Change has started for the Houston Dynamo, as veteran goalkeeper Tally Hall will be moving to 2015 expansion club Orlando City.
Sources close to the deal told MLSsoccer.com on Tuesday that the move will send the two-time All-Star to Orlando in exchange for allocation money but the deal cannot be approved by the league until the trade window opens on Dec. 1.
Orlando City did not confirm the news citing league guidelines regarding the trade window, while officials with the Dynamo were unavailable for comment as the time of this report. The Orlando Sentinel reported that the deal will also include an international roster spot.
In the 29-year-old Hall, who is currently rehabbing an ACL tear, Orlando gets a proven goalkeeper who has an MLS Cup pedigree. Since taking over for Dynamo legend Pat Onstad in 2011 Hall’s backed the club to two MLS Cup appearances in 2011 and 2012 and the 2013 Eastern Conference finals. In four seasons as the starter Houston he registered a 1.3 goals against average in 125 regular season starts. That number drops to an impressive 0.91 in 15 postseason starts.
According to sources, the 29-year-old Hall said his goodbyes to his teammates prior to the team’s season finale, a 2-1 loss to the Chicago Fire. He underwent surgery in September and told MLSsoccer.com two weeks ago that his rehab is on schedule and he hopes to be back to action for the start of next season.
For Houston, the move frees up salary budget space for the Dynamo and clears out the club’s deepest position. The club was long considered to have an embarrassment of riches at the position with Hall and homegrown ‘keeper Tyler Deric in the fold.
After Hall suffered his ACL tear on Aug. 29 versus Sporting Kansas City, Deric performed well, allowing 1.38 goals per game while making nine starts down the stretch.
While Deric has shown the club what he can do, sources confirmed the trade with Orlando City was agreed upon prior to Hall’s injury. After he went down with the ligament injury, Orlando maintained their interest, meaning a new address for the Dynamo fan favorite come 2015.
The addition of Hall would mean Orlando City have their first player with MLS experience on the roster for 2015 after midfielder Yordany Alvarez was forced to retire for medical reasons. He would become the 10th player on the Lions' 2015 MLS roster, including Brazilian star Kaká, 2014 USL PRO MVP Kevin Molino and El Salvador international Darwin Ceren.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
