One of Canada's brightest young prospects could change the context of the Terry Dunfield deal.
The Vancouver Whitecaps dealt Dunfield, a 29-year-old midfielder, to Toronto for allocation money and future considerations on July 14.
Given that Dunfield was the lone Vancouverite on the Caps roster, the trade didn't sit well with some fans.
The fact that Keven Aleman's MLS rights is the future considerations part of the swap adds perspective.
Aleman, a just-turned-17year-old attacking midfielder from Brampton, Ont., is highly regarded.
He's a special player, Canadas under-17 coach Sean Fleming said from Winnipeg. He's one we've not had in Canada for a while. I think it was shown throughout the qualifying (for the FIFA U-17 World Cup) and in the tournament.
Against England, every time they lost possession, immediately their coach started yelling, 10, 10, 10, (Aleman's number).
He's a very skilful player, very creative in the final third, he's a finisher and brings his teammates into the play.
There are no assurances that Aleman will end up in Vancouver.
Before the U-17 World Cup in Mexico, Toronto released Aleman and two other academy players. Coach Aron Winter told CBCSports.ca that a failure to sign a letter of commitment and a desire to pursue European trials was the reason.
Heading into a World Cup, the Costa Rica-born Aleman wanted to leave the door open and he currently has looks in Europe lined up.
The Whitecaps won't comment on the future considerations component of the Dunfield deal and it might be a while before anything official comes out.
It's a trade that breaks new ground as the MLS academy system and rules around player development continue to take shape.
No team has previously traded a player's homegrown rights.
Being from Brampton, about 40 kilometres from the Reds training facility in Toronto, Aleman is, by MLS definition, Toronto's homegrown player to sign, even though he was released from their academy.
If Aleman joins the Whitecaps, the club will gain more than a skilled player (YouTube his goal against Trinidad & Tobago in February), according to Fleming; they'll gain one with leadership qualities as well.
At his age, he's got a lot of great potential and another thing I appreciated about him was his leadership, Fleming said.
He became a leader for us, more by his actions than his words, and the boys really looked up to him. He had an excellent attitude.
The Whitecaps had five residency players at the U-17 World Cup in June: defenders Adam Polakiewicz and Daniel Stanese, and midfielders Bryce Alderson, Yassin Essa and Matteo Pasquotti. Alderson was team captain.
Dunfield has missed his first two games with Toronto due to a hamstring injury.
Alemans homegrown rights, traded in dunfield deal?
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Originally Posted by Roogsy
