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On the heels of the Union's trade Wednesday of forward Danny Mwanga to Portland, I spoke with Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz, who used the four-minute phone conversation to temper fears of fans while trumping up who the club got in return.

Here are Sakiewicz's thoughts on Mwanga, Timbers-turned-Union striker Jorge Perlaza and fan outcry:

On whether the move carried transfer-window implications
“No, because this move wasn't made within the transfer window. It doesn't open until July. This was a move to make our team better, bring in a guy with multiple weapons in Perlaza and a guy who can do multiple things offensively. Danny's been great with us. He's a tremendous young talent and we wish him well moving forward. This wasn't about freeing up money. This was about grabbing a player who can help us.”

On whether the move was an indictment on a technical staff that acquired offensive players in the offseason
“Not at all. I don't know where you get that from. I don't have any idea if you saw how Josue (Martinez) and Lio (Pajoy) and Freddy (Adu) were playing (Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup).”

On whether there's a crunch for minutes for Perlaza
“There always is. Guy's have to earn there spots. It's good to have a guy like Perlaza with attributes we don't have. Peter will embellish that and tell you Perlaza comes with some weapons we can use.”

On veracity of published reports in the offseason, that Perlaza was on the Union's radar
“I don't know. He's not a player who has come up in our discussions in previous years. Diego (Gutierrez, Union head of scouting) knows him very well. A couple of our guys in the locker room know him. You have to talk to Peter (Nowak, Union manager) about that, whether he's been on our radar.

On reassuring fans who might throw their hands up that another fan favorite has been traded
“I have no respose to (our fans) throwing hands up at any point. We dont give up, we dont quit and we're doing everything possible to get better each season.”