Transfer News

Union, Carlos Valdes, mutually agree to terminate contract

Photo: Nicolae Stoian

Philadelphia Union announced on Monday the team’s contract with Carlos Valdes, currently on loan to Nacional in Uruguay, has been terminated by mutual agreement.

The announcement notes, “Per club and league policy, additional details were not disclosed.”

However, a report from Kevin Kinkead at CBS Philly provides some details:

This winter, the Colombian center back will come off the books…Philadelphia was not saddled with that financial burden or cap hit while Valdes was on loan this year, but the termination solves one of the biggest budget issues going into next season.

With the Colombian transfer window closing, and the player out of favor at Uruguay’s Nacional, the termination allowed Valdes to return on a free transfer to Independiente Santa Fe in his home country.

Kinkead reports further the Union agreed to allow the move to Sante Fe only if Valdes would consent to terminate his contract in 2016.

According to traded their open international spot along with Sheanon Williams to Houston in return for “general allocation money and future considerations” last week. As a player on loan, Valdes does not occupy an international spot on the Union roster. Should the team be able to offload Rais Mbolhi, that will open up an international roster spot as well as gain further salary cap relief, some $350,000 according to the numbers released by the MLS Players Union.

Valdes joined the Union in January of 2011 on a one-year loan from Independiente Santa Fe. In August of 2011, the Union announced they had bought his rights. He was named to the MLS All-Star team for the game against Chelsea at PPL Park on July 25, 2012.

Looking to improve his prospects with the Colombian national team, Valdes was loaned back to Santa Fe for the 2013 season. In January of 2014, Valdes was again loaned, this time to San Lorenzo in Argentina.

Following the conclusion of the 2014 World Cup, Valdes returned to the Union last August, making eight appearances for the club in league play before going out again on loan, this time to Nacional. In his time with the Union, Valdes made 73 appearances, scoring three goals over 6,509 minutes of play.

30 Comments

  1. I was under the impression that he doesn’t count against the cap this year because he is on loan? Hence we wouldn’t get cap relief until next year, but I could be wrong on that. Also, does this mean that we got squat in return for him?

    • The Chopper says:

      There is nothing to get in return for him. He is done. This is the best and only way out.

    • It gives the Union approximately $400,000 to use next winter.

    • How come Sak didn’t demand a gigantic transfer fee for him . . . after all “he played in this little tournament in Brazil last year”.

    • hobosocks says:

      The reason the cap relief is “immediate” is because no one that matters is going to sign with the U for just the remainder of this year. And they can’t make signings now that will put them when over the cap next season and just hope they’ll be able to shed contracts from guys like Valdes and M’Bohli.

  2. In his prime he was the best defender the union ever had. But it’s time to move on.

  3. Speculation: could those additional details may include some allocation monies from the league?

    • Sieve!!!! says:

      By league you mean the Union. And it is possible, at this point just best to cut bait and move on. Valdes is to solid roster players or a good chunk of a DP.

  4. Yes, um-hum…go on.

  5. Dr. Union says:

    Same old, same old union. Buy players pay them lots of money let them go for free. Apparently no one in this organization understands buy low and sell high. Well, there goes another good union player who was not developed correctly by this team. We could field such a great Union team from people that have been cast away by the FO.

    • not sure how many of them are actually “still good” or we even good when here. i’d admit some are/were, but don’t recall 11. will gladly be proven wrong but we just have never been … good (which to me means better than average or not just middling).

    • They couldn’t give Valdes away for a ham and cheese hoagie.
      .
      This gets him off the payroll. The alternative is giving Rais a roommate and training partner. I’m good with this move. Zero downside.

      • Dr. Union says:

        Zero downside sorry but there is definite downside. Knowing that Valdes wanted to make his national team and needed to be near Colombia to do that, he should have been sold a year before the world cup. Thus, prob getting a transfer fee of around 1million or at least 750,000$ since he was on the all-star team. This would have covered both M’bohli and Vitoria’s terrible contracts.

      • You and I are using “downside” in different ways. I’m looking at it going forward, you are looking at it going back.
        .
        Not saying you are wrong, but I have to assume that they tried to sell him, and couldn’t. So, rather than hold on to him until someone gives Sak a 1993 John Kruk baseball card in exchange for his contract, they got out of the contract, and freed up $400k to use on what they really need….depth.

      • Well yes I agree in that sense but this team entirely to often never focuses on the big picture as whole and does things to last minute. Valdes, the Williams trade, picking up players on loan last transfer window, getting rid of old unwanted contracts etc. I dunno if its that no one knows how to do paperwork there or that they don’t jump on deals, but sometime you got to pull the trigger and risk it.

    • I can’t remember but did the Union pay a transfer fee when they first got Valdes?
      .
      If not, the salary was covered by the team he was loan to so the U only paid for him while he was here which is not that big of a deal. The trouble was how handcuffed they were whenever his loans expired until they worked out another loan. Not having that problem going into next season is very helpful when it comes to making transfer moves.
      .
      The question now becomes should the Union purchase Vitoria at the end of his loan or not? His salary is reported as 400k just like Valdes so this move could be a sign that they are thinking about keeping him. I know we haven’t got to see a lot of him because of injury but I would say the money could be better spend and they should choose not to sign Vitoria unless he renegotiates his salary to a lower cap hit.

  6. ‘Carry on my wayward son.’

  7. Buenos suerte, Carlos.

  8. Yawn. I’m sure Sak will find a way to somehow buy allocation money with our newly received allocation money. Allocation money or nothing. Philadelphia, we love allocation money and disappointment.
    .
    Laughing makes it hurt less.

  9. Great One says:

    Good to just be done with it. Next on the docket M’Bolhi. Then after that maybe we can bring on some guys? Some regular addition. Not by subtraction?

  10. I’m still having a hard time figuring out why the Union needed to give away an international spot in that Williams trade. They better have received a lot of allocation cash. If this team can’t get rid of Mbolhi, we can’t get Barnetta or Dittborn. Hmmmm…. I hope the next shoe to drop doesn’t hit us in the head.

    • I would suggest giving up on Barnetta and Dittborn neither are likely to happen as there is no roster, cap space, or international spots and this team has no idea what their doing other then giving people away for next to nothing if not nothing.

      • Listen Dr. Union, I don’t need your rational reasonable and fully informed opinion to squash the 5% of delusional optimism and hope I still cling to as a fan. I’m trying to stay away from and over the edge of the cliff of despair. 🙂
        .
        When the transfer window closes and nothing has happened, I’ll jump off.

      • Rumor going around is one of the Union’s current international players has/is getting a change in status just like how Blake got a green card.
        .
        Current active international players on the team are Fabinho, Maidana, M’Bolhi, Nogueira, Ayuk, Aristeguieta, and Vitoria.
        .
        I could see Maidana actually looking to settle in the US considering he moved his family here and bought a house. Some of the statements made at his intro presser also made it sound like he wanted to move to the MLS because he thought the US had better opportunities for his family.
        .
        Point being if that is the case then the Union could afford to lose an international spot and still sign Barnetta without having to move M’Bolhi.

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