D.C. United Trades Adam Cristman To L.A. Galaxy For 1st Round Pick In Supplemental Draft
Striker Adam Cristman, who was out of contract, has been traded by DC United to the Los Angeles Galaxy for the #16 pick in the 2011 Supplemental Draft.
The progress on a contract for Cristman had been surprisingly slow; this trade is perhaps a sign that he and United had reached an impasse. LA had traded target forward Alan Gordon last season, and it seems likely that Bruce Arena wants Cristman to fill a similar role off the Galaxy bench. If DC was going to end up not signing Cristman, trading his rights for what is essentially a 4th round draft pick is getting something for nothing.
Cristman's game revolved around being a hardworking physical force as a target striker. With plenty of evidence pointing toward DC taking a Generation Adidas player that plays in a similar fashion (either Indiana's Will Bruin or USA under-20 Omar Salgado), Cristman was likely going to be redundant on the 2011 squad.
about 1 month ago
ChestRockwell
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Let’s review the list of forwards on D.C. United’s roster in 2010: Jaime Moreno, Danny Allsopp, Adam Cristman, and Pablo Hernandez.
Cristman seemed like the only player from that group who would be welcomed back, for a role as a substitute to use his energy and physicality to pressure defenders late in matches. But with Cristman’s dismissal (because let’s face it, a 4th round pick isn’t much to get back), United is clearly sending a message that they weren’t happy with last year’s group.
Josh Wolff and Joseph Ngwenya are now the only two forwards on the roster, both of whom were cast off by their clubs. Not only is this a sign that United will draft Will Bruin (>70% chance I’d say), but I’m also hoping that its a sign that they’re close to bringing in an international forward who can score on the reg.
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on Jan 11, 2026 7:24 PM EST reply actions
Agreed
It’s assuming a lot of our scouting that we will sign someone as productive as Emilio was upon arrival, or even the 08-09 Emilio (who, for all his flaws, got 12 and 11 goals respectively). Still, we have to take a shot at finding that player while putting together a group of forwards that can pick up at least some of the slack if the new guy is a flop.
I think getting the pick we did from LA is more of an indicator that the Galaxy knew we were struggling to make a deal with Cristman. Frankly, I was thinking that Cristman might not even make the team in the preseason (assuming we draft a forward and sign another from abroad). I thought he’d be in the same boat as Barklage and Rice are.
by ChestRockwell on Jan 11, 2026 8:31 PM EST up reply actions
Emilio was pretty much our last outstanding foreign signing
We’re about due for another one.
by Brendanukkah on Jan 11, 2026 8:55 PM EST up reply actions
Jakovic good, but not outstanding
Clearly you’ve overlooked Floribert N’Galula and David Habarugira.
Managing Editor for BlackAndRedUnited.com. Weekend Writer for SBNation DC.
by Martin Shatzer on Jan 12, 2026 11:32 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
I just got curious
Whatever happened to Flo?
Turns out, he’s playing in the 5th Tier of the German pyramid. Ouch.
by The AMT on Jan 12, 2026 1:01 PM EST up reply actions
Roque Santa Cruz
Okay the subject line was in jest.
Also I must confess up front I have never seen Salgado or Bruin play in person. With this caveat my thoughts are that if we truly are going to sign a capable foreign striker, then I think we should draft Salgado and give him some time to develop. It’s not like anyone is expecting United to seriously contend next year, right? Let’s add to our young core: Hamid, White, Shanosky, McCarty, Najar, and now Salgado, hopefully. If Pontius and Jakovic rebound and realize some consistency, that is a great young group by MLS standards. The only thing missing would be an A-Mid to tie it all together.
Of course, if the international forward we sign is akin to Kpene, N’Silu, Niell, or Allsopp, then please disregard the notion of signing Salgado as we will surely need more immediate help. I’m still not convinced, though, that Bruin would be the answer but he seems like the best option for someone who could get some time off the bench right away, several starts down the line and the potential to score 7 or 8 goals.
by JaimeSegundo on Jan 11, 2026 9:36 PM EST reply actions
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