New York Red Bulls general manager Erik Soler said Thursday that the team’s trade of young forward Juan Agudelo to Chivas USA for defender Heath Pearce, allocation money and future consideration “was a deal we could not turn down.”
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“Heath is a very talented and versatile defender who will bring immediate experience to our defense. We have been long-time fans of his game and think that he will be an important player in our squad. In addition, we obtained a significant amount of financial flexibility moving forward with this trade. It was a deal we could not turn down,” Soler said.
“To obtain someone of Heath’s pedigree and gain substantial financial considerations, we had to trade Juan – an exciting player with potential."
Despite winning four consecutive games the Red Bulls have remained concerned about their defense, where veteran Wilman Conde is injured and the team has been playing an inexperienced group in front of rookie goalkeeper Ryan Meara.
Pearce, 27, a veteran of the U.S. National Team, should help there. Pearce, in his fourth season in the MLS, played for FC Dallas prior to being traded to Chivas.