The Montreal Impact lost defender Heath Pearce, Wednesday, as Orlando City SC made the American player its seventh selection in the 2014 MLS Expansion Draft.
“You never want to lose a player in the expansion draft but unfortunately Heath was selected today,” said Impact head coach and director of player personnel Frank Klopas. “We would like to thank him for his services with the club and we wish him luck with his new team.”
The MLS veteran made 23 appearances last season with IMFC, logging a total of 1,822 minutes. 2014 was a comeback season of sorts for the former U.S. international, following knee surgery that shut him down for six months, while playing for the New York Red Bulls.
As per Expansion Draft guidelines, the bleu-blanc-noir was then able to safeguard an additional player, adding defender Donny Toia to its protected list. No other Impact player was then selected in the draft.
