The Houston Dynamo have acquired midfielder Cristian Maidana and attacker Andrew Wenger from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for general allocation money, targeted allocation money and a Natural First Round selection in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft. Per league and club policy, additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
“At the conclusion of last season we had two specific goals we wanted to address this offseason,” Dynamo VP/general manager Matt Jordan said. “First, we felt it was important to add more creativity and quality in the final third of the field. Second, we wanted more dynamic pace and power in the wide areas. The acquisition of these two players strengthens our group and helps us meet these objectives in preparation for next season.
“Cristian is a player with tremendous ability who can see a pass and open up defenses as his assists show, and we feel he is coming into the prime of his career and can add more quality to our group,” Dynamo head coach Owen Coyle said. “Andrew is a young player with tremendous pace and power who we feel has the capacity to fulfill all his undoubted ability and potential and again add to our talented squad. Both players are very excited to join the Houston Dynamo and we look forward to working with Cristian and Andrew.”
Maidana had 15 assists last season, tied for second in MLS, and leads the league with 26 assists over the last two seasons. The 28-year-old signed with the Union as a Designated Player in 2014 after time with clubs such as Argentinos Juniors (Argentina), Atlante (Mexico), Recreativo de Huelva (Spain) and Spartak Moscow (Russia).
“Cristian is a player who has adapted well to MLS over the course of the last two seasons, putting up very consistent numbers,” said Jordan. “We feel his quality in the final third will add another dimension to our talented attacking group.”
Maidana (pronounced: my-donna) was second in MLS with 79 chances created in 2015, according to MLS stats provider OPTA. Nicknamed “Chaco”, the left-footed midfielder tallied three goals and 26 assists in 54 games (48 starts) in two years with Philadelphia.
Wenger, 24, was the number one overall selection of the Montreal Impact in the 2012 MLS SuperDraft after winning the MAC Hermann Trophy in 2011 as the nation’s best college player at Duke University. The Pennsylvania native set a career-high with six goals in 2014 and has tallied 13 goals and nine assists in four seasons. A versatile attacking player, Wenger has appeared in 23 or more games in all four professional seasons, including a career-high 32 appearances in 2014, when he was traded to Philadelphia.
“Andrew is a very talented player whose athleticism, pace and highly-competitive attitude will be a good fit for our team, as he enters the prime of his career,” said Jordan.
TRANSACTION: Houston Dynamo acquire midfielder Cristian Maidana and forward Andrew Wenger from the Philadelphia Union in exchange for general allocation money, targeted allocation money and a first round selection (No. 6 overall) in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft.
CRISTIAN MAIDANA
Pronunciation:
my-donna
Position:
Midfielder
Height:
5'11"
Weight:
165 lbs.
Born:
January 24, 1987
Hometown:
Resistencia, Argentina
Citizenship:
Argentina
Last Club:
Philadelphia Union
Acquired:
Via trade on December 7, 2015
ANDREW WENGER
Position:
Forward/midfielder
Height:
6'0"
Weight:
185 lbs.
Born:
December 25, 1990
Hometown:
Lititz, Pennsylvania
Citizenship:
USA
Last Club:
Philadelphia Union
Acquired:
Via trade on December 7, 2015
