Union finally loan Carlos Valdés to Uruguay's Nacional

The latest chapter of the Carlos Valdés saga came to a close on Friday, as the Union finalized a deal to loan him to Uruguayan club Nacional.

"The loan makes financial sense for both our club and Carlos, and gives us the ability to continue to shape our roster as we prepare for the season," Union technical director Chris Albright said in a statement issued by the team Friday afternoon.

Valdés will be gone for the entire 2015 MLS season. What happens after that... well, part of the point of today's news is that we won't have to deal with this matter for a while, right?

Albright's reference to the room this gives the Union to make another move to bolster the back line is what matters most now - and that move could be coming soon.

KYW's Kevin Kinkead reported Friday morning that the Union are "close to signing" 6-foot-5 Portuguese-Canadian central defender Steven Vítoria. He's a 28-year-old Toronto native who moved to Portugal when he was 18 to join the youth system of perennial power FC Porto.

Vítoria moved up to the senior level in 2006, then was loaned out a few times and couldn't really get established. So he left Porto in 2010 to sign with Estoril, where he played 79 games over three seasons and at tisse served as the team's captain.

In 2013, Vítoria decided it was time to take another shot at being a small fish in a big pond instead of a big fish in a small pond. So he signed with Benfica, another Portuguese powerhouse, and he's been there ever since. But he hasn't played much, and it sounds like he wants out.

At the international level, Vítoria has played for Portugal at the 2006 under-19 European Championship and the 2007 under-20 World Cup - which just so happened to take place in Canada. From what I understand, he's still able to file the paperwork to switch allegiances if he wants to play for Canada's senior national team. Moving to Major League Soccer might be a sign of his intentions.

Speaking of signs, if the Union do sign Vítoria, it will likely mean that Maurice Edu gets to play in midfield. That's what he wants, and it's where he's best-suited. So Jim Curtin could kill a few birds with one stone if the deal happens.