Orlando City’s pursuit of former Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil has hit a snag, according to two sources with knowledge of the negotiations.
The sources said that Orlando, who were reported to be on the verge of acquiring Gil earlier this week, and Gil’s current club Queretaro are struggling to agree on financial terms for a potential deal that would send the 23-year-old on loan to the Lions for the remainder of 2017.
Gil played under Orlando head coach Jason Kreis at Real Salt Lake from 2010, the year he turned pro, until Kreis left the club to take over New York City FC in Dec. 2013. The California native made 84 regular season appearances under Kreis, recording eight goals and six assists, with five of his goals and three of his helpers coming in 2013.
He made another 50 regular season appearances for RSL under Jeff Cassar in 2014 and 2015, recording three goals and three assists before leaving Utah to sign a three-year deal with Queretaro on Dec. 23, 2015.
He’s been used sparingly at the Liga MX club, playing just 504 minutes in 10 league appearances in over a year with Los Gallos Blancos. An experienced US youth international, Gil has two career caps with the USMNT, both coming in post-January camp friendlies in 2014 and 2015.
If Orlando and Queretaro do agree on a loan fee, Gil would come to the Lions on a loan for the remainder of the year. If he heads to Florida, a separate source said that Orlando would send $50,000 in 2018 Targeted Allocation Money to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Gil’s MLS rights. RSL would receive another $50,000 in 2018 TAM if Orlando eventually acquire Gil permanently.
Wright-Phillips crosses seven-figure mark with new deal
New York Red Bulls striker Bradley Wright-Phillips’ new contract will pay him just shy of $1.5 million per year and is guaranteed through the 2019 season, a source familiar with the deal told MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday.
The Red Bulls announced on Wednesday that they signed Wright-Phillips, who turned 32 earlier this month, to a new, multi-year contract that makes him a Designated Player. The source said that the contract does not include any options for the 2020 season.
According to the MLS Players’ Union, Wright-Phillips made $715,000 in 2016.
Because he’ll make between $1 and $1.5 million in each year of the deal, New York will only be able to use Targeted Allocation Money to buy Wright-Phillips down from Designated Player status in MLS’s secondary transfer window. According to league rules, clubs are not allowed to use TAM on players who make more than $1 million per year unless they apply the funds midseason. If TAM is used midseason, the player it is being used on may earn a maximum of $1.5 million on a prorated basis.
Though the Red Bulls have the league maximum of three Designated Players on their roster, that shouldn’t tie the their hands. The club’s two other DPs – Sacha Kljestan and Gonzalo Veron – can both be bought down using TAM, and, since both make less than Wright-Phillips, New York could open another spot should they want to sign another Designated Player before the league’s primary transfer window closes in May.
One of the most successful strikers in MLS history, Wright-Phillips is the Red Bulls’ all-time leader in league goals (70) and across all competitions (78). He won the MLS Golden Boot in 2014, when he tied the MLS single-season record with 27 regular-season goals, and again last year, when he found the back of the net 24 times.
The London native is the only player in MLS history with multiple seasons with at least 20 goals and is just the fourth player in league history with three straight years of 15 or more goals.
