Red Bulls trade McCarty to Chicago for $400K in allocation money
The New York Red Bulls confirmed Monday that midfielder and captain Dax McCarty has been traded to the Chicago Fire in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money, split up in $200,000 installments over two seasons.
"We thank Dax for his service to the club," Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch said in a statement. "He will go down as one of the best players and captains in franchise history. At this point in time, we felt that this was the right move to put our team in the best position to succeed both now and for years to come."
McCarty, 29, has spent the last six seasons with the Red Bulls, where he has made a combined 186 regular season and playoff appearances, scoring 15 goals and recording 28 assists.
Interestingly, the Chicago Fire traded the No. 3 overall pick in the 2017 MLS SuperDraft to New York City FC in exchange for $250,000 in GAM, an acquisition that is now likely funding McCarty's trade.
He join a Chicago Fire side in rebuild mode, as head coach Veljko Paunovic attempts to dig the club out of the Eastern Conference basement, where it has finished in the last two MLS seasons.
"Since the middle of 2016, we made acquiring Dax our No. 1 priority," Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez said in a club-issued statement. "In order to do so, we had to exchange worthy and appropriate compensation. We believe adding his character and leadership in the locker room, as well as his exceptional soccer abilities on the field, dramatically improves our team."
Having already added former LA Galaxy midfielder Juninho to their ranks, the Fire gains another strong midfield presence in McCarty, who has proven himself a vital piece to the Red Bulls on the field and as a leader since being traded to the club in 2011 out of D.C. United for Dwayne De Rosario.
Unfortunately for McCarty, the trade comes just one day after his nuptials, perhaps an unwanted wedding present for the Red Bulls' now-former captain.