The San Jose Earthquakes have announced that they have acquired defender Tim Ward from the Chicago Fire in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft.

Ward is in the sixth year of his MLS career, in which he has appeared in 55 games, having started 48 of those. He has tallied six assists in his career, notching three in both 2009 and 2006. Ward spent the last year and a half with the Fire, starting all 25 matches he appeared in.

"Tim is someone we think can come in and address some of our depth issues and help us right now," said Earthquakes General Manager of Soccer Operations John Doyle. "He has been a quality player in this league for a number of years and we feel he will fit right in with us."