D.C. United trades Joe Willis and Samuel Inkoom to the Houston Dynamo for Andrew Driver and a draft pick

In a surprisingly big deal, D.C. United have traded backup goalkeeper Joe Willis and midseason acquisition Samuel Inkoom to the Houston Dyanmo for English midfielder Andrew Driver and a 2016 fourth round draft pick, their second move of the day. This move came as a surprise, as many of us were thinking that D.C. United would stand pat during this brief trade window. Here is Dave Kasper's cryptic quote on the trade:

"Today's trade was important to finalize so that the club is in a good position moving in to next season and beyond."

Many commentors on the site have suggested trying to trade one of D.C. United's backup goalkeepers for a number of years now, and this is the one that makes sense. With Tally Hall gone, Joe Willis can compete for the starting job, where he has no chance of getting it in the next year now. This would also make me think that United does not expect to sell Bill Hamid abroad this offseason; if they did, they almost definitely would have kept Willis. But ,as we know with Andy Najar, things can change quickly. However, I am sad to see Angry Joe Willis leave United, as he was a fan favorite for his years here.

Samuel Inkoom barely got any playing time for United, and when he did it was more often as a winger rather than a defender. If that is the role in which they saw him going forward, the team must prefer Driver in that role by a wide margin. This move is a wash for the expansion draft math as it still leaves D.C. United with two international players.

We will have more analysis on this move later on, but what are your gut reactions?