Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Tom Beattie

USA star quits club over unpaid wages after row with MLS club over transfer fee

USMNT star Reggie Cannon has walked away from his club after outstanding wages were allegedly left unpaid following a failure to pay his transfer fee to his former MLS team.

The 28-time international earned himself a move to Portuguese top flight outfit Boavista in 2020 after his performances in his homeland caught the eye. Two full seasons in MLS with FC Dallas was enough to convince his most recent employers to part with some $3.25 million (£2.6 million) for his services - or so it had seemed.

However, fast-forward nearly three years and the fee that saw the 25-year-old swap the US for Europe was still yet to be paid as of March 4, 2023, according to The Athletic. It is claimed that the case was sent to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), who ruled in favour of FC Dallas.

As part of the ruling, CAS then set set a deadline for the payment of any fees in line with the agreement that took the player to Boavista, which included interest. However, it is alleged that the deadline in question was then missed by the Portuguese club.

Now, the saga has taken another turn, with the Illinois-born full-back having walked away from his contract. This is due to alleged outstanding salaries which have failed to be paid by the club.

Numerous clubs are expected to be interested in signing the right-back following his stint in Portugal with attentive parties monitoring the current situation. In the past month, the defender has been linked with a move to Turkish giants Trabzonspor, according to outlet Fanatik.

Including last season, where Cannon made 33 appearances in total, he made 89 outings for the Primeira Liga club over the course of his three seasons. He now appears to have played his last game for team after they finished in ninth place in the top flight standings.

Reggie Cannon of Boavista FC during the Liga Portugal match between SL Benfica and Boavista FC at Estadio da Luz (Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Although the player was snubbed in his quest inclusion on the USMNT's roster for the World Cup in 2022, his previous 28 caps for the senior team will offer him hope that he can win his place back for the national team. With emerging star Sergino Dest currently ahead of him in the pecking order, he will be optimistic that he can provide some competition in this position moving forward.

Back in 2021, he spoke to the Guardian about his hopes for the coming years, especially with the World Cup taking place in the US in 2026. He said: "I see a lot of people say 2026 is going to be the big chance for USA considering where it is and everyone having the chance to develop at the biggest clubs.

He added: "This squad has so much quality, playing at some of the world’s biggest clubs, making huge impacts. It just gives motivation to a lot of the young guys to keep going."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.