Back in preseason, American soccer pundits pinned the Earthquakes to sign a Designated Player to fill the vacancy on the team’s roster left open by Matias Perez Garcia’s trade to Orlando City last summer. The team had made a series of high-profile moves, including TAM signings Danny Hoesen, Jahmir Hyka, Florian Jungwirth, etc., but didn’t secure a player to fill the team’s third DP slot.
At that time, Earthquakes general manager Jesse Fioranelli alluded to the fact that he wanted to ensure the right person was brought in to fill that role. Having only been on the job a couple months, he decided to keep his options open by not signing anyone and waiting for the summer’s secondary transfer window when top players were more readily available as many foreign leagues find themselves between seasons.