Trade finally allows Porter’s MLS rights to move to D.C. United

Kyle Porter

Kyle Porter’s drawn-out move to D.C. United is finally complete.

Even though his agent declared that the Canadian forward, who represented his country in January friendlies against Denmark and the United States, had come to terms with D.C. United last weekend, the move was only completed Thursday. DCU had to send a second-round Supplemental Draft pick to the Vancouver Whitecaps, who have held the forward’s MLS rights for more than two years.

Porter impressed during his trial at D.C., which began right after Canada’s 0-0 draw with the United States in late January.

FC Edmonton, the NASL side which had been Porter’s team for the last two years, offered the forward a new deal. But, in January, the club made it public that it had set a deadline for Porter to sign a deal, or it would be withdrawn.And new FCE coach Colin Miller, who was also Canada’s interim coach for the Denmark and U.S. matches, had to separate the jobs of being Porter’s national-team manager AND being the Eddies’ boss waiting for Porter to make a decision on the contract.

As Porter took the trial in D.C., Edmonton withdrew the offer — so Porter was trialing without the safety net of a guaranteed NASL job.

But Porter had to wrestle with what so many NASL players have to deal with. MLS, which signs contracts centrally, does not pay transfer fees for NASL players, so right now the only chances players get to move up is when they are out of contract. It’s also the major reason that the players who move up from NASL aren’t necessarily the guys who finish on the second division’s Best XI. If a player’s rights are protected, MLS won’t try to buy him — even though that’s the relationship NASL teams need in order to prop up their businesses.

So, Porter had the window of opportunity, and took it.

He scored 12 times over the past two seasons for FC Edmonton, and can play either at the top of the formation or on the right wing.

In 2011, Porter left the Whitecaps as the team was jumping to MLS. He trialed in Montreal, but left after he found out that the Impact could only keep him for its final NASL season. He would have to be returned to Vancouver the day that Montreal entered MLS. So, Porter left that behind and went to FC Edmonton, and joined the squad just as the team launched its inaugural NASL season.