Nicolas Lodeiro has been a key piece of the Seattle Sounders midfield for several seasons now and the veteran has been locked up for the near future by the club.
The Western Conference club announced Wednesday they signed Lodeiro to a contract extension that will keep him in Seattle through the 2023 MLS season. Lodeiro, the club captain, helped the Sounders reach a fourth MLS Cup in the past five years, despite falling 3-0 to the Columbus Crew.
“Obviously, he’s been the cornerstone of our franchise since 2016,” said Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “Everything’s been built around him. I thought he had another fantastic season, so we’re super excited and grateful to have Nico back for three more years.”
Lodeiro has been a top player in MLS since arriving in Seattle in 2016. The midfielder has recorded 91 combined regular season goals and assists for the Sounders and also has contributed eight goals and 10 assists in 21 postseason appearances.
The Uruguayan will now look to lead the Sounders back to MLS Cup in 2021 after falling just short this December.
Report: Mihailovic acquired by Impact in trade with Fire
Djordje Mihailovic has shown promising signs with the Chicago Fire in his time in MLS, but reportedly will be on his way to Canada for the next chapter of his career.
Mihailovic has been traded to the Montreal Impact on Wednesday, in exchange for $800,000 in General Allocation Money, The Athletic reported. The Fire could receive up to an additional $200,000 in GAM from Montreal if Mihailovic reaches certain performance-based incentives.
The 22-year-old Fire Homegrown midfielder is coming off his best MLS season yet, scoring two goals and adding seven assists in 20 appearances in 2020. Mihailovic in total has contributed seven goals and 15 assists since debuting in 2017, but will now join Thierry Henry’s setup in Montreal.
Mihailovic has earned six caps with the U.S. Men’s National Team since debuting in 2019, recently appearing in a 6-0 friendly win over El Salvador earlier this month.
The Impact have made Mihailovic its second acquisition in as many days, after acquiring Kamal Miller in a deal with Austin FC following Tuesday’s Expansion Draft.
FC Cincinnati adds Mines’ MLS rights in Waiver Draft
FC Cincinnati made the only selection of the 2020 MLS Waiver Draft on Wednesday, adding midfielder/forward Ben Mines’ player rights for a possible deal.
With the selection, FC Cincy can now initiate contract negotiations with Mines and could add him as a Homegrown Player if a deal is completed. A New York Red Bulls academy product, Mines has made a combined 57 appearances, between the Red Bulls and NYRB II, scoring five goals and adding six assists.
Mines scored one goal and registered one assist in five appearances this MLS season.
FC Cincy held the first pick in the Waiver Draft, due to finishing last in the MLS regular season standings in 2020.
Rapids sign center backs Trusty, Abubakar to new contracts
Robin Fraser will have his starting center backs under contract for the next few MLS seasons.
The Colorado Rapids announced they’ve signed both Auston Trusty and Lalas Abubakar to new contracts. Trusty’s deal will run through the 2023 MLS season while Abubakar’s goes through 2024, with a club option for an additional one year.
“We’re delighted to announce a new contract for Auston,” said Colorado Rapids Executive VP and GM Pádraig Smith. “Auston is a young, talented defender who has already proven himself in MLS and shown tremendous potential. We look forward to seeing his continued development over the coming years.”
Trusty made eight appearances in his first year with the Rapids, contributing to two clean sheets. The 22-year-old made 56 starts with the Philadelphia Union across 2018-19 before being acquired in a trade last November. Trusty has also made 17 combined appearances for the U.S. Youth National Teams over his career so far.
Abubakar has made 40 league appearances for the Rapids since being acquired in a trade with the Columbus Crew in 2019. He has been named the club’s Defender of the Year in each of his two seasons in Colorado and scored one goal in 2020.
“We’re delighted to secure Lalas’ future in Burgundy,” said Smith. “Lalas has been an integral part of our defense during his two seasons with the club and we look forward to seeing him anchor our backline for several years to come.”