Sounders FC today acquired defender / midfielder Jimmy Medranda and a potential total of $250,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) from Nashville SC in exchange for midfielder Handwalla Bwana. The 26-year-old Colombian brings nine seasons of professional experience to the Rave Green, having represented both Nashville and Sporting Kansas City in Major League Soccer. Sounders FC is guaranteed $225,000 of GAM as part of the agreement, and can receive an additional $25,000 should Bwana hit certain performance-based thresholds for Nashville. Seattle retains a percentage of any future transfer fees should Bwana be transferred outside of MLS.
“We would like to thank Handwalla for his contributions to our organization, and we wish him success in the next step of his journey with Nashville,” said Sounders FC General Manager & President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey. “We are pleased to welcome Jimmy to the club, and we look forward to working him into our squad as quickly as possible. Additionally, the General Allocation Money being acquired as part of this agreement gives us valuable roster flexibility for the future.”
Medranda is able to join his new teammates once he finishes a mandatory quarantine period under local government and MLS health and safety protocols.
The left-footer joined the league in 2013, winning MLS Cup in his rookie season with Sporting Kansas City. Medranda also won the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in 2015 and 2017. He spent every season of his MLS tenure with SKC – including two USL loan stints – before being selected by Nashville SC in last year’s MLS Expansion Draft. He has a total of 99 total MLS appearances from 2013-2019 (including MLS Cup Playoffs), scoring five goals. Prior to his time in MLS, Medranda spent 2012-2013 with Colombia’s Deportivo Pereira, making 16 appearances scoring two goals in all competitions.
“I look forward to bringing Jimmy into the club once he has cleared his mandatory quarantine period, and I believe his versatility can help the team,” said Sounders FC Head Coach Brian Schmetzer. “We know that Jimmy has played a few positions in his career, and that is helpful to us as we approach the stretch run of our season. I plan on working him into the attacking group by playing him up a line, and we are excited to see the energy he brings to that role.”
Bwana appeared in five matches for the Rave Green during the 2020 campaign after featuring in 15 contests last season. A Homegrown Player for Sounders FC and a product of both the University of Washington and Ballard High School, Bwana concludes his time in Seattle with 1,234 minutes played in the regular season, including four goals and three assists.
Sounders FC’s next match looms large in the race for the 2020 MLS Cup Playoffs, as Brian Schmetzer’s side welcomes the Portland Timbers to CenturyLink Field in a nationally televised showdown on Thursday, October 22 (7:30 p.m. PT / FS1, 1090 KJR AM, El Rey 1360 AM). Seattle remains atop the Western Conference with 31 points, narrowly ahead of second-place Portland. The Rave Green are level on points with Portland but ahead on goal difference.
