PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Timbers have acquired defender Chris Klute from Columbus Crew SC in exchange for general allocation money, it was announced today. Per league and club policy, terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Klute, 25, has appeared in 71 career MLS matches (63 starts) since his league debut late in the 2012 season with the Colorado Rapids. The defender joined Crew SC in a draft-day trade on Jan. 16, 2015, and made 14 appearances (8 starts) during Columbus’ run to MLS Cup this season.
“Chris is an experienced MLS defender that also has a big upside, similar to when we acquired Jorge Villafaña two years ago,” said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager of the Timbers.