MLS teams continue to shape their rosters for the 2016 season with the Houston Dynamo, New England Revolution and Portland Timbers all announcing player re-signings Wednesday.
The Dynamo announced that midfielders Ricardo Clark and Boniek Garcia and defender Sheanon Williams have signed new contracts, securing the services of a veteran trio that has combined for 521 career MLS appearances.
“I am delighted to have Ricardo, Boniek and Sheanon commit their future to the club following on from Giles [Barnes], Will [Bruin] and Tyler [Deric],” Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle said in a statement. “It shows the belief that the group have in us moving forward together to bring success to the Houston Dynamo.”
Per league and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Clark, 32, was part of the first free agency class in MLS history, but returns for his ninth season with the Dynamo after the free agency window opened on Dec. 8. The Atlanta native and former US international won Dynamo Most Valuable Player and Players’ Player of the Year in 2015, a campaign which ranks as best statistical season of his career with eight regular-season goals in 30 appearances (all starts) and 2,573 minutes played, his most since 2006.
Garcia, 31, has 12 goals and 18 assists in 89 career regular-season appearances with Houston. A two-time FIFA World Cup veteran (2010, 2014), he has 105 career appearances for the Honduras national team and remains a fixture for Los Catrachos, starting two CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying matches in November.
Williams leads all active MLS defenders age 25 and under with 155 regular-season appearances since his MLS debut in 2010 and has notched seven goals and 21 assists during that time. Acquired in a trade with the Philadelphia Union on July 23, Williams appeared in all 14 remaining games (12 starts) and added two assists, playing at right back, center back and left back during his first season in Houston.
The Revolution announced the signing of defender Chris Tierney to a new, multi-year contract. A native of Wellesley, Mass., and the longest tenured player on the Revolution roster, Tierney has appeared in more than 200 games for the club in all competitions since being selected in the first round of the 2008 MLS Supplemental Draft.
Per league and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
An MLS All-Star in 2015, setting new career-highs in games played (31), games started (29), minutes played (2,613) and assists (6) while tying his career-high with two goals, Tierney has been a consistent presence in the Revolution lineup, starting at least 20 regular-season games in each of the last six years.
“Chris has established himself as an integral part of this club and we are excited that he will continue to be so in the years ahead,” Revolution general manager Michael Burns said in a team release. “Over the last eight years we have had the opportunity to watch Chris grow and develop into the player that he is today. His understanding of this club and what it means to represent the Revolution is unparalleled, which made the decision to re-sign him an easy one.”
The Timbers announced the re-signing of midfielders Ben Zemanski and Nick Besler and defender Andy Thoma for the 2016 MLS season. Per league and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Zemanski, 27, re-signs with the Timbers for the 2016 season after missing the 2015 campaign due to a torn ACL suffered in preseason. Zemanski has made 28 appearances (12 starts) in the last three seasons with the Timbers, registering one goal and two assists. Prior to joining the Timbers, Zemanski spent three years with Chivas USA, tallying six assists in 72 matches (58 starts) from 2010 to 2012.
Besler, 22, spent the majority of his rookie campaign on loan with T2, the Timbers’ USL side. He made 25 appearances (22 starts) for T2, logging 1,834 minutes of action after being the No. 5 overall pick in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by the Timbers.
Thoma, 22, made 26 appearance (25 starts) on loan with T2 during his rookie campaign in 2015, registering three assists. The Los Alamos, N.M., native logged the second-most minutes played (2,274) for T2 during the 2015 USL season. A second-round pick (No. 24 overall) in the 2015 MLS SuperDraft by the Timbers, Thoma started 14 straight matches, playing 1,260 consecutive minutes, for T2 from June 14-Sept. 12.
Additionally, the LA Galaxy have signed goalkeeper Clement Diop from their USL side Galaxy II, the club announced Wednesday.
Diop, who will occupy an International roster spot, joins LA Galaxy after leading Los Dos to the 2015 USL Championship last season. Per MLS and club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Clement is a young player who showed a tremendous upside last season with LA Galaxy II,” Galaxy head coach and general manager Bruce Arena said in a team release. “He is another example of why LA Galaxy II is so important for providing players with opportunities for development. We are happy to add him to our roster as he continues to progress as a player.”
The French goalkeeper recorded eight shutouts and a 1.12 goals against average in 24 regular-season starts for Galaxy II. The goalkeeper joins defender Dave Romney as LA Galaxy II players who have signed first-team contracts with the Galaxy.
