TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade
- DC get: Miguel Berry
- CLB get: Up to $325,000 GAM
UPDATE (July 20) – D.C. United have acquired forward Miguel Berry in a trade with the Columbus Crew for up to $325,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), the Eastern Conference clubs announced Wednesday.
Columbus will get $225,000 in guaranteed GAM, plus another $100,000 in additional GAM if Berry meets certain performance-based incentives. The Crew also retain a portion of any future trade fee within MLS.
Berry, 24, gives D.C. United another option up top as new head coach Wayne Rooney takes over.
“Miguel has shown his talent and his ability to be a top finisher in this league over the past two seasons and we are excited to see him continue to develop under Wayne,” Lucy Rushton, D.C. United general manager, said in a release. “His size, athleticism and goal-scoring ability will be a great addition to the roster as we head into a critical point in the season. We welcome him to the club and are looking forward to integrating him with the roster.”
While in Columbus, Berry had 10 goals and two assists in 34 regular-season appearances. He leaves after the Crew acquired club-record signing Cucho Hernandez from now-English Championship side Watford.
“We are grateful for Miguel’s contributions to the club during his time in Columbus,” Columbus president & general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in a release. “For three seasons, Miguel has been a great teammate and a consummate professional. We are proud of his development since he was drafted in 2020. With our current striker corps, ultimately, we felt this trade would prove beneficial for both the club and for Miguel. We wish him all the best as he takes this next step of his career in D.C.”
ORIGINAL (July 18) – D.C. United have agreed on a trade to acquire forward Miguel Berry from the Columbus Crew, sources tell MLSsoccer.com. The deal is for $225,000 in General Allocation Money plus incentives.
Berry has 10 goals and two assists in 34 MLS regular-season appearances after being selected No. 7 overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft by the Crew.
The 24-year-old won the starting center forward job early in the year, but Columbus recently acquired Cucho Hernandez as a club-record signing, limiting playing time for Berry. All the while, Columbus traded US international striker Gyasi Zardes to the Colorado Rapids in late April.
D.C. United were not the only team trying to acquire Berry, but got the deal sorted as their roster further changes under new head coach Wayne Rooney. The Black-and-Red just traded wingback Julian Gressel to Vancouver Whitecaps FC ahead of the weekend.
Beyond Cucho, Columbus have Erik Hurtado and young forward Jacen Russell-Rowe, who recently signed a first-team deal after excelling in MLS NEXT Pro. Hernandez has scored four goals in his first three MLS appearances.
Berry heads to D.C., where he hopes to get more playing time. The Black-and-Red have Michael Estrada and Ola Kamara as natural center forwards, as well as second striker Taxi Fountas. It's believed Rooney will prefer to play a 4-2-3-1 formation after previous manager Hernan Losada (and interim Chad Ashton) played out of a 3-4-2-1.
