The Montreal Impact was in discussion with Nelson Rivas since the off-season to try and bring back Nelson Rivas in 2014. Sporting Director, Nick de Santis, confirmed twice to the media that negotiations were underway. 24 hours after the MLS Draft, it seems that Rivas will be back and hopefully healthy enough

Having earned a base salary of 75,000$ in 2013, Rivas always seemed like a good deal since his arrival in 2012. But with the mystery of allocation money and other MLS financial tools, we cannot know for sure how much was Rivas costing the club.

Négociations terminées: @impactmontreal et Nelson Rivas se sont entendus et le Colombien sera de retour en 2014. @TVASports #IMFC — Olivier Brett (@Olivier_Brett) January 17, 2014

It is not a surprise to see Rivas back after Nick De Santis confirmed twice to be negotiating with the defender. The potential shockwave would come from his constant injuries as he only played 11 games in 2 seasons with the club. As the backline was weakened by Alessandro Nesta's retirement, the club needed to fill that gap as soon as possible.

The potential of Nelson Rivas was never in doubt. Arguably, he can easily be an excellent defender in MLS as he combines a physical agressive style with an underrated tactical awareness. Even though his agressiveness would earn him two red cards in 11 games (including MLS season and playoffs), he could theoretically be a great asset.

Until theory becomes reality, stay tuned for more developments on this story.