Nashville SC traded defender Dylan Nealis to New York Red Bulls on Thursday in exchange for $125,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM), with an additional $75,000 in conditional GAM if certain performance metrics are met.
Nealis, 23, was acquired from Inter Miami CF before the start of last season for $175,000 in GAM. The right back played 165 minutes for Nashville in four appearances, and saw the field just once after July. Nealis was drafted third overall in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft, and has made 23 appearances in his two seasons in MLS.
It’s not a significant surprise to see Nashville move on from Nealis after his 2021 season. Nealis was seemingly upgraded depth for Alistair Johnston, but was beaten for minutes by a resurgent Eric Miller. While his time in Nashville didn’t live up to expectations, he’s a young player who gets the chance to return home, and will have the added benefit of playing next to his older brother Sean Nealis in the lineup.
From a Nashville perspective, Miller has proven to be a valuable depth piece at multiple positions, and they should be able to add another option at right back at a lower cost.
The move was confirmed with a Nashville SC source and a Nashville announcement is expected shortly.
UPDATE: Nashville have since officially confirmed the move, which took place during the MLS half-day trade window on Sunday.
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