Oswaldo Alanis is reportedly moving closer to a permanent move to the San Jose Earthquakes.
ESPN reported Monday that Alanis underwent his medical with the MLS club. The Guadalajara center back will be reunited with former manager Matias Almeyda, who enters his second season in charge of the Quakes.
Alanis, 30, rejoined Guadalajara in 2019 from Spanish side Real Oviedo. He made 10 appearances for the club, scoring two goals. In two stints with Guadalajara, Alanis made 61 appearances while winning five major trophies with the Liga MX side.
He’s earned 21 caps with the Mexican National Team, winning the 2015 Concacaf Gold Cup with El Tri.
His arrival in San Jose will give Almeyda a third experienced centerback heading into the 2020 season. The Quakes just missed out on the 2019 MLS Cup Playoffs, but improved greatly under the Argentinian.
Crew adds former Timbers, FC Cincy striker Adi off waivers
Fanendo Adi is staying in the Eastern Conference.
The Columbus Crew selected the Nigerian forward off waivers on Monday. Adi joins from FC Cincinnati, whom he played the 2019 MLS season with.
The 29-year-old is a six-year MLS veteran who has won one MLS Cup while registering 55 goals and 14 assists. He will not occupy an international roster spot on the Crew’s roster.
“We want to welcome Fanendo to Columbus Crew SC,” Crew SC President and General Manager Tim Bezbatchenko said. “Fanendo is a forward whose proven ability as a goal scorer in our League makes him a valuable addition to our team. We recognize that last year was a difficult year for Fanendo both personally and professionally and we believe this new opportunity will be beneficial for him, as it reunites him with Caleb, under whom he found career-high success.”
“As a Club, we believe in what he can bring to this squad as a player and teammate and that he is someone who can provide us with additional offensive options on the field. We will be working on integrating him into the squad and we look forward to his contributions to the Club.”
Adi is now reunited with former Timbers head coach Caleb Porter, who is in his second season in charge with the Crew. The duo won the 2015 MLS Cup together in Portland and will now look to see the Crew earn their first MLS Cup Playoffs appearance since 2018.
Loons defender Boxall receives U.S. Green Card
Michael Boxall has freed up an international roster spot on Minnesota United’s 2020 roster.
The club announced Monday that Boxall received his United States Green Card, which no longer counts him as an international player on the Loons roster.
Boxall, 31, joined MNUFC from SuperSport United in July of their inaugural MLS season in 2017. In his three seasons with the Loons, Boxall is ranked second all-time in the club’s history with 83 MLS appearances.
The New Zealand National Team defender has four goals to his name, his last coming in a home tie with LAFC in 2019.
Whitecaps add French winger Milinkovic on-loan
The Vancouver Whitecaps added to their attacking front on Monday.
The club acquired winger David Milinkovic on a one-year loan from EFL Championship side Hull City. There is an option for the Whitecaps to purchase Milinkovic from the Tigers following the end of the loan.
“Marc and I are very familiar with David, especially from his time with Hearts in Scotland during the 2017-18 season where he was a key contributor in the final third,” Whitecaps FC sporting director Axel Schuster said. “Although his most recent spell at Hull City has not worked out exactly the way he had hoped, David is excited about this new opportunity. He fits our profile and will bring additional experience to our group. We are happy to welcome David to our club and city.”
Born in France, Milinkovic has only made eight appearances for the Tigers since signing in 2018. He’s also played for Scottish side Hearts, Italian side Messina, and Serbian side BASK. In total, Milinkovic has scored 15 goals in his 96 professional appearances in all competitions.
The Whitecaps missed the postseason in 2019 in head coach Marc dos Santos’ first season in charge.
Fire add young Venezuelan defender Navarro
Raphael Wicky added a young international defender to the mix for 2020.
The Chicago Fire acquired Venezuelan defender Miguel Ángel Navarro from Deportivo La Guaira on Monday. Navarro signed a three-year contract with the Fire, through the 2022 season. He also has options for the 2023 and 2024 seasons and will occupy an international roster spot.
“Miguel is a promising, young left back with experience at the international level,” Wicky said. “He can contribute on both ends of the field and has the potential to develop into a very solid player in this league.”
The 20-year-old has made more than 60 club appearances in Venezuela’s top division since beginning his professional career in 2017. He began his career with Deportivo JBL del Zulia, eventually totaling 19 appearances at left back. Navarro made the switch to Deportivo La Guaira in 2018 and would end up making 46 appearances in two seasons with the club.
Internationally, Navarro has earned nine caps for Venezuela at the youth National Team level. In 2019, he made seven appearances for the Venezuelan Under-20 National Team during the South American Under-20 Championship. Most recently, the defender made two appearances for Venezuela’s Under-23 team in the Pre-Olympic Tournament, featuring against Chile on Jan. 21 and Ecuador on Jan. 24.