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Nashville SC acquires midfielder Dru Yearwood in trade with New York Red Bulls
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- Nashville SC acquires midfielder Dru Yearwood in trade with New York Red Bulls
Nashville SC has acquired midfielder Dru Yearwood in a trade with the New York Red Bulls , the club announced Monday.
In exchange for Yearwood, Nashville sent the Red Bulls $75,000 in General Allocation Money for 2024, with up to $75,000 in conditional GAM for 2025.
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The Athletic's Tom Bogert reported that Nashville and New York agreed to the trade on Dec. 1, but the trade could not be processed until Monday, the opening of MLS's trade window.
Yearwood, 23, should help fill some of the void in midfield left by the departure of Dax McCarty , who announced on Dec. 1 that he would not be returning to Nashville after the club opted not to renew his contract . McCarty was one of Nashville's cornerstones, appearing in 121 games over the last four seasons.
In addition, Yearwood should bring crucial youth to the midfield. Nashville's four most frequently used midfielders in 2023 — McCarty, Alex Muyl , Sean Davis and Anibal Godoy — had an average age of 31.75 at the end of the season.
"Dru gives us needed industry and athleticism as a progressive box-to-box midfielder, and should fit in almost seamlessly with our group," Nashville SC general manager Mike Jacobs said in a team release.
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A native of Harlow, United Kingdom, Yearwood spent time in Arsenal 's youth academy and began his professional career with League One side Southend United in 2017. In 2019, he moved to Brentford, but played in just five games in the EFL Championship before signing with the Red Bulls in 2020.
MORE: Nashville SC needs to score more goals in 2024. What that means for Hany Mukhtar, Sam Surridge
Yearwood appeared in 99 matches for New York, scoring three goals and adding two assists. However, 2023 was Yearwood's least successful season in MLS, as he didn't register a goal or an assist and started just 11 matches, down from 18 in both 2021 and 2022.
Yearwood will occupy a U-22 Initiative roster spot with Nashville SC. The U-22 Initiative allows MLS clubs to sign up to three players, aged 22 and younger, at a reduced budget charge. A U-22 player can retain that status until the season in which he turns 25.
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In addition, since Yearwood became a permanent United States resident last year, he will not take up an international roster spot with Nashville.
Yearwood's contract runs through the 2024 season.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville SC acquires Dru Yearwood in trade with Red Bulls
