Crew acquires Mullins from D.C. for scoring punch

A Crew SC team in need of an offensive boost has made its first move of the secondary transfer window.

D.C. United forward Patrick Mullins is headed to the Crew in exchange for $150,000 in targeted allocation money, Crew SC announced Wednesday.

Mullins, 26, has been with D.C. United since the 2016 season, scoring 13 goals in 44 games. Prior to that, he scored six goals over two seasons with New York City FC. He scored four goals as a rookie with the New England Revolution in 2014 after being selected 11th overall in the 2014 SuperDraft.

Mullins is earning $249,996 this season, according to MLS Players Association data.

The former Maryland Terrapin made just two starts for D.C. United in 2018 and has no goals and one assist this season. Playing time likely would have been even more D.C. United forward Patrick Mullins fouls Crew SC forward Federico Higuain during a game on April 14. The Crew traded for Mullins on Wednesday for $150,000 in targeted allocation money.

difficult to come by in D.C. given the recent addition of former Everton and Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney.

Coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said Crew SC has been tracking Mullins for approximately the last year and a half.

“We knew we wanted

to add some attacking depth at some point,” Berhalter said. “We were patient in waiting for the right deal to be done and fortunately when D.C. was able to add a player, it gave them some more flexibility in terms of thinking about trading Patrick. Fortunately enough, the timing worked out for both

clubs.”

A change of scenery should provide more opportunity for Mullins. Crew SC, which typically plays in a 4-2-3-1, rarely plays with two strikers and Gyasi Zardes, who leads the Crew with 11 goals, has earned his starting striker job, but Mullins has the potential to earn minutes off the bench.

The Crew’s current backup forward, Adam Jahn, earned a contract extension after scoring five goals in 459 minutes in 2016 but has since scored just one goal in 29 appearances.

“We see him immediately giving Adam competition to be the second striker,” Berhalter said of Mullins. “That role won’t be fixed, though. It’s going to depend on performance.”

The move is not likely to be the last for Crew SC before the secondary transfer window closes in August.

The team has scored just 24 goals in its first 20 games and is in the market for a starting-caliber winger to diversify its attack. Midfielder Cristian Martinez recently acquired his green card, meaning the Crew has two international roster slots open.

“I would suspect we’d add a player in that position (wide attacking midfielder) as well,” Berhalter said.

Last summer, the Crew finished the secondary transfer window with a flurry of moves, acquiring Pedro Santos as a designated player, trading veteran winger Ethan Finlay to Minnesota and signing subsequently trading forward Krisztian Nemeth to New England for $400,000 in allocation money and a 2018 international roster slot.

Defender Alex Crognale, who is on loan from Crew SC to United Soccer League club Orange County SC, has been suspended for three games “following the review of an incident during the club’s contest with the LA Galaxy II by the Independent Discipline Panel,” according to a USL release.

Orange County SC’s next three games run through July 21.