PORTLAND, Ore.— The Portland Timbers have acquired defender/midfielder Lovel Palmer (above, left), defender/midfielder Mike Chabala (above, right) and an international roster slot through the remainder of the 2011 season from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for midfielder Adam Moffat and allocation money, it was announced today. Timbers general manager/technical director Gavin Wilkinson made the announcement.
Palmer and Chabala are expected to join the Timbers in Columbus, Ohio, prior to Saturday’s game with the Columbus Crew.
“Today we acquired two experienced MLS players,” said John Spencer, Timbers head coach. “Both Palmer and Chabala give us a great deal of versatility both on the backline and in the midfield.”
Palmer, 26, started Houston’s first 16 games this season and made 51 appearances in all competitions over the last two years with the Dynamo. Palmer scored one goal and ranked among team leaders with 1,450 minutes played and 33 shots this season.
A Jamaican international with 19 caps, Palmer originally joined the Dynamo for the 2010 season, becoming a mainstay in the lineup. Upon his arrival last year, he appeared in 26 games (24 starts) for Houston, scoring his first MLS goal in his first start with a long-range shot that was voted MLS Goal of the Week against Chivas USA on April 17, 2010. For the year, Palmer tallied four goals across all competitions and added one assist in league play.
Palmer began his professional career with Harbour View of the National Premier League of Jamaica as a teenager. Palmer, who became Harbour View’s captain in August 2005 at the age of 21, helped lead the club to the National Premier League championship in 2007.
Chabala, 27, made seven appearances with Houston this season and originally joined the club as a fourth-round selection in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft following a standout collegiate career at the University of Washington. Additionally, Chabala spent part of his 2006 rookie season on loan with the USL First Division Timbers, appearing in eight games with the Portland club.
Born in Fresno, Calif., Chabala saw regular action with Houston’s first team the last three seasons, tallying one goal and seven assists with the club. He set a career high in 2010 by making 25 appearances (22 starts) while registering a goal and four assists for the Dynamo.
An original Dynamo player, Chabala made 69 appearances for the club in all competitions since 2006.
Moffat, 25, made four appearances as a substitute for the Timbers this season, amassing 100 minutes played for the first team. He was a third-round selection (5th overall) of the Timbers in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft. A seven-year professional, Moffat spent the previous four MLS seasons with Columbus.
Lovel Palmer
Pronunciation: luh-VELL
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Height: 5-10
Weight: 160
Born: Aug. 30, 1984
Birthplace: Mandeville, Jamaica
Last Club: Houston Dynamo
College: n/a
Citizenship: Jamaica
Mike Chabala
Pronunciation: chuh-BALL-uh
Position: Defender/Midfielder
Height: 6-0
Weight: 175
Born: May 24, 1984
Birthplace: Fresno, Calif.
Last Club: Houston Dynamo
College: University of Washington
Citizenship: United States
