Jay Nolly has been traded to the Chicago Fire from the Vancouver Whitecaps in exchange for a first round pick in the 2013 Supplemental Draft. Nolly played in 14 games last year after becoming one of the first players the Whitecaps signed from their 2010 second-division team. The news came on the same day that the re-signing of goalkeeper Joe Cannon and midfielder John Thorrington were announced.

Nolly will almost certainly serve as Sean Johnson's primary backup in Chicago, a role he ended up playing for much of the 2011 season. After opening the season as a starter, he was benched after Tom Soehn appointed himself head coach following the firing of Teitur Thordarson.

The trade could just be one of many changes the Whitecaps undergo this offseason. With new coach Martin Rennie now taking over, it would stand to reason that he'd want to put his own stamp on a team that was among the worst in MLS last season.

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