The Seattle Sounders traded designated player Alvaro Fernandez to the Chicago Fire for allocation money on Friday, clearing the way for the signing of German midfielder Christian Tiffert as a designated player.
Seattle's busy Friday started when rumors came from Germany about Tiffert leaving the Bundesliga for the Major League Soccer club. By the end of the day, Fernandez was on his way to Chicago and Tiffert was the newest addition to the Sounders roster.
Bringing Tiffert in meant something needed to be done with one of Seattle's three designated players and Fernandez was the choice to be moved. Fernandez played in 55 matches during his 2 1/2 seasons with the Sounders and scored 13 goals. He's scored twice this season.
Seattle reportedly had a deal in place to send Fernandez on loan to a club in Colombia last week, but that deal fell apart.
''We would like to thank Alvaro for his contributions to the club over the last two years and wish him well in the next chapter of his career with the Fire,'' Sounders general manager Adrian Hanauer said in a statement.
The 30-year-old Tiffert made 136 appearances for Stuttgart from 2000-06. He then played for Red Bull Salzburg in Austria and Duisberg in Germany before joining Kaiserslautern in 2010.
Tiffert will be added to the Seattle roster pending the receipt of his P-1 Visa and is expected to join the Sounders next week.
''We wanted to bring in a player who is a central midfielder and has playmaking capabilities,'' Seattle coach Sigi Schmid said. ''Christian is a player who fits this mold and brings a lot of experience from the top league in Germany. His leadership and versatility make him a good fit for our club.''
