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MLS Ticker: Rowe, Castillo, Rubio involved in three-team trade, and more

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The MLS offseason continued to heat up on Tuesday with a three-way trade highlighting a busy evening of moves.

Kelyn Rowe, Edgar Castillo, and Diego Rubio all are on their way to new clubs after a pair of trades took place involving the New England Revolution, Sporting Kansas City, and Colorado Rapids.

The Revolution acquired Castillo in a direct-swap for Rowe. Colorado then flipped Rowe, $200,000 of General Allocation Money, and $100,000 of Targeted Allocation Money to Sporting KC to acquire Rubio.

Castillo, 32, made 28 appearances for the Rapids in 2018 since being acquired from Liga MX side Monterrey. He scored three goals and registered five assists for Anthony Hudson’s team.

The 27-year-old Rowe has played his entire professional career up to now with New England, making 206 appearances for the club since being drafted No. 3 overall in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. During his time in Foxborough, Rowe scored 26 goals, with his best haul of eight coming in 2013. He has also won four caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team.

Rubio joined Sporting KC in 2016 from La Liga side, Valladolid. After originally coming on-loan, Rubio made the move official in Sept. 2016 and overall has made 51 appearances for the club. He is coming off a 10-goal season under Peter Vermes and has also won four caps with the Chilean National Team.

FC Dallas signs Czech Republic forward Zdenek Ondrasek

FC Dallas busy offseason continued with the signing of Czech Republic forward Zdenek Ondrasek on Tuesday.

Ondrasek joins from Polish first-division side Wisla Krakow, in which Dallas used Targeted Allocation Money. He will occupy an international roster spot.

Ondrasek, 29, has made 66 appearances for Krakow since joining in 2016. During that time, he has scored 20 goals and added nine assists. Nicknamed “The Cobra”, Ondrasek has also seen stints with Ceske Budejovice, FK Caslav, Tromso.

Back in 2011, Ondrasek earned three caps with the Czech Republic U-21 National Team. He will look to add versatility to a Dallas attacking front who has already lost Roland Lamah and Maxi Urruti this offseason.

Sporting KC adds Hungarian defender Botond Barath

Sporting KC bolstered their defensive options on Tuesday, signing Hungarian defender Botond Barath.

Barath, 26, signed a two-year deal with the Western Conference club, with an option year for 2021. He will occupy an international roster spot and will be added to SKC’s roster on Jan. 1st.

Barath has spent the entirety of his professional career with hometown club Budapest Honved FC, making 213 first-team appearances since 2009. He lifted a first-division title back in 2016-17, and earned his first three caps with the Hungarian National Team back in October.

The 6’2 centerback has appeared in both UEFA Champions League and Europa League qualifying with Honved, and helped Hungary to a recent second-place finish in Group 2 of the inaugural UEFA Nations League tournament.

Barath became the 26th player under contract for Sporting KC heading into 2019.

Remy Vercoutre joins Impact coaching staff

The Montreal Impact added a 20-year Ligue 1 veteran to their coaching staff ahead of the 2019 campaign.

Remy Vercoutre has joined the club as a goalkeepers coach, after making 240 combined appearances in Ligue 1 for several clubs. The 38-year-old recently retired this year, and was managed by current Impact boss Remi Garde from 2011-14 at Lyon.

Vercoutre has played for Montpellier, Lyon, Racing Strasbourg, and Caen, while also participating in the UEFA Champions League and Europa League. During his long career, Vercoutre lifted five Ligue 1 titles, a Coupe De France, a Coupe de la Ligue, and two Trophees des Champions.

“It’s an honor to join the Impact’s ranks in 2019,” Vercoutre said in a statement. “The past 20 years have allowed me to gain valuable experience as a player and goalkeeper, and it’s time to pass on what I’ve learned. Thank you to president Joey Saputo, Remi Garde, and the club as a whole for believing in me. I’m impatiently waiting to begin working with the rest of the staff to bring this project to fruition and help the Impact reach the highest level possible.”

He will work closely with goalkeeping coach Joel Bats, who coaching Vercoutre from 2002-2014 at Lyon.

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