Soccer : MLS transfers in 2011 season

The New York Red Bulls have signed Swedish defender Markus Holgersson. The 26-year-old spent the last three seasons with Helsingborg in Sweden, scoring five goals in 80 appearances. Meanwhile, the Portland Timbers have traded forward Kenny Cooper to the New York Red Bulls for a first-round pick in the 2013 draft and allocation money. The 27-year-old had eight goals and two assists in 34 matches for the Timbers last season.

Los Angeles Galaxy have reached an agreement with Tottenham Hotspur to buy Ireland captain Robbie Keane for a fee of €4 million. The 31-year-old, Ireland's record scorer, has struggled to hold down a starting spot at Spurs over the last two seasons and has spent time on loan at Celtic and West Ham United. Keane initially hoped to stay in the Premier League during its transfer window, but became interested in the Galaxy after training with Beckham at Tottenham earlier this year. The Galaxy must make a roster move when Keane receives his visa, since Los Angeles already has three "designated players" who can be paid above the MLS salary cap: Beckham, Donovan and Juan Pablo Angel.

The Chicago Fire traded defender Dasan Robinson to Toronto in exchange for defender Dan Gargan and Toronto's 2012 MLS SuperDraft second-round selection. Robinson has not seen much play for the Fire this season, making two starts and five overall appearances. He becomes the eighth new player to join Toronto this month as rookie head coach and technical director Aron Winter remakes the roster. Gargan struggled this campaign and been repeatedly exposed on Toront's backline, which has allowed a league-worst 41 goals.

Torsten Frings has left Werder Bremen for a new challenge with Toronto in Major League Soccer. The German midfielder, 34, has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with the Canadian side, apparently bringing down the curtain on a 402-match Bundesliga career. Frings has also earned 79 caps as a member of Germany's national team. Meanwhile, Toronto signed Dutch striker Danny Koevermans from PSV Eindhoven, where he tallied 34 goals in 91 appearances. Both players will be eligible to play for the team after July 15.

D.C. United have acquired midfielder Dwayne De Rosario from the New York Red Bulls in exchange for midfielder Dax McCarty. De Rosario, 33, a two-time MLS Cup MVP winner and a five-time All-Star selection, started the season with Toronto in his native Canada, before being dealt to the Red Bulls on April 1. McCarty, 24, scored two goals in 13 games for D.C. United after coming to the team from Portland. D.C. United also acquired 25-year-old defender Brandon McDonald from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for allocation money.

Finnish midfielder Teemu Tainio and defender Stephen Keel have both joined Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls. The 31-year-old Tainio arrives from Dutch club Ajax Amsterdam, which he joined at the beginning of the 2010 season. However, he appeared in just two matches this season. Keel, 27, spent last year with Portland in the American minor leaguers. He joins the Red Bulls after a month-long trial this preseason.

Carlos Ruiz has returned to Major League Soccer, signing with the Philadelphia Union on a free transfer from the Greek club Aris. The Guatemalan forward scored a league-leading 24 goals for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2002 and was voted league MVP as the Galaxy won the MLS Cup. He then scored 31 goals with Dallas from 2005-08. Ruiz, 31, has since played with Paraguay's Olimpia, Mexico's Puebla and Aris.

The New England Revolution have signed Argentine defender Franco Coria. Coria, 22, comes to New England from Argentina's Club Chacarita Juniors BA, where he has made 18 appearances for the first team in the last four seasons. Coria made one start in eight appearances for Chacarita in 2008-09, the season they gained their promotion into the Primera Division.

The Houston Dynamo have acquired defender Jermaine Taylor from Jamaican club St. George's. The 26-year-old has been capped 37 times by Jamaica, playing alongside current Dynamo midfielder Lovel Palmer. Taylor began his professional career with Harbour View in 2004 and played there until moving to St. George's in 2009.

Chivas USA have acquired defender Heath Pearce in a trade with FC Dallas in exchange for allocation money. Pearce, 26, had an excellent season for Dallas last year, playing 28 games and notching six assists. The U.S. national team left-back also played for Denmark's Nordsjaelland and Germany's Hansa Rostock before signing with Dallas in 2009.

The Los Angeles Galaxy have signed Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel to a multiyear contract. The 35-year-old spent the past four seasons with the New York Red Bulls, scoring an impressive 58 goals in 102 regular season games. Angel, who played in England's Premier League with Aston Villa, joins David Beckham and Landon Donovan under the "designated player rule" which allows clubs to pay selected players largely outside of the salary cap limit.