Deadline Day has passed and the transfer mill has gone quiet for another couple of months, but it didn’t fall silent without another big move on the American youth front. Sporting KC announced they had agreed on a loan deal that sent US U-20 international Erik Palmer-Brown to FC Porto for a year.
The 18-year-old defender had been linked with a move to Europe for some time now and this looks to be the first step in a possible career abroad. Porto currently sit in third in the Primeira Liga in Portugal and are one of the country’s most prestigious clubs, boasting 27 league titles.
Palmer-Brown made six starts in 10 appearances over two seasons in MLS and had been the subject of a possible transfer move to Italian giant Juventus, but instead he will begin his journey in Portugal.
The Ohio-native follows fellow U-20 teammate Joel Sonora as two youngsters that signed contracts abroad during the January transfer window. Sonora, a native of Buenos Aires, had been playing with the historic Boca Juniors club in Argentina. However, he decided to make the move overseas and signed a contract with VfB Stuttgart.
He joins American Jerome Kiesewetter (currently with the national team) on the club’s reserve squad, which plays in the third division in Germany. Sonora made his debut last weekend, playing eight minutes off the bench. The 19-year-old was tabbed as one of the surprise gems in the U-20 class and has often been overlooked because of guys like Emerson Hyndman, Lynden Gooch, Paul Arriola and Gedion Zelalem.
A couple other important moves for national team players were a part of a mini-Exodus of MLS players to Liga MX in Mexico. Omar Gonzalez and Luis Gil both moved to Mexican clubs, as did Portland’s Jorge Villafana where they join Miguel Ibarra who moved to Club Leon from Minnesota United last summer.
The LA Galaxy are amidst some major changes in personnel and Omar Gonzalez opted for a change of scenery, signing with Pachuca earlier this month. In four starts, the local media is extremely high on him alread as he has helped the club into first place early in the year. After somewhat falling out of favor with US national team coach Jurgen Klinnsman, maybe the change is exactly what the 27-year-old center back needed. The backline is still the biggest question mark of Klinnsman’s lineup.
The 22-year-old Gil signed with Queretaro in December after seeing his minutes with Real Salt Lake trail off in the last two seasons. The midfielder played 2,987 total league minutes in 2014 and 2015 combined, compared to playing 2,542 minutes in 2013 alone.
He made his debut for Queretaro in a 3-0 win over Dorados, playing all 90 minutes and followed that up with another start over this past weekend. Queretaro is also competing in the CONCACAF Champions League this season and Gil is likely to see plenty of minutes in that as well.
The Mexican style of play may fit Gil’s fast-paced game a bit more than MLS did and he would be a nice option to have at the national team level if he can regain his confidence. He will also be an important piece to the US Olympic team if they succeed in qualification.
Both Gonzalez and Gil will be hoping for more success than fellow US teammate Ibarra, who has spent most of his time at Leon on the bench. He has registered just 138 minutes and one start in Liga MX action and has been playing only in Copa MX matches of late. Ibarra joined Leon in June.
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