PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers today have acquired allocation money and the MLS Homegrown rights for defender Bryan Gallego from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for defender Kosuke Kimura and Portland’s natural second-round pick in the 2013 MLS SuperDraft. Per club and league policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Bryan Gallego - GoZips.com
As part of the trade, the Timbers acquired the MLS Homegrown rights for Gallego, which allows Portland the first right of refusal in signing the former Red Bulls Academy player. Gallego, 19, recently finished his sophomore season at the University of Akron, where he played under new Timbers head coach Caleb Porter. The Kinnelon, N.J., native is a former captain for the U.S. U-18 National Team and is currently a member of the U.S. U-20 National Team pool.
Kimura, 28, played in 17 matches and recorded one goal and one assist for the Timbers after joining the club midseason in a trade with the Colorado Rapids.
“Kosuke was a consummate professional and we appreciate his contributions to the club,” said Gavin Wilkinson, Timbers general manager. “We wish him well in New York.”
In total, Kimura has played in 134 regular-season matches and recorded five goals and nine assists over six MLS seasons with the Rapids (2007-12) and Timbers (2012).
