Sporting Kansas City traded team Captain Davy Arnaud to Montreal in exchange for Seth Sinovic and allocation money Monday.
“After many discussions and considerations, both parties have come to an agreement,” Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes said. “On behalf of Sporting, we would like to thank Davy for his service with the club and wish him nothing but success in his future endeavors.”
Arnaud, played 10 seasons for Sporting Kansas City after being drafted in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft out of West Texas A&M. He holds the record for most regular season games played in club history with 240. During his time with Sporting Kansas City, Arnaud scored 43 goals and 35 assists, figures that rank second and third-most respectively on the club’s all-time scoring charts.
"There's no doubt that replacing a mentality and experience that Davy Arnaud brings is not an easy one but I think the team has grown from one place to another," Vermes explained. "It's taken two years and it's made a huge leap this past year. I think not only do you see a lot of guys that have grown up or matured but you've seen some other guys step up as well."
“I am very thankful to Sporting Kansas City, the organization and the fans. I made this my home for 10 years and am so proud to have been a part of the great soccer growth in Kansas City,” Arnaud said. “I look forward to my next challenge and playing in Montreal, but will never forget the wonderful times we shared here.”
Arnaud appeared in 22 matches (16 starts) for Sporting KC in 2011. He missed several weeks after surgery to repair a sports hernia in July.
While Arnaud was sidelines recovering, Sporting KC went on a hot streak and Arnaud found it difficult to crack the starting lineup when he returned. Roger Espinoza and Graham Zusi both became fixtures in the midfield and Julio Cesar moved back into the middle when Collin returned from injury as well. Despite being the team captain Arnaud ended up the man out.
Seth Sinovic was taken by Montreal in last week's Expansion Draft. In addition to Sinovic, Sporting KC receives allocation money in exchange for Arnaud.
“We’re very happy to be in a position where we could bring back Seth,” Vermes said. “We felt that over the course of last season he developed and became a big part of our team. We put an emphasis on reacquiring Seth and keeping him in his home town.”
Comments