TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Minnesota United FC are already in prime position to make their first appearance in the MLS Cup Playoffs. But on Wednesday night they continued to add to their talent pool with the addition of 18-year-old Thomas Chacon.
Chacon was transferred from Danubio FC and signed to a Young Designated Player contract in a move that was announced during the Loons' U.S. Open Cup semifinal against the Portland Timbers. Ives Galarcep reported on Monday that Minnesota paid $4 million for 70% of the Uruguayan's rights.
“The club is continuing to evolve and grow in terms of the types of players we’re bringing in and certainly adding in our first Young [Designated Player], an 18-year-old, is exciting for us,” said sporting director Manny Lagos in a statement. “[Thomas] is going to bring a lot of youthful energy and it’s a big thing for the club to have a player of his quality and a player of his potential be a part of our family.”
The young attacking midfielder joins MNUFC after spending his first two professional seasons with Uruguay’s first division team Danubio FC, helping lead them to finish fifth in the league during the 2018–19 season, in 20 game appearances across 1,114 minutes. Chacon’s two professional goals came during the 2018–19 season, his first against River Plate on March 10, 2019 and his second against Progreso on March 31.
“[We’re] obviously really excited about the signing. [Thomas] is a player we’ve been following for more than 18 months. Considering he’s only 18 years of age, we think he’s got an incredibly bright future. I’m really pleased that the club has decided to invest such a large amount in a young talent,” said head coach Adrian Heath. “We’re really excited about Thomas. He can play wide left, wide right, number 10 — number 10s cost a fortune in the modern game, we think we’ve got one for the future we’ll develop into being a top number 10. [He’s] coming from an unbelievable country where players play with this incredible desire to be successful and we’re really excited to have him.”
Internationally, Chacon has played for the Uruguayan national team at every level, making a total of 48 game appearances and scoring two goals for the U-17 team, including one in the U-17 2017 South American Championship against the Bolivia U-17 team on March 2, 2017.
The 18-year-old will occupy an international spot and will be added to the roster pending receipt of his P1 Visa and ITC. To open a Designated Player spot, MNUFC has bought down Angelo Rodriguez’s contract with Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
