ORLANDO – December 8, 2014 – Orlando City Soccer Club has acquired two-time Major League Soccer (MLS) All-Star Goalkeeper Tally Hall from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for allocation money and a two-year international roster spot.
The Club also announced that it will receive three-time MLS All-Star Defender Aurélien Collin from Sporting Kansas City in return for allocation money and future considerations. Additionally, Midfielder Amobi Okugo will join Orlando City from the Philadelphia Union for allocation money and a 2016 natural second round pick.
Lastly, City gained an international spot from D.C. United after trading allocation money.
Per MLS and Club policy, specific terms of the deals were not disclosed.
“We think we’ve signed some of the best players in their respective positions in MLS,” said Head Coach Adrian Heath. “All three players are guys that we’ve wanted for a long time, and we know that they will be huge assets to us moving forward. We’ve always stated that we want to hit the ground running in MLS next year, and these three players will help make us competitive from day one.”
The addition of Hall secures a key position for the Lions as they move to MLS in 2015. A Renton, WA, native, Hall is a six-year league veteran with the Houston Dynamo. Hall started 101 of 102 regular season games through 2013, setting a club record with 12 regular season shutouts in 2012. Hall started 24 matches in 2014, recording seven shutouts before rupturing his ACL against Sporting KC on August 29. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Trade Window Press Conference | Hall, Collin, Okugo Annouced
Originally drafted by the L.A. Galaxy in 2007 MLS SuperDraft, Hall signed with Danish club Esbjerg for two seasons before joining the Dynamo in 2009. He has also trained with the U.S. Men’s National Team in 2013 and 2014.
Hall is very active within the community. His charitable work is highlighted by the formation of Banded Brigades Outdoors with Dynamo teammate Brad Davis. The organization provides morale-boosting events for American military members, injured Veterans and their families.
Collin joins the Lions after a highly successful four-year career with Sporting Kansas City. Originally from Paris, France, Collin appeared in 107 matches for Sporting Kansas City, notching 15 career goals in 103 starts – second in Sporting history for most MLS goals scored by a defender.
While at Sporting, Collin anchored one of the league’s top defenses, earning MLS Best XI honors in 2012 and 2013, and three consecutive MLS All-Star appearances (2012, 2013, and 2014).
Collin was also named 2013 MLS Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) after scoring the game-tying goal and converting the game-winning penalty kick in Sporting’s dramatic win over Real Salt Lake in the MLS Cup Final.
Off the field, Collin is very involved in fashion and community initiatives. He launched his own AC78 fashion line, opening a store in Kansas City. In addition, Collin was named Sporting KC’s Humanitarian of the Year in 2013 for his involvement in numerous community initiatives and philanthropic projects. He also speaks four languages: French, Spanish, English and Portuguese.
In five seasons with the Philadelphia Union, Amobi Okugo has appeared in 117 matches, starting in 101 of those contests. Originally drafted sixth overall by the Union in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Okugo proved to be a versatile player for Philadelphia, featuring as both a defender and as a midfielder.
Okugo logged over 9,000 minutes during his tenure with the Union, scoring five goals and notching six assists. In 2014, Okugo finished second on the team in games played (32) and games started (31), recording two goals and two assists. After displaying stellar performances as a center-back for the Union, Okugo received MLSsoccer.com Team of the Week honors, before switching to a more natural role as a defensive midfielder.
In addition, Okugo has been a mainstay with the U.S. Youth National Teams throughout his career, earning over 20 caps with the U.S. U-17, U-18, U-20 and U-23 Men’s National Teams.
