one-on-one defender. The coach also noted that Klute can also play right fullback, giving the Timbers added depth and flexibility for a 2016 season that will include play in CONCACAF Champions League matches.
Klute, 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, was called into U.S. men’s national team training camp in January 2014 and has made appearances for the U.S. U-20 and U-17 teams, helping the U-17s qualify for the 2007 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where he started one group-stage match.
Porter said the deal sending Villafaña to Santos Laguna was a “win-win” for the Timbers and for Villafaña.
Villafaña, 26, was a key contributor to the Timbers run to the MLS Cup championship. He started every playoff game at left back and contained several of the more dangerous right-side attackers in the league, including Ethan Finlay of Columbus in the Timbers 2-1 Cup final victory.
“With the current structure in MLS, this transfer is necessary in order for the club to acquire allocation dollars to keep the core group of players together as much as possible,” Wilkinson said. “Jorge has been a tremendous player for us, and we wish him great success in this mutually beneficial move.”
Urruti, 34, was selected with the first pick of Friday’s re-entry draft after Dallas traded up to get him. The Argentine was one of only two players chosen on Friday. The re-entry draft is a way for MLS players who are not eligible for free agency but whose contract options were declined to stay in MLS. As a stage one selection, Dallas must pay Urruti at his 2016 contract option.
Stage 2 of the re-entry draft is next Thursday. Teams selecting players in stage 2 of the re-entry draft can negotiate new contracts with those players.
Urruti scored 15 goals and had five assists for Portland in 65 appearances. His goal late in overtime kept the Timbers alive in their dramatic penalty-kick playoff win over Sporting Kansas City. With Fanendo Adi developing into one of the top scorers in MLS down the stretch, Urruti’s role was limited to a late-game substitute for much of the 2015 season.
“International players take time to adjust. It could be an incredible bargain, it could be an incredible player, but it takes time,” Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo told the FC Dallas website.
