ST. LOUIS — Two players from St. Louis CITY SC's inaugural team have been traded to D.C. United in exchange for midfielder Chris Durkin.
The trade became official on Tuesday after a report last week said CITY SC would trade midfielder Jared Stroud and defender Lucas Bartlett in exchange for midfielder Chris Durkin from D.C. United. St. Louis will also send $300,000 in general allocation money to D.C.
“Chris is a young talented defensive midfielder, who has gained a ton of great experience here in the U.S., over in Europe and with the youth national team,” Sporting Director Lutz Pfannenstiel said. “He has a hard-working, ambitious and fighter mentality that makes him a good fit for this club.”
Durkin, 23, has played four seasons with United. He has scored five goals and recorded nine assists in 96 matches. Over the last two seasons, he led the team with 463 duels and 42 interceptions, a press release said.
The midfielder also played for the United States on several levels from the Under-15 to Under-23 teams.
“We want to thank Jared and Lucas for their time and commitment to CITY SC,” Pfannenstiel said. “They will always be remembered as part of the first CITY SC team that reached great heights. We wish them nothing but the best moving forward.”
Stroud played in 31 matches in the 2023 season for St. Louis, recording five goals and five assists. He previously played for Austin FC and New York Red Bulls.
Bartlett appeared in 14 matches for St. Louis, recording one assist in 2023. He played for FC Dallas and saw action at the MLS Next Pro level with North Texas SC.
D.C. United finished with a 10-10-14 record, missing the 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs.
CITY SC finished first in the Western Conference, becoming the first expansion team in MLS history to win a conference title during its inaugural season. Its season would fall short after being swept by Sporting Kansas City in the first round of the MLS Playoffs.
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