Matias Perez Garcia bids Orlando City farewell as contract expires

Orlando City attacker Matias Perez Garcia is set to depart the club after his current deal expires on June 30. The 32-year-old posted a farewell message on Instagram, announcing his intent to leave after failing to come to an agreement with the Lions for a new deal, despite extensive negotiations.

"Finally we do not reach an agreement and today it's me saying goodbye to Orlando," Perez wrote, in Spanish, as translated by the Orlando Sentinel. "I want to thank everyone for the love received, to my teammates for the moments, and coaching staff, thank you very much to all and now expect whatever comes will surely be the best."

The Argentine attacker joined the Lions in 2016 after being traded from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for midfielder Darwin Ceren in August. He went on to become an instrumental part of Orlando's front line, often playing behind Cyle Larin and Carlos Rivas, especially in Kaka's absence with injury.

But with Kaka back fighting fit, the addition of Luis Gil and head coach Jason Kreis' preference for more defensive-minded midfielders, Perez Garcia lost his starting spot, and with his contract expiring, the two parties split midway through the season.

"It's an extremely odd situation," Kreis said last week, as quoted by the Orlando Sentinel. "It's the first time I've ever been in this situation where you have a player whose contract is up in the middle of the season, and it's been a personally frustrating experience for him because he's expressed his intent clearly that he wants to stay and we've been pretty, pretty far away from what he has said he's needed and what we have available to pay.

"Because of that difference, it's made the process a difficult one and a drawn-out one, and pretty crazy that we get to this point in our season and we still don't have clear resolution."

Perez Garcia was listed as making $260,004 in 2017, according to the MLS Players' Union.