Diego Fagundez joins LA Galaxy from Austin FC in trade for Memo Rodríguez | MLSSoccer.com

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade

The LA Galaxy have turned to the MLS trade market to boost their offense, announcing Tuesday they have acquired midfielder Diego Fagundez from Austin FC in exchange for midfielder Memo Rodríguez.

The Western Conference clubs also have exchanged General Allocation Money (GAM) that sees Austin get up to $900,000 for Fagundez – breaking down as $300k that’s guaranteed and $600k that’s conditional. LA, meanwhile, could receive $150k in conditional GAM based on Rodríguez’s performance.

Fagundez heads West

The centerpiece of the trade is Fagundez, who has tallied 68 goals and 67 assists in 347 career regular-season appearances (262 starts) across 13 MLS seasons. He spent the majority of his professional career with the New England Revolution, where he became a homegrown player in 2010, before joining Austin as a free agent for their 2021 expansion season.

Fagundez, a 28-year-old Uruguay native, is one of 11 players in MLS history to record 65 goals and 65 assists in regular-season play. In LA, he joins an attack that’s highlighted by midfielder Riqui Puig, wingers Tyler Boyd and Douglas Costa, and striker Dejan Joveljic.

“Diego is a talented, versatile and hard-working player who has consistently produced on the attacking side,” LA head coach and sporting director Greg Vanney said in a release. “We are pleased to bring him into the team as we see him sliding seamlessly into our style of play.”

“The club is sincerely grateful to Diego for his contributions to growing Austin FC on and off the field in the organization’s first two and a half seasons,” Austin sporting director Rodolfo Borrell said in a release. “He will forever be an important part of the team’s history and we wish him all the best in the future.”

Rodríguez returns to Texas

Rodríguez, 27, spent the majority of his professional career at Texan rival Houston Dynamo FC (2014-22) before joining LA last winter in free agency. For his MLS career, he has 18 goals and 15 assists in 148 regular-season matches (90 starts).

Like Fagundez, Rodríguez brings a versatile presence in playing out wide or centrally. He is Austin’s second trade acquisition of the Secondary Transfer Window after acquiring center back Matt Hedges from Toronto FC.

“We are happy to have Memo return to his home state of Texas to join Austin FC,” said Borrell. “He is a talented midfielder who is going to help the team and knows the league well, and we wish him and his family a warm welcome to the community here in Austin.”

Added Vanney: “Memo was a pleasure to work with and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Beyond the summer window closing Aug. 2, teams can sign out-of-contract free agents through the MLS Roster Freeze Date on Sept. 15. That’s particularly relevant for LA, who are limited when signing international players due to transfer sanctions.