VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC added to their attack on Tuesday, acquiring Honduran international winger Michaell Chirinos, with the use of 2019 Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), on loan from Club Deportivo Olimpia through the end of the 2019 season. The TAM freed up by the Lucas Venuto transaction last Thursday will be reapplied to this acquisition.
Chirinos, a 24-year-old who recently played for Club de Fútbol Lobos de la Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla (Lobos BUAP) in Liga MX, joins Whitecaps FC on a loan for the remainder of 2019, with an option to purchase.
“Michaell is a humble and hardworking player who can play on the right or left side of the field,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos. “This loan gives us an opportunity to bring in and evaluate a player who has done well in Honduras and Mexico, leagues that have similar characteristics as MLS.”
TRANSACTION: On August 6, 2019, Whitecaps FC acquire Michaell Chirinos, with the use of 2019 Targeted Allocation Money, on a loan with an option to purchase from Honduran side C.D. Olimpia through the end of the 2019 season. Chirinos will occupy an international roster spot and officially join the club's roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC), work permit, visa, and medical examinations.
Whitecaps FC winger Michaell Chirinos
- Six goals in 33 appearance with Lobos BUAP in Liga MX, top tier in Mexico
- 33 goals in 115 appearances with C.D. Olimpia in Liga SalvaVida, first division in Honduras
- 19 appearances for Honduras men’s national team, including the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup
Chirinos made his professional debut in 2014 with his hometown side C.D. Olimpia. In league play, the 5-foot-5 winger has started 69 of his 99 appearances, while scoring 27 goals. In international club competition, he has made seven appearances and scored two goals in the Concacaf Champions League, including playing in two matches against Whitecaps FC in 2015. In 2017, Chirinos started all eight of his appearances and scored three goals to help Olimpia win the inaugural Concacaf League title.
During the 2018-19 season, Chirinos went on loan to Lobos BUAP in Mexico’s top tier Liga MX, where he started all 33 of his appearances and scored six goals.
A native of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Chirinos has made 19 appearances for his national team, most recently making two starts and three appearances in the Concacaf Gold Cup last month. At the youth level, Chirinos played in 10 matches for the Honduras U-20 and U-21 national sides, scoring two goals.
The acquisition of Chirinos marks the fifth transaction for Whitecaps FC during the summer transfer window, following the permanent transfer of left back Ali Adnan, contract extension of keeper Maxime Crépeau, and the departures of keeper Chituru Odunze and winger Lucas Venuto.
MICHAELL CHIRINOS
Pronunciation: chih-rEE-nohs
Position: Winger
Height: 5-05
Weight: 150 pounds
Date of Birth: June 17, 1995 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Hometown: Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Citizenship: Honduras
Status: International
Parent club: C.D. Olimpia (2014 - 2019)
