TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS:Signing
The LA Galaxy secured a steely reinforcement for their midfield on Monday, signing Perry Kitchen after acquiring his MLS rights from D.C. United.
The move, first reported by ESPNFC’s Jeff Carlisle last month, completes Kitchen’s return home from a two-year stint in Europe, where he played for Scottish club Hearts of Midlothian and Danish outfit Randers. In exchange for Kitchen's rights, the Galaxy sent D.C. $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and $200,000 in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM).
“Perry has proven himself to be a top midfielder in Major League Soccer during his time with D.C. United,” said LA Galaxy head coach Sigi Schmid in statement provided by the team. “He has continued to progress during his time in Europe and we are confident he can bolster our midfield. At only 25 years old, Perry is already an MLS veteran and will be a great addition to the LA Galaxy on and off the field.”
A hard-edged, box-to-box dynamo, the Indianapolis native was a key contributor in D.C. from 2011-2015, starting at least 30 games every season as the anchor of the Black-and-Red midfield.
Drafted by D.C. with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft after a sterling NCAA season at Akron, Kitchen notched 10 goals and 10 assists in 158 regular-season MLS appearances, earning the attention of the US national team staff during Jurgen Klinsmann’s tenure.
Kitchen, who turns 26 in February, left D.C. as a free agent after the 2015 season to join Hearts, but United retained his MLS rights since they offered him a contract after his initial deal expired. He quickly carved out a key role with the Scottish Premiership side, earning the captain’s armband in September 2016, but saw his role decline significantly after Ian Cathro replaced Robbie Nielson as Hearts’ manager.
Kitchen moved on to sign a two-year deal at Randers last summer, making 17 appearances for the Danish Superliga side.
The Galaxy endured the worst season in club history in 2017, finishing tied for last in MLS with 32 points. The club already have central midfield options in Jonathan dos Santos, Sebastian Lletget and Joao Pedro on the roster, but declined the contract option of defensive mid Jermaine Jones earlier this offseason.
Kitchen is the third new arrival at the StubHub Center this offseason, following Venezuelan defender Rolf Feltscher and Norwegian defender Jorgen Skjelvik. The Galaxy are also reportedly nearing deals for goalkeeper David Bingham and midfielder Servando Carrasco, whose rights they acquired earlier in the offseason.
