Vancouver Whitecaps Secondary Transfer Roundup

The Major League Soccer secondary (summer) transfer window closed yesterday, with several teams making a flurry of moves. While there were some high profile acquisitions and (future) departures, the Vancouver Whitecaps kept their moves fairly low-key.

We chronicled how it was unlikely that the Caps would make any major moves, with the season all but lost. However, with Lucas Venuto unexpectedly departing, the Caps had a huge hole that needed to be filled.

Shortly after Venuto departed, Vancouver was linked with Honduran Michaell Chirinos. On Tuesday, the club made it official. It is unlikely that Chirinos will be available for this weekend’s Portland Timbers match, but will probably be with the team when they face DC United at home next week.

Speaking of DC United, MDS shipped underperforming Felipe to DC for $75k in TAM and a 2020 international roster spot. Not exactly a great return when you consider that Felipe was the prize from sending Tim Parker to NYRB. However, Felipe’s stock had severely declined and it was clear that he was not the answer in Vancouver.

It would appear that DC United fans are less than thrilled that Felipe Martins will be coming to their club. A big reason for that is this tackle in 2014 that put Fabian Espindola on the shelf for an extended period.

While he had a poor on-field record for the Vancouver Whitecaps, he was always a pleasure to speak with and we wish him well. He will always be remembered as scoring the game winning goal against FC Cincinnati, off a great run, in his last touch as a Whitecaps.

The next question is what else happens in the midfield, with Jon Erice seeming to have been exiled, there is a major lack of options. There are no (okay, few) opportunities to make additional moves down the stretch, so even if Erice has some how fallen that far out of favor, we might see him play simply because there are no other options. A midfield of Hwang, Teibert, and Rose doesn’t exactly scream success!

The Caps made one other, minor, move before the close of the transfer window, loaning SuperDraft pick Brendan McDonough (CB) to USL club Charlotte Independence for the remainder of the 2019 season. I would not be surprised if there is an option to buy at the conclusion of the loan, and this is an opportunity for Charlotte to try before they buy.

Finally, there was one more rumored move between Vancouver and Montreal that seemed to fall through. It was rumored that Vancouver would receive forward Anthony Jackson-Hamel, but requested that Montreal pay Anthony’s salary (or part of it) for the rest of the season

While this might seem like a puzzling decision, it is understandable. Jackson-Hamel was not going to be a big difference maker, instead being more of a depth player. Even with Montero and Ardaiz being busts this season, there is no reason why Jackson-Hamel would be seen as a clear upgrade. Therefore, it would be what MDS called a lateral move. While some may call this cheap by the front office, those same people scream at the waste of money spent on transfer fees for players that never have an impact (e.g., Blondell and Ardaiz). You can’t have it both ways. Yes, the salary request seems strange, especially given that it would be only ~$50k, but it is also $50k that the Caps didn’t need to spend. Let’s be honest, Anthony would have played, what?, 60-90 minutes tops for the remainder of the season? I have not been the biggest fan of Bair, but for that kind of money LET THE KIDS PLAY, as they say, and give those minutes to Bair.

That is a roundup of the moves from the Vancouver Whitecaps at the deadline of the 2019 secondary transfer window. What stood out for you? What are your thoughts on the Anthony Jackson-Hamel non-trade?