The Union sold two international roster spots for $350,000 toward next year’s cap

Major League Soccer’s first transfer deadline of the year is Tuesday. That means Monday was a moment for teams looking for last-minute foreign signings to get on the phone and try to buy international roster slots to make room for them. Each team gets eight to start the year, and it can trade for as many as it wants as long as it finds a dance partner.

The Union turned out to be one of those dance partners. They sold one international spot for this year and one for next year to Nashville SC for $350,000 in allocation money — effectively bonus salary-cap space — for next year’s roster.

The Union are using only five of their international slots right now, since many of their foreign signings now have U.S. green cards. They almost certainly won’t need all eight next year, either, with a number of academy prospects on the cusp of arriving. Even if sporting director Ernst Tanner goes shopping abroad after this season, all the players who come up internally will be domestic.

So Tanner’s office was open for trading on Monday, and when Nashville general manager Mike Jacobs called, he picked up the phone.

The Union return to action from their bye week on Saturday with a home game against Real Salt Lake (7:30 p.m., Apple TV). At 3-0-4 (13 points), the Union are the last unbeaten team in Major League Soccer this year. Although the Union have played fewer games than most other teams, their 1.86 points per game is the best figure in the Eastern Conference, and the third-best leaguewide.

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