[MLS TRANSACTIONS] The Columbus Crew signed French-American midfielder Romain Gall via MLS’s weighted lottery fromFrench club Lorient. Gall plays for the U.S. under-20 national team and had originally intended to return to the United States to attend the University of Maryland.
“We feel that Romainis a young player with ability,” said Crew sporting director and head coach Gregg Berhalter. “He’s 19 years old, has great attacking ability and is adynamic part of U.S. Soccer’s youth national team program. We feel that he’s a strong addition to our team, and we’re looking forward to bringing him in. We aim to be a clubrecognized for developing talented young players into successful professionals for their club and country.”
Gall signed with Lorient in 2011 and spent time with the club’sreserves, Lorient II. Most recently, he played for the U.S. U-20s who won the 2014 NTC Invitational Tournament in July.
— The expansion Orlando City signed 19-year-old defenderRafael Ramos and 18-year-old defensive midfielder Valdomiro Lameira from Benfica to multi-year deals for the remainderof the 2014 USL PRO season before transitioning with the club to MLS in 2015. The agreement is part of a partnership with the Portuguese champions.
Ramos and Estrela participated in theinaugural UEFA Youth League tournament with Benfica, which finished second behind Barcelona.