A former MLS Cup winner is set to add even more firepower to NYCFC.

NYCFC announced on Wednesday that the club has signed former Portland Timbers midfielder Rodney Wallace, who joins from Sport Recife in Brazil. As part of the acquisition process, NYCFC traded $75k GAM and $50k TAM to Portland Timbers in exchange for the Right of First Refusal for the Costa Rica international.

“It’s a great honor to be an NYCFC player – it’s a dream come true to get this done and be here with such a great organization and a good team,” Wallace said. “I’ve watched a lot of the NYCFC games since the team came to the league and I was attracted to the style of play.

“I want to win trophies with this club, I want to come here and add to a bigger piece. We all want to achieve big things together and I’m just really happy to be here and to work towards that. I’m looking forward to playing in front of our fans, I’m going to give it 100% and work hard to compete for trophies and hopefully we can celebrate together at the end of the year.”

Wallace featured for the Timbers 32 times in 2015 en route to an MLS Cup. He started five playoff matches, scoring what turned out to be the winning goal against the Columbus Crew.

MINNESOTA ACQUIRE SHUTTLEWORTH FROM REVS FOR HOLLINGER-JANZEN

The New England Revolution lost Femi Hollinger-Janzen to the Expansion Draft, but the club brought him right back on Wednesday with a trade including a starting-caliber goalkeeper.

Minnesota United acquired Bobby Shuttleworth from the Revs in exchange for the young forward, who was selected as the 10th overall pick in this winter’s Expansion Draft.

“The entire New England Revolution organization thanks Bobby for his years of service. We wish him well in the next phase of his career with Minnesota,” said Revolution General Manager Michael Burns. “We are pleased to have Femi back on the roster for the 2017 season and look forward to welcoming him back to the club.”

“Bobby’s a great player who has had a lot of strong performances in goal for New England,” added Loons Sporting Director Manny Lagos. “His experience and quality will be an important addition and asset throughout the season here with the club.”

Hollinger-Janzen made 19 appearances for the Revs last season, scoring two goals while adding an assist. Shuttleworth, meanwhile, spent eight seasons with the Revs, totaling 127 appearances.

FIRE PARTNER WITH ROUGHNECKS

The Chicago Fire have settled on a new USL affiliate, ending their two year partnership with St. Louis FC.

The team announced a partnership with Tulsa Roughnecks FC on Wednesday. The partnership will be a typical MLS/USL affair, with the Fire able to freely loan and recall players from the Roughnecks, while the USL team enters its third season.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with Tulsa Roughnecks and their coach, David Vaudreuil,” stated general manager Nelson Rodríguez. “In addition to loaning players, we will also seek to find scrimmage opportunities and share best practices. We also thank Saint Louis FC for the previous two years and wish them good luck as they work with the hope of joining MLS.”

SOUNDERS, CREW ANNOUNCE MID-SEASON FRIENDLIES

Though the regular season has yet to begin, two MLS teams have announced mid-season friendlies for 2017.

The Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew both announced friendlies in the summer against Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt. The Sounders will face the German team on July 8th, while the Crew welcome them on July 17th, as part of the team’s preseason tour. The Sounders also announced an early-season friendly against Club Necaxa of Mexico on March 25th.

“We are excited to welcome clubs from two of the best topflight leagues in the world, as both opponents help us achieve long-term goals for the organization,” said Sounders Owner Adrian Hanauer. “In an attempt to excel in the CONCACAF Champions League, facing a proven Liga MX cub in Necaxa helps us prepare for the next edition of the tournament. Additionally, by playing a top Bundesliga side for the first time, our club has the opportunity to showcase itself against a strong representative from one of the most prominent soccer countries in the world.”

FIRE’S GEHRIG ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT, JOINS COACHING STAFF

Out of the Fire and into the frying pan, as the old saying goes.

Chicago Fire defender Eric Gehrig announced his retirement on Wednesday on the six-year anniversary of his first professional contract. Gehrig played six seasons with the Crew and Fire after entering the league undrafted, and walks away from playing now only to join Veljko Paunovic’s coaching staff in Chicago, he announced in an Instagram post.

“Thank you so much guys. I’ll always be here for you! ….and with that I announce my retirement from playing professional soccer.” his statement read. “It’s bittersweet for sure, but I am at peace, and more than anything, I’m beyond grateful. The game has meant too much to me over the last 20 years for this to be the end…”

RAPIDS RELEASE NEW SECONDARY JERSEY

The Colorado Rapids will be styled in new, yellow secondary jerseys in 2017.

The team released their new secondary kits on Wednesday, with a heavy dose of yellow mixed with blues and reds in a very classical looking jersey. Based heavily on the Colorado state flag, the jersey features a small “5280” on the sleeve, representing Denver’s status as the mile-high city, as well as a small red button, “Because why not!?!”