WHITECAPS FC ACQUIRE WINGER MICHAELL CHIRINOS ON LOAN FROM C.D. OLIMPIA
Vancouver Whitecaps FC added to their attack, acquiring Honduran international winger Michaell Chirinos, with the use of 2019 Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), on loan from Club Deportivo Olimpia through the end of the 2019 season. The TAM freed up by the Lucas Venuto transaction last Thursday will be reapplied to this acquisition.
Chirinos, a 24-year-old who recently played for Club de Fútbol Lobos de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (Lobos BUAP) in Liga MX, joins Whitecaps FC on a loan for the remainder of 2019, with an option to purchase.
“Michaell is a humble and hardworking player who can play on the right or left side of the field,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos. “This loan gives us an opportunity to bring in and evaluate a player who has done well in Honduras and Mexico, leagues that have similar characteristics as MLS.”
Chirinos made his professional debut in 2014 with his hometown side C.D. Olimpia. In league play, the 5-foot-5 winger has started 69 of his 99 appearances, while scoring 27 goals. In international club competition, he has made seven appearances and scored two goals in the Concacaf Champions League, including playing in two matches against Whitecaps FC in 2015. In 2017, Chirinos started all eight of his appearances and scored three goals to help Olimpia win the inaugural Concacaf League title.
During the 2018-19 season, Chirinos went on loan to Lobos BUAP in Mexico’s top tier Liga MX, where he started all 33 of his appearances and scored six goals.
A native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Chirinos has made 19 appearances for his national team, most recently making two starts and three appearances in the Concacaf Gold Cup last month. At the youth level, Chirinos played in 10 matches for the Honduras U-20 and U-21 national sides, scoring two goals.
The acquisition of Chirinos marks the fifth transaction for Whitecaps FC during the summer transfer window, following the permanent transfer of left back Ali Adnan, contract extension of keeper Maxime Crépeau, and the departures of keeper Chituru Odunze and winger Lucas Venuto.
WHITECAPS FC ACQUIRE $75,000 OF 2020 TARGETED ALLOCATION MONEY AND A 2020 INTERNATIONAL ROSTER SPOT FROM D.C. UNITED IN EXCHANGE FOR FELIPE MARTINS
Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Tuesday that the club has acquired $75,000 of 2020 Targeted Allocation Money (TAM) and a 2020 international roster spot from D.C. United in exchange for midfielder Felipe Martins.
“We are thankful to Felipe for his contributions at the club and wish him and his family all the best,” said head coach Marc Dos Santos. “This wasn’t an easy decision. We are making this move looking at the big picture, with an eye on the future, as we continue to build out our roster.”
Martins, 28, joined Whitecaps FC in March 2018 and made 47 appearances in MLS regular season play, as well as three starts in Canadian Championship play, scoring two goals and recording seven assists.
