Update - July 7, 4:45 pm ET
The trade is official. Lloyd Sam has been traded by the Red Bulls to rivals D.C. United in exchange for General Allocation Money.
“Lloyd is a dangerous winger and has challenged us for years with the Red Bulls,” said Dave Kasper, United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations. “He is a creative player who not only generates many chances from wide areas with quality service but he is also a proven goal scorer.”
The Ghanaian international had one goal and four assists in 16 games for the Red Bulls this season, and overall has 20 goals and 22 assists in 106 appearances (82 starts) for the club.
Update – July 7, 2:45 pm ET
According to Daniel Falkenheim of NJ.com, the Red Bulls have traded Sam to bitter rivals D.C. United for “an unspecified amount of allocation money.”
The reported move is in line with BigAppleSoccer.com’s Wednesday report claiming that the Red Bulls were shopping Sam and looking to receive allocation money in return.
Sam, who signed with New York in August 2012, reacted to the news on Twitter shortly after it was reported.
Moving the 31-year-old midfielder off the books and adding allocation should allow the Red Bulls flexibility to sign a new attacker, something head coach Jesse Marsch said on Tuesday he was aiming to do during the current transfer window.
Original text – July 7, 10:56 am ET
The New York Red Bulls are looking to trade Lloyd Sam, according to BigAppleSoccer.com.
Big Apple Soccer’s Kristian Dyer reported on Wednesday that the Red Bulls have offered Sam to several other MLS teams and are looking for allocation money in return.
The 31-year-old midfielder has been a regular starter for the Red Bulls since 2013. He’s made 106 regular season appearances since joining New York in August 2012, recording 20 goals and 22 assists and helping the Red Bulls to the 2013 and 2015 Supporters’ Shield titles.
Sam has one goal and four assists in 16 appearances and 13 starts in league play this year. He hasn’t started either of the Red Bulls’ last two MLS matches, but did play the first 70 minutes in New York’s US Open Cup loss to Philadelphia on June 29.
New York Red Bulls head coach Jesse Marsch told reporters on Tuesday that the club are looking to add an attacker – potentially a Designated Player – in the transfer window that opened on Monday. Acquiring allocation money would give the Red Bulls more room to sign such a player.
