Over the weekend, D.C. United announced that they had made a minor deal with the New York Red Bulls, sending an international roster spot to their Eastern Conference rivals in exchange for what were enigmatically dubbed "future considerations."
Monday morning, those "future considerations" revealed themselves to be 23-year-old midfielder Austin da Luz, who has made seven appearances for New York this season and recorded a goal and an assist.
"We are excited to be adding a quality left-sided midfielder to our team," D.C. United General Manager Dave Kasper said in a statement. "Austin is a very smart, technical player who is just coming into his own as a professional, and we are excited about his future."
The deal is designed to bolster United's midfield depth as the club prepares for the departure of Fred to Australian club Melbourne Heart after Wednesday's home match against the New England Revolution. Fred was originally scheduled to leave United after Saturday's match at FC Dallas, but Melbourne Heart agreed to extend the Brazilian's stay for one additional match, per D.C. United's request.
Da Luz was drafted by New York with the 14th overall pick of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft. The San Diego native played four years of college soccer at Wake Forest University, recording 13 goals and 39 assists in 80 games and helping the Deamon Deacons to the 2007 national championship.
This is the second transaction between D.C. United and New York in less than a month. On June 27, the clubs agreed to a deal that saw Dax McCarty go to the Red Bulls in exchange for Dwayne De Rosario.