LA added a significant piece to the puzzle this morning, as the club announced the signing of 25-year-old U.S. international Perry Kitchen from Danish Superliga club Randers FC on a free transfer. Additionally, the Galaxy sent $200,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and $100,000 in General Allocation Money to D.C. United in exchange for Kitchen’s rights. (You may recall D.C. shipping $500,000 to LA for the rights to winger Paul Arriola last season)

“Perry has proven himself to be a top midfielder in Major League Soccer during his time with D.C. United,” said LA Galaxy Head Coach Sigi Schmid. “He has continued to progress during his time in Europe and we are confident he can bolster our midfield. At only 25 years old, Perry is already an MLS veteran and will be a great addition to the LA Galaxy on and off the field.” Following his time in MLS, the Indianapolis product joined Heart of Midlothian in the Scottish Premier League in 2016. In his first year with the club, Kitchen was named team captain and went on to make 45 total appearances during his time there, including Europa League Qualifying contests. He joined Randers FC earlier this year before making nine appearances in Denmark. Internationally, Kitchen has appeared for various U.S. Men’s National sides, including time with the U-17 and U-20 Men’s National Teams and the U.S. Olympic Qualifying squad. On Feb. 8, 2015, Kitchen earned his first cap with the Senior National Team at StubHub Center in a 2-0 win over Panama. Since then, he has made an additional four appearances with the USMNT.

Time will tell whether or not the former Hearts captain can replicate the form he displayed in MLS before departing for Europe, but a midfield that looked like a mess not too long ago is starting to shape up nicely. Potentially Kitchen could pair with Jonathan dos Santos in a 4-2-3-1.

What do you think of the signing?