Rafael Ramos joins the Chicago Fire after spending the last four seasons with Orlando City SC (photo credit: Nelson Lucindo)
The deal originally reported by NBC Sports Chicago’s Danny Santaromita and Paul Tenorio has been finalized. The Chicago Fire have acquired defender Rafael Ramos from Orlando City SC and $100,000 in targeted allocation money ($50,000 each for 2018 and 2019) in exchange for the Homegrown rights to Cam Lindley of North Carolina. Ramos is under contract for 2018 with a club option for 2019.
Ramos, 23, arrived in Orlando in 2014 when they were part of USL and joined them in their move to Major League Soccer in 2015. He appeared in 39 matches for the Lions over three seasons, but a hamstring injury has hampered him the last two seasons and he played just 55 minutes in 2017 for the main team and seven matches for Orlando’s B team in USL.
“Rafael Ramos has shown early in his career that he is a capable defender in our league. We feel his qualities and mentality will fit well with our team and believe he has another level to reach in his development,” aid Fire general manager Nelson Rodríguez. “Additionally, we wish the best to a former Chicago Fire Academy product in Cameron Lindley as he begins his professional career.”
Rodriguez is holding a media conference call
Thursday at
11am CT to discuss this trade, the
re-signing of Bastian Schweinsteiger, and
Friday’s SuperDraft where the Fire have the 15th, 38th, and 84th overall selections. However, past history has seen Rodriguez make numerous deals on draft day. We’ll see if there are more to come.
Photo Credit: Nelson Lucindo
Back to Ramos, if healthy, Ramos can add depth to the defensive line as he can play left or right back (and perhaps allow Matt Polster to be a holding midfielder). However, Christian Dean was added in the middle of last season to provide depth and he got injured and could not provide depth. The risk is that history will repeat itself, but the reward is that Ramos’s injury past is in the past and that he is ready for some more playing time in MLS.
