Aaron Maund is in and Christian Dean is out on a busy deadline day for the Vancouver Whitecaps.
Vancouver first announced they had acquired the center back Maund (pictured above) from Real Salt Lake for a third-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft, then 45 minutes later revealed they had dealt Dean, another central defender, to the Chicago Fire for $50,000 in General Allocation Money. Vancouver will also receive $50,000 in conditional Targeted Allocation Money in the event Dean starts 12 or more 2018 regular season matches for the Fire, as well as a percentage of any future transfer fees, which is on a sliding scale and expires following the first transfer window of 2020. Dean is contracted through the 2018 season with club options for 2019 and 2020.
Maund, 26, arrives in Vancouver after spending making 77 appearances in all competitions across four seasons with Real Salt Lake. After seeing his 2016 season cut short due to a fractured foot, the 6-foot-2 defender has rebounded to lead all RSL center backs with 13 MLS appearances in 2017. He was the club’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2015.
“Aaron is a good character, he is strong, quick, athletic, and is an important addition for us,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Carl Robinson in a team release announcing the move. “He adds experience and depth in the center back position and will push the players we already have for minutes.”
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He joins a seventh-place Vancouver side that is one position and five points ahead of RSL in the Western Conference standings. The Whitecaps have also played three fewer games.
Dean leaves Vancouver after four seasons in the Cascadia region. The third overall pick in the 2014 MLS SuperDraft, Dean has only made 21 first-team appearances (14 starts) across all competitions, though the Fire hope he can find his feet in the Windy City.
"Christian adds a complimentary skill set to our backline and with his versatility, we expect him to compete for playing time," said Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez in a team statement.
