New York City FC conceded 58 goals during the regular season, tied for the most in MLS. So it is not surprising that they have begun to make moves to shore up their defense.
They have been linked with a Brazilian center back playing for Standard Liege earlier this week and on Thursday they made a trade to acquire a five-year MLS veteran.
Ethan White arrives in New York from the Philadelphia Union, who traded White to NYCFC in exchange for a 2017 fourth round SuperDraft pick.
"We are excited to add an athletic and experienced center-half in Ethan White to our roster," said NYCFC Sporting Director Claudio Reyna in a release. "He is a young player and we are looking forward to working with him and developing his game even further."
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A 24-year-old native of Kensington, Md, the central defender played for the University of Maryland and was part of the US U-18 and U-20 player pools before signing a Homegrown player contract with D.C. United in 2010. White would go on to make 38 appearances for DC, including a start in the 2013 Lamar Hunt Open Cup final that D.C. United won.
White then moved to the Philadelphia Union where he made 26 appearances after being acquired in January 2014 via trade.
“I’m really pleased. It’s a great opportunity for me to join an exciting club that's looking to do big things," said White on the move. "I’m very happy to be a part of this and I am determined to help the club achieve success. I'm already looking forward to joining my new teammates for preseason.”
