Union trade for Damion Lowe, a central defender from Inter Miami
Lowe will likely slot in as the Union's No. 3 centerback. He knows Andre Blake well from Jamaica's national team.
This article was updated on Jan. 25 after the trade became official.
The Union acquired Inter Miami centerback Damion Lowe on Wednesday, bringing some veteran depth to the position.
A 29-year-old Jamaican, Lowe slot in at No. 3 on depth chart behind Jakob Glesnes and Jack Elliott. The Union haven’t rotated their centerbacks much since Mark McKenzie’s departure at the end of 2020, and Jim Curtin generally would rather not do it. But with 50-plus games on deck this year, he won’t have much choice.
“Damion is an experienced defender who fits into our current needs,” Union sporting director Ernst Tanner said in a statement. “He’s an athletic, quick player and we expect him to be an important piece of our defensive unit as we begin a season that will require lineup and formation changes due to the unprecedented number of matches.”
The Union paid a solid but not excessive price in the deal: $225,000, their 2024 natural first round draft pick, and the homegrown player rights to academy product Shanyder Borgelin. A 21-year-old Haitian-American forward who grew up in south Florida, Borgelin left Philadelphia at the start of last year to sign a MLS Next PRO contract with Miami’s reserve squad. The rights trade makes it easier for Miami to move him up to the first team.
Miami also agreed to give the Union a cut of the transfer fee if Borgelin is sold abroad some day. The exact number wasn’t specified.
When Lowe joins the Union, he’ll find a familiar face in goalkeeper Andre Blake. The two are teammates on Jamaica’s national team, which Blake captains. Lowe has earned 50 caps since his debut in 2016, including nine in the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle. He also played for the Reggae Boyz at the 2017, ‘19, and ‘21 Concacaf Gold Cups. The odds are good that he’ll play in this year’s edition, too.
The Union will be Lowe’s third MLS team since the Seattle Sounders selected him eighth overall in the 2014 MLS draft, seven picks behind Blake. He went on to play for teams in U.S. lower leagues and the top divisions in Norway and Egypt before joining Miami a year ago.
The arrival of forward Joaquín Torres from CF Montreal and the departure of goalkeeper Matt Freese to New York City FC still aren’t official yet.
» READ MORE: Union make a deal for Joaquín Torres from CF Montréal
New deal for reserve team coach
The Union and reserve team coach Marlon LeBlanc agreed to a new multiyear deal, according to a statement from the team. Terms, including the contract’s length, were not revealed.
LeBlanc has been with the Union since 2020, when he joined the youth academy’s coaching staff. He took charge of the reserve team, officially called Union II, later that year. Union II made the MLS Next Pro playoffs last year in the first year of MLS’ new competition for reserve teams.
Preseason result
The Union and St. Louis SC played to a 2-2 tie in a preseason scrimmage Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla. Kai Wagner (ninth minute) and rarely-seen reserve centerback Gino Portella (75th) scored for the Union. João Klauss (41st) and former U.S. national team forward Nicholas Gioacchini (88th) scored for St. Louis in the expansion team’s first organized game in MLS.