TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
- PHI receive: No. 1 position in the MLS Waiver Order, sign Chris Donovan
- CHI receive: $50,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money
The Philadelphia Union have signed forward Chris Donovan after claiming him off waivers, the club announced Friday.
To complete the transaction, Philadelphia sent $50,000 in 2022 General Allocation Money (GAM) to Chicago Fire FC in exchange for the No. 1 position in the MLS Waiver Order for the Waiver claiming period that began on June 14.
That spot was then used to sign Donovan, who has been playing with Philadelphia Union II, the Union’s MLS NEXT Pro affiliate. The 21-year-old has three goals and one assist across 10 appearances (seven starts) with Union II.
“Chris has truly capitalized on an opportunity at this club and has made incredible strides since arriving in Philadelphia,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a release. “His mentality and dedication to his development is a perfect example of what can be achieved in our system and what the Philadelphia Union stands for.
“We brought in a solid MLS NEXT Pro player, and we now believe Chris can immediately contribute to our first team. We look forward to seeing what he does with this opportunity.”
Donovan played college soccer at Drexel University and was named the Colonial Athletic Association’s Player of the Year in 2021 as a senior.
He projects as adding depth beyond Philadelphia’s two Designated Players, Mikael Uhre and Julian Carranza. They were both signed during the offseason and joined Sergio Santos and Cory Burke as options up top.
