VANCOUVER, BC – Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s 2017 leading scorer is back.
Whitecaps FC announced on Friday that the club has reacquired striker Fredy Montero following 13 months with Portuguese Primeira Liga club Sporting Clube de Portugal, which saw the Leões win the 2018 and 2019 Portuguese League Cup.
Montero, who has agreed to a two-year contract through 2020, holds a United States Green Card and will not occupy an international roster spot.
"We’re happy to have Fredy back in Vancouver. He’s returning to a city and a club he knows very well, and to a league where he’s had incredible success,” said Whitecaps FC head coach Marc Dos Santos. “He gives us a proven goalscorer and an important presence in our locker room. Whether Fredy will be a Designated Player or whether we will use Targeted Allocation Money on his contract will be determined prior to the MLS Roster Compliance Date on March 1. We’re looking forward to having him join the group as we start the next phase of our training camp in Los Angeles.”
Whitecaps FC striker Fredy Montero
- Returns to Vancouver following a season plus with Sporting CP
- 15 goals and six assists in 31 starts and 39 appearances across all competitions, while on loan with Whitecaps FC in 2017
- 61 goals and 42 assists in 148 starts and 165 appearances in MLS, including playoffs
- One of 20 players in MLS history to record at least 60 goals and 40 assists in league play
- Scored 46 goals in 131 matches with Sporting CP in all competitions
“Vancouver is a special place for my family and me,” said Montero. “I’m blessed and excited to be back. The city and fans welcomed us in 2017, and I’m ready to score goals and give my all to the club once again. I just want to say thank you to the coaching staff for giving me this opportunity.”
Montero, 31, rejoins Whitecaps FC after previously enjoying a successful stint with Vancouver in 2017 while on a one-year loan from Chinese Super League club Tianjin Teda. He tallied 15 goals and six assists in 31 starts and 39 appearances across all competitions that year, helping the ‘Caps finish just a point off first place in the Western Conference and earn their first win in the MLS Cup Playoffs. His 13 regular-season goals tied his MLS career-high, while also finding the net in the Concacaf Champions League and MLS Cup Playoffs. His four game-winning assists were also the most on the team.
Whitecaps FC originally acquired Montero via the MLS Allocation Process two years ago to the day, securing the #1 spot in the Allocation Ranking Order from Minnesota United FC in exchange for $100,000 in General Allocation Money, $125,000 in Targeted Allocation Money, and a 2017 international roster spot.
The 5-foot-9 striker has 61 goals and 42 assists in 148 starts and 165 appearances in his five MLS seasons, including playoffs. He is one of only 20 players in MLS history to record at least 60 goals and 40 assists in league play.
Montero began his MLS career spending four years with Seattle Sounders FC, where he still holds the all-time record with 60 goals, in addition to his 42 assists in 160 matches across all competitions. Along the way, he helped Seattle win three U.S. Open Cup titles, while collecting three MLS All-Star nods and the 2009 MLS Newcomer of the Year award.
Since rejoining Sporting CP in January 2018, Montero started 18 of 37 appearances, helping Leões hoist the 2018 and 2019 Taça da Liga (Portuguese League Cup). Montero scored nine goals across all competitions, including five in the UEFA Europa League. It was his second stint with Sporting, after having also spent 2014-16 with the Portuguese Primeira Liga giants, helping them win the Taça de Portugal and the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira in 2015.
Besides MLS and Portuguese Primeira Liga, Montero played in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin Teda in 2016. The Barranquilla, Colombia native also played for three clubs in the Colombian Primera A, beginning his professional career with Deportivo Cali from 2005-08, a loan stint to Atlético Huila in 2006, and with Millonarios FC while on loan from the Sounders in 2013.
At the international level, Montero has made four appearances for the Colombian national team.
TRANSACTION: On February 15, 2019, Whitecaps FC sign Fredy Montero to a two-year contract through 2020 - pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and medical examinations.
Fredy Montero
Position: Striker
Height: 5-09
Weight: 165 pounds
Date of Birth: July 26, 1987 in Campo de la Cruz, Colombia
Hometown: Barranquilla, Colombia
Citizenship: Colombia
Status: Domestic (United States Green Card)
Previous Club: Sporting Clube de Portugal (Portuguese Primeira Liga ‘18-’19)
