Confirming reports from last night, D.C. United has traded the homegrown rights to Maryland Terrapins midfielder Eryk Williamson to the Portland Timbers. In exchange, United has acquired $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), $100,000 in Targeted Allocation Money (TAM), an international roster spot for the 2018 season, and a 2nd round draft pick in 2020. Significantly, United will also receive 50% of any transfer fee the Timbers get should they sell Williamson abroad in the future.
The Washington Post’s Steve Goff first reported that a deal was near, with Stumptown Footy’s Chris Rifer confirming that the teams had agreed to a deal late last night. The Timbers do not expressly say that Williamson has signed with them, but their release seems to hint strongly that a contract for the 20-year-old Alexandria native is not going to be an issue.
The trade ends a two-year, on-and-off saga between United and Williamson, who maintained interest in a European move throughout. In the end, while both sides were interested enough that United tendered an offer, persistent rumors had both sides maintaining merely mild interest in one another. With their USL satellite club a year away from taking the field and a crowded, young midfield, it is hard to see where Williamson would have fit in for the Black-and-Red in 2018.
Instead, they opted to cash in on the US under-20 national team prospect. The international spot is sorely needed, as at the moment United has two more foreign players than they can actually accommodate and are rumored to be looking into adding multiple players from abroad before the season begins. Interestingly, United holds this Timbers international spot through the end of 2018, while Portland holds a D.C. spot for the same amount of time thanks to the deal that brought Darren Mattocks to the District.