Crew trade Berry to D.C. United
The Crew traded forward Miguel Berry to D.C. United for allocation money, sources said. Per reports, the Crew are receiving $225,000 in general allocation money.
Berry, 24, scored eight goals with two assists in 840 minutes in 18 games last season. He won the starting job from Gyasi Zardes at the start of the season but scored only two goals in 16 games.
The Crew signed forward Cucho Hernandez on June 21, and Berry has been surpassed by Erik Hurtado and Jacen Russell-rowe as well. Berry was not on the matchday roster on Wednesday at D.C. United or Sunday against FC Cincinnati.
Berry was born in Barcelona, Spain, to his Cuban-american father and his American mother who died of cancer while Berry was in high school. He and his brother moved to San Diego with their parents as kids and Berry played at the University of San Diego until the Crew drafted him in the first round of the 2020 draft.
He didn't make an appearance with the club until the 2021 season. He spent most of his first professional season in the USL Championship with San Diego Loyal.
After playing in two CONCACAF Champions League games, Berry was loaned back to San Diego where he proved he was ready to make the jump to MLS by scoring three goals in seven games.
Berry immediately became a spark off the bench for the Crew. He scored the game-tying goal in his MLS debut against FC Cincinnati in July 2021.
After two more appearances in which he didn't score, Berry sat the bench for five straight games. When he returned, he scored four goals in five games, including two goals in a 3-2 comeback win against FC Cincinnati.
Berry knew his time as the starter was limited once the Crew traded Zardes in March. Berry still had an opportunity to earn his place, but scored just once in 12 starts after the season opener.
The Crew signed Russell-rowe, a 19year-old striker from Crew 2 who started over Berry and had two assists in his debut. Hurtado also had chipped in three goals in eight games, which relegated Berry to the fourth spot on the depth chart.
The Crew now have an open roster spot they can choose to fill before the summer transfer window closes Aug. 5. jmyers@dispatch.com @_jcmyers