Major League Soccer's 2018 Primary Transfer Window closed Tuesday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m. CT.
MLS clubs will now have to wait until July to sign players under contract in another country or make any MLS trades involving players. The Secondary Transfer Window opens on July 10, and runs through August 8.
Here are all the final rumors, reports and announcements made before deadline day.
Wednesday, 1 p.m. ET
LAFC added to their attacking options before the window closed, signing Hull City forward Adama Diomande. The 28-year-old previously played under Bob Bradley at Stabaek. Read more about the move here.
Wednesday, 9:30 a.m. ET
UPDATE: The move was officially announced at 1 pm ET.
Minnesota United traded winger Sam Nicholson to the Colorado Rapids for defender Eric Miller just before the end of the primary transfer window on Tuesday night, a source told MLSsoccer.com.
The Loons also receive $50,000 in general allocation money while sending an international spot to Colorado. The deal sends a player from a position of depth on Minnesota’s roster to add reinforcements in an area where the team has been hit hard by injury. Miller, a Woodbury, Minn., native, immediately adds help at a fullback position where veterans Marc Burch and Tyrone Mears are currently out injured.
Nicholson, a Scotland native, has started six of eight games for Minnesota this season with one goal and one assist. He has two goals and two assists across 1,165 minutes since joining the Loons last summer from Hearts.
The trade gives Colorado coach Anthony Hudson another attacking piece to consider in exchange for a fullback that was buried on the depth chart despite winning the club’s Defender of the Year Honors in 2017.
The move also adds cap space for Minnesota. Nicholson made around $281,456 last season, while Miller's contract paid him $86,553, according to MLS Players' Association documents. —Paul Tenorio
Wednesday, 12:06 a.m. ET
The Lee Nguyen saga is over: The New England Revolution traded the playmaker to LAFC in a deadline deal that could potentially land the Revolution up to $950,000.
Tuesday, 7:33 p.m. ET
The Vancouver Whitecaps loaned 22-year-old fullback Justin Fiddes, selected No. 17 overall in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, to the club's USL affiliate Fresno FC through the end of 2018.
The club will have the option to recall Fiddes during the next Transfer Window between July 10 and August 8.
Tuesday, 3:15 p.m. ET
Andre Horta will not join LAFC until the start of the MLS secondary transfer window in July, a club spokesman told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday.
The news brings an end to a months-long saga in which the expansion team tried to land the 21-year-old midfielder before the close of the MLS Primary Transfer Window at 11:59 pm ET on Tuesday night.
Horta is currently on loan from Benfica to fellow Portuguese club Braga. LAFC announced on March 27 that they’d agreed to a transfer with Benfica and signed the 21-year-old Portuguese youth international to a Designated Player contract, but didn’t reveal when he’d join the team in Southern California.
Ultimately, the timing of his arrival was up to Braga, where Horta was sent on a season-long loan from Benfica last August. Despite overtures from LAFC, Braga refused to terminate Horta’s loan deal early, insisting on keeping him through the final day of the Portuguese Primeira Liga season on May 13.
That timeline made it impossible for LAFC to get Horta into camp before the end of the MLS primary transfer window on Tuesday night. They won’t be eligible to officially add him to their roster until the start of the secondary transfer window on July 10.
Braga are currently in fourth-place in the Portuguese top-flight with two league games remaining. They’ve already clinched a berth in next season’s UEFA Europa League, and retain an outside shot at sneaking past Benfica and Sporting Lisbon – both of whom they trail by three points – and into second-place to qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
Horta has one goal and seven assists in 28 appearances for Braga across all competitions this season and was named the Liga Portugal midfielder of the month for March. He was called up to the Portugal Under-21 national team for a pair of recent U-21 European Championship qualifiers, starting and scoring a goal in their 4-2 win at Switzerland on March 27.
LAFC will look to follow up their win on Sunday against Seattle in their inaugural home match with another victory at Banc of California Stadium against FC Dallas on Saturday (4 pm ET | Univision — Full TV & streaming info). —Sam Stejskal
Tuesday, 3 p.m. ET
The New York Red Bulls filled a depth need on Tuesday, signing right back Ethan Kutler from their USL side. He fills a hole that was left behind after Kyle Duncan went down with a season-ending injury. Read the full story here.
Tuesday, 11:15 a.m. ET
Conversations with multiple general managers around the league yesterday revealed a widespread belief that Tuesday will be a slow end to the Primary Transfer Window.
