Houston Dynamo acquire Philadelphia Union defender Sheanon Williams in exchange for allocation money

The longest-tenured Philadelphia Union player is on the move.


On Thursday the Union traded Sheanon Williams, who had been with the club since its inaugural season, to the Houston Dynamo in exchange for general allocation money and future considerations. The Dynamo also acquired an international roster slot throught the end of the 2016 season from the Union.


"We are pleased to add a player with Sheanon Williams' quality and MLS experience to our group," Dynamo VP/general manager Matt Jordan said in a release. "We felt it was important to add a player to our team who possesses Sheanon's unique ability to play every position along the back line. The timing of this addition is important, especially due to the unfortunate injury to Jermaine Taylor in the Gold Cup."


  • Follow all the trades throughout the 2015 season with MLSsoccer.com's Trade Tracker


Williams appeared in 141 regular season games in six seasons with the Union, averaging 29 appearances per season from 2011-2014. The defender tallied seven goals and 19 assists with Philadelphia, including a career-high eight in 2013. Williams made 17 regular season appearances (15 starts) for the Union this season and is one of six players in the Eastern Conference to log four consecutive seasons with at least 2,000 minutes with the same club (2011-14). He is the club's all-time leader in games started and minutes played, and is tied with Sebastien Le Toux for the most games played in a Union uniform. 


“As our team enters the second half of the season, we feel the addition of Sheanon, the recent arrival of Erick "Cubo" Torres and the upcoming return of our national team players positions us well for an exciting push toward the MLS Cup playoffs," Jordan said. 


Williams will be eligible for selection on Saturday when the Dynamo host the LA Galaxy at BBVA Compass Stadium (9 pm ET, MLS LIVE).