Revolution trade Designated Player Giacomo Vrioni to CF Montréal

The Revolution continued a busy offseason on Tuesday with the announcement of a high-profile departure.

Giacomo Vrioni, one of the club’s three Designated Players over the last two and half seasons, has been traded to CF Montréal in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money.

According to a team announcement, “New England retains a portion of Vrioni’s salary and a percentage of any future sale,” and “Vrioni no longer occupies a Designated Player slot on New England’s roster.”

“Giacomo is a class act on and off the field,” Revolution sporting director Curt Onalfo said per a team statement. “We thank Giacomo for his contributions during his three seasons with our club and wish him all the best with CF Montréal.”

The 26-year-old Italian-Albanian striker arrived in New England in the summer of 2022 as a high-profile signing meant to replace former forward Adam Buksa. He occupied a Designated Player spot on the roster (meaning that his salary could go above what the MLS salary cap normally allows), signaling the ambition the club had for his role. He was coming off a season on loan with Austrian club WSG Tirol from Juventus (who at that point held his contract) in which he scored 17 league goals.

Yet the goals didn’t flow as regularly in New England, with Vrioni tallying 16 in 67 MLS appearances during his inconsistent tenure. His struggles mirrored the team’s larger issues in front of goal, especially in the 2024 season. New England finished the year 14th in the Eastern Conference (out of 15 teams), having scored an MLS-low 37 goals.

Now, the Revolution are trying to hit the reset button heading into head coach Caleb Porter’s second season in charge. As part of that, Vrioni’s departure became more certain after New England’s recent acquisition of fellow striker Leonardo Campana in a trade with Inter Miami, as well as the reported loan agreement for Cameroonian forward Ignatius Ganago with French club FC Nantes.

Campana is listed as a Designated Player on the roster located on the club’s website, meaning that Vrioni’s departure brings New England back into compliance with MLS roster rules (which permit no more than three DPs on a single team). The Revolution’s other Designated Players currently are Spanish attacking midfielder Carles Gil, and Argentine winger Tomas Chancalay.