General managers from Eastern and Western Conferences teams told MLSsoccer.com there are active discussions throughout the league, but that teams seem unlikely to part with starters or players with value early this season. Most discussions at this point center around the back end of the roster and depth pieces, several general managers said.
Teams are reluctant to part with solid pieces for several reasons.
This early in the season, it’s too early for teams to feel overly-confident that they have enough depth in any one spot on the roster. Thus, there is less of a willingness to move players who may not be seeing time on the field through the first 10 games.
Likewise, several teams are not yet desperate enough to pay the high costs for starters or significant bench pieces. While one general manager said there are four or five teams that are likely willing to part with a starter before the window closes tonight, that doesn’t mean there are teams ready to pull the trigger on a move that would require significant assets.
The dearth of international slots around the league contributes to some complexity in allocation math for trades – as does the increased value for non-international players who can contribute, as noted here in a story from earlier this month on MLSsoccer.com.
The overall message: Barring a last-minute offer, don’t expect any Earth-shattering moves on what should be a relatively quiet close to the primary window. —Sam Stejskal+Paul Tenorio
Monday, 4:30 p.m. ET
The Chicago Fire are looking to acquire an international slot, sources have told MLSsoccer.com.
Chicago currently have all eight of their international slots filled, though four of those slots are occupied by rookies Mo Adams, Jon Bakero, Diego Campos and Elliot Collier.
MLSsoccer.com’s Paul Tenorio reported earlier this month that Chicago are interested in acquiring Spanish forward Fernando Torres from Atletico Madrid. One source corroborated that report on Monday, though they cautioned that if Chicago are able to land Torres, it might not be until the secondary transfer window opens in July due to Atletico’s ongoing run in the UEFA Europa League.
MLSsoccer.com also reported earlier this month that there is mutual interest between the club and Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas, who is currently wrapping up the Portuguese season with FC Porto. Casillas and Porto don’t yet have the league title sealed, but they are five points ahead of both Benfica and Sporting Lisbon with just two games remaining. They’ll clinch the title with a home win on Saturday against 14th-place Feirense.
Even if Torres or Casillas don’t join Chicago or don’t join the team until July, the Fire will likely have to eventually clear an international spot for injured midfielder Michael de Leeuw. The Dutch attacker is currently on the disabled list, which nullifies him from occupying an international slot, but he will once he returns later this summer from the torn ACL he suffered last year.
He could theoretically take the slot of Aleksandar Katai if the Serbian’s loan isn’t extended beyond June 30. But even if de Leeuw takes Katai’s slot, Chicago will need to open another slot in order to sign additional internationals. If they’re unable to acquire a slot in a trade, they could open one by sending one of their rookie internationals – all four of whom played in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Toronto – on a season-long loan to USL affiliate Tulsa Roughnecks. —Sam Stejskal
Monday, 2:45 p.m. ET
Contrary to a report, the Philadelphia Union do not have any interest in Honduran attacker Rubilio Castillo, a league source told MLSsoccer.com on Monday.
Honduran outlet El Once HN reported on Saturday that Castillo would leave Honduran club Motagua for MLS, naming the Union as one of the top candidates to acquire the 26-year-old.
Castillo has four goals in 19 career appearances with the Honduran national team. —Sam Stejskal
Monday, 11:30 a.m. ET
A league source told MLSsoccer.com that the Chicago Fire was indeed the team that offered $750,000 to the New England Revolution for Lee Nguyen. Chicago's interest in Nguyen has been known for some time as they look for a potential playmaker to add in midfield. New England turned down that offer, as Twellman reported. It is not clear if the Fire have come back to the table regarding Nguyen or whether that offer was the last communication between the two clubs.
—Paul Tenorio
Monday, 9:30 a.m. ET
The trade market isn’t all that hot, but sources have said that three Western Conference teams have been actively shopping one player each in recent weeks. None of the players have played a big role this year, but all three have some promise and could do well in the right situation. I can’t yet name the players involved, but they include a young Homegrown, a versatile MLS veteran and a recent international signing that could use a change of scenery.
—Sam Stejskal
Monday, 9 a.m. ET
Sources have told MLSsoccer.com that the New England Revolution are listening to offers for Lee Nguyen, but that their asking price remains high – likely close to $1 million in allocation money. It was reported by ESPN’s Taylor Twellman earlier this month that New England turned down an offer of $750,000 in allocation for Nguyen.
—Sam Stejskal
