TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Trade
The Montreal Impact made the first big splash of the Thierry Henry era on Wednesday evening, acquiring Honduran international winger Romell Quioto from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for defender Victor Cabrera and $100,000 in General Allocation Money. In addition, the Dynamo will retain a portion of Quioto's sell-on rights should be be transferred to a club outside of MLS.
“We are pleased to acquire this versatile player, who can play in every attacking position and who has proven in the past that he can be successful in this league,” said sporting director Olivier Renard in a team statement. “We want to thank Victor for his five years of service with the club. We can only wish him the best for his next chapter.”
Quioto, 28, spent the last three seasons in MLS with the Dynamo after transferring from Honduran powerhouse Olimpia. He has recorded 15 goals and 17 assists in 72 regular season games (47 starts). He enjoyed his best season in 2018, registering six goals and 12 assists over 32 games (25 starts), but struggled on and off the field this year, playing just 794 minutes across 18 appearances, none coming after Aug. 8.
In Cabrera, the Dynamo get a similarly experienced player, albeit at a much different position. The 26-year-old center back, a native of Argentina, has spent five season with the Impact, making 93 appearances (82 starts). He helped the Impact to a 2019 Canadian Championship win over Toronto FC and played a key role in two of the Impact's most memorable runs: their 2015 appearance in the Concacaf Champions League final, which they narrowly lost to Club América, and their 2016 push the Eastern Conference Final that ended in an epic battle with Toronto. Cabrera has yet to register a goal or an assist in regular-season play, though did register one assist in the Impact's 2015 playoff campaign.
“We are very pleased to welcome Victor Cabrera to the Houston Dynamo. He is a hard-nosed defender who brings a highly competitive mentality to the field every day,” said Dynamo senior vice president and general manager Matt Jordan in a team statement. “He has adapted well to MLS over the last five years and has experience on big stages, including playoff and championship games. We’re excited to add a player in the prime of his career who will immediately compete for minutes on our backline.”
Cabrera is the third signing for the Dynamo this offseason, joining forward Darwin Quintero and versatile defender Zarek Valentin as the first additions for newly-appointed head coach Tab Ramos.
