LA Galaxy sign defender Martin Caceres through 2022 MLS season | OneFootball

The LA Galaxy have acquired Uruguay men's national team defender Martin Caceres through the end of the 2022 Major League Soccer season with an option for 2023.

He joins as a free agent after having played for Levante in La Liga. Though the Secondary Transfer Window is officially closed, clubs can continue to sign such players up through the Roster Freeze Date on September 2.

To complete the deal, LA acquired a 2022 international roster slot from Chicago Fire FC in exchange for $50,000 in General Allocation Money.

“Martin is a highly experienced and versatile defender that brings leadership, strong mentality and more championship pedigree to our team,” Galaxy head coach Greg Vanney said in a release. “We look forward to quickly integrating him into the group for the final phase of the season.”

Caceres arrives to MLS after seeing stints with Serie A’s Juventus, LaLiga’s Barcelona and the Premier League’s Southampton. He’s logged 21 goals and 15 assists in 366 appearances across European leagues.

“We’re excited to bring Martin to the Galaxy as he brings a wealth of experience to the club,” Galaxy technical director Jovan Kirovski added. “He played at a high level in Serie A and LaLiga last season and played a key role in Uruguay’s qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. We are thrilled to have a player of his caliber on our club for this stretch run to the playoffs.”

Internationally, he’s managed three goals and six assists in 112 matches with Uruguay, keeping him in contention for the 2022 World Cup-bound roster.

He now joins the LA Galaxy as the team fights for an MLS playoff spot. They currently sit in seventh place on the Western Conference table with 34 points in 25 games, and a record of 10W-11L-4D.

The team has nine games left to remain top seven in the league, and qualify for the postseason.