On Tuesday, Sporting Kansas City and the Montreal Impact completed a trade that only involved two players, something rarely seen in MLS.
Cameron Porter was shipped from Montreal to Kansas City, with Amadou Dia making his way north of the border.
On its surface, this trade makes a lot of sense for both teams.
Porter was a cult hero in Montreal after scoring an equalizer against Pachuca in the quarterfinals of the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League that put the Impact through to the semifinals. But since that day the former Princeton striker has rarely seen the field. He tore his ACL 18 days later in New England and has not played a minute in MLS since, though he has played 284 minutes for FC Montreal in USL this season. He can provide forward cover for Peter Vermes for a team that currently have only two such players on the roster: Dom Dwyer and Diego Rubio.
Dia had a stellar rookie season with Sporting, appearing in 22 games and making 13 starts, including Kansas City’s loss to Portland in the Knockout Round of the MLS Cup Playoffs. He started off this season as one of the first names on Vermes’ team sheet, starting the first nine games of the season.
But he has not started a game since, relinquishing his spot to Jimmy Medranda, and has not appeared in a game in two months. He was likely seen as a surplus to requirements with Medranda, Seth Sinovic and new arrival Ever Alvarado all fighting for playing time at the left back spot.
Dia should be a welcome sign for Montreal fans, as their team currently have just four fullbacks on the roster, including Dia. Ambroise Oyongo and Hassoun Camara have been entrenched as starters, especially since the departure of Maxim Tissot, and Donny Toia will be fighting to get his spot back after making his first appearance since April 16 on Saturday. Dia provides more insurance, and competition, for a team that looking to make the playoffs for the second straight season.
All in all, this is a trade that both fan bases can be happy about.
