In order to make way for the signing of new Designated Player Christian Tiffert for FC Kaiserslautern, the Seattle Sounders have traded Alvaro Fernandez to the Chicago Fire for an undisclosed amount of allocation money. It was apparent early in the day that one of the Sounders current DPs was likely to be on the move after the news of Tiffert's imminent signing began to make its way from Germany to the US, and Fernandez always appeared the most likely to move on.

Fernandez had a somewhat rocky start to his career in Seattle, often finding himself second choice to Sanna Nyassi after joining the Sounders in the middle of the 2010 season. The Uruguay international scored two goals in 12 games (with just four starts) in his first half-season in MLS as he had difficulty adjusting to the physical nature of the league. Fernandez put those struggles behind him in 2011, scoring nine times in league play and becoming a key part of Seattle's high-octane attack. One of El Flaco's most memorable moments came in Seattle's CONCACAF Champions League game in Monterrey, the winger fighting through the Rayados defense to score the winner and give the Sounders a signature win.