The Portland Timbers’ roster shuffle continued on Thursday.
The Timbers traded defender Mike Chabala to D.C. United and signed New Zealand defender Ian Hogg through the remainder of this season.
Thursday’s moves saw the Timbers part with a player who was coached in Houston by John Spencer when Spencer was an assistant coach for the Dynamo. Spencer was fired last month as the Timbers head coach.
The team brought in a player from the native country of general manager and interim head coach Gavin Wilkinson.
“Ian is a young, talented left back with good athleticism and a desire to succeed,” Wilkinson said in announcing the moves.
“We have signed him through the remainder of the season and look forward to closely evaluating him as we move to next season.”
Hogg, 22, played in all three group-stage matches for New Zealand at the Olympics. He made his senior international debut May 23, scoring a goal in a friendly against El Salvador, and in June played in two 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Hogg has been a part of the New Zealand national team system at the under-20 and under-23 levels. He also competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
Chabala, 28, played in 23 matches and recorded a goal and two assists for the Timbers. He joined Portland in a July 2011 trade with Houston. This season, Chabala played in 12 games for Portland.
“We appreciate Mike’s contributions to the team and thought it was best to give him this opportunity for more playing time and a fresh start with a new club,” Wilkinson said.
Earlier this week The Timbers traded goalkeeper Troy Perkins to Montreal for goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts. Ricketts is expected to train with Portland for the first time on Friday.
The Timbers next two matches are on the road, in Toronto on Wednesday and at New York on Aug. 19.
