:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58251519/usa_today_10332703.0.jpg)
Since the December 22nd announcement of the acquisition of Canadian center back Doneil Henry, via the MLS Allocation Order, transfer news has been quiet in Vancouver Whitecaps land. While the last 48 hours (or a bit more) have not brought any major news, we do have a flurry of minor news.
On January 2nd, Marco Bustos announced that he had been loaned to CA Zacatepec in Mexico. What was most surprising (confusing?) about this move was that we were left to wonder WHERE he was loaned from.
On loan from whom? Whitecaps declined his option and I don't recall them announcing a new deal. Are we allowed to loan players we don't even have under contract? MLS can be quite confusing. #VWFC https://t.co/lRBBNmsLT1
— Eighty Six Forever (@86forever) January 2, 2018
As CWilkins noted on our Twitter account, the Whitecaps declined his option, so it was strange to hear that he was loaned by the Whitecaps. Hard to loan a player you don’t have a contract with.
The Province sports reporter Patrick Johnston clarified things, along with Whitecaps Media Relations member Brandon Timko, confirming that Bustos was resigned by the Whitecaps, but that it just had not been announced yet.
While not transfer news/rumors, it seems the saga with Yordy Reyna in Peru is coming to a conclusion and he will be returning to begin training with the Whitecaps again. This is great news for the Whitecaps as he was clearly an integral component of their attack in the second half of the season.
This morning, the long awaited ‘transfer’ of David Ousted finally came. It seems he will be playing in DC this season. Of course, because of the weird system that is Major League Soccer, despite the Whitecaps declining his option and having no plans to resign him, the club was compensated for the move, acquiring a second-round pick (26th overall) in the January 19th SuperDraft.
Another player on his way out is Sam Adekugbe. CWilkins will have more on this in his update of “What’s the Deal with Sam Adekugbe”, so I will keep this short. Adekugbe was transferred to Norwegian club Valerenga. We wish him the best of luck and will continue to follow his progress!
But wait, there is more! A minor, but important story. Tim Parker has once again been called up to the USMNT January camp. We wish him the best of luck. Hopefully he can continue to make strides and become a regular invitee outside of the January camp.
Finally, there is a rumor that the Whitecaps could have found their competition for Jake Nerwinski at right back. It is rumored that Mexican Efrain Juarez could be on his way to Vancouver
para aclarar los rumores...
— el Rayado Anonimo (@LaNoticiaRayada) January 8, 2018
•Efrain Juarez se va de rayados con destino a la MLS al @WhitecapsFC
•Pato Sánchez no se irá de Rayados
•Dorlan Pabon sigue en negociaciones con un equipo brasileño
•Rayados va si o si por 1,2 o hasta 3 refuerzos más
así las cosas... saludos
Hard to gauge the validity of this rumor, but the Caps certainly need to find some competition for Nerwinski. They could possibly acquire that from the SuperDraft, but that is probably not the best place to search. If this rumor has any legs, we will update you and provide some more background on Juarez.
With the opening match less than two months away, and the various transfer windows open, expect to hear new rumors regularly. We will try to keep you up-to-date.