Following Tuesday’s Expansion Draft, LAFC did some wheeling and dealing after all.
LAFC send Expansion Draft selections Raheem Edwards and Jukka Raitala to the Montreal Impact in exchange for Laurent Ciman on Tuesday afternoon. The move sees the club add a second starting-caliber centerback in a matter of days after previously trading for FC Dallas’ Walker Zimmerman.
“Laurent is a top defender who provides leadership and great distribution,” LAFC Head Coach Bob Bradley said. “His experience in the league and with the Belgian National Team will be invaluable as we build our club.”
Ciman earned a spot on the league’s Best XI team in 2015 in addition to winning Defender of the Year. In addition, the defender is a two-time MLS All-Star.
Edwards, meanwhile, swaps Canadian clubs after being selected from Toronto FC following an impressive season as a wingback. Raitala moves from the Columbus Crew to provide a fullback option.
I don’t know about the personal stuff people posted about, but good signing by LAFC.
They already have a better D than the Galaxy. They could play the little used 1-5-1 with 3 defenders watching with the coach and still be better than the Galaxy’s D.
Correct me if I’m wrong but wasn’t Ciman’s reason for signing in Montreal was due to a world renown Autism Center for his son? I can’t see him being happy about this if it wasn’t outta the blue.
Daughter