Chivas loses Zarek Valentin to Montreal in expansion draft
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The Galaxy, Major League Soccer’s newly crowned champion, escaped Wednesday’s expansion draft unscathed but Chivas USA wasn’t so lucky, losing defender Zarek Valentin to the Montreal Impact.
Valentin was the second player selected behind Houston Dynamo forward and team captain Brian Ching.
Ten players were selected in the draft from a pool of 272 players. Each team was allowed to protect 11 players from its 2011 roster.
Later in the day Chivas replaced Valentin by sending forward Justin Braun and defensive midfielder Gerson Mayen to Montreal for former Seattle defender James Riley, the Impact’s ninth selection in the draft. Mayen, who played high school soccer at Manuel Arts, was on loan to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers last season and hasn’t played in MLS since 2010. He has also played for the Salvadoran national team.
The Impact, the 19th MLS club, will begin play next spring.
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-- Kevin Baxter