Montreal – Montreal signed striker Maximiliano Orrotti for Dynamo Houston on Monday, in exchange for Slovenian center-back Eljaz Strona and his place as a foreign player for the 2021 season.

The Montreal team also gave up their MLS SuperDraft second round selection in 2022.

“We are very pleased to add a great defender to our line of defense,” Olivier Renard, Sports Director of Montreal said in a statement.

He added, “He has experience in MLS and at the international level, in addition to having developed for several years in Italy.”

The 30-year-old joined Houston Dynamo FC on December 24, 2018 from Italian club Palermo, and has played 46 Major League Soccer matches for Texas, including 45, for a total of 4,046 minutes.

Internationally, he played 21 matches for the Slovenian national team, making his debut on 23 March 2016 against Macedonia.

In the last two seasons in Montreal, Orrotti scored nine goals and amassed eight assists in 46 regular season matches.

For Urruti, it will be the return to Texas, who spent three seasons with FC Dallas before joining Impact in 2019.

Houston will retain a percentage of the transfer fee if Struna is subsequently relocated outside of MLS.