$1.2 million deal for David Accam to the Union is official

On a day marking the start of the professional careers for dozens of college players, the Philadelphia Union snagged the spotlight in their own backyard with one of the biggest trades in club history on Friday.

Speedy winger David Accam is coming to the Philadelphia Union as a designated player in exchange for $300,000 in general allocation money and $900,000 in targeted allocation money, or GAM and TAM if you can stomach saying either acronym out loud.

The team made the news official less than an hour after Paul Tennorio had reported the deal on ESPNFC.

“Today’s acquisition of David Accam marks an exciting moment for our club, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the Philadelphia Union,” Union Sporting Director Earnie Stewart said in a news release. “David possesses electrifying speed and skill to go along with a nose for goal comparable to the very best in MLS. We believe him to be a perfect fit as we continue to build our attacking corps. He provides an instant boost on the wing and we look forward to integrating him with our team as soon as possible.”

Since arriving in Chicago in 2015, the Ghanan winger has scored 33 goals and collected 15 assists.

“We’re really excited to get David, a guy who obviously can stretch a defense. We have some guys that can pass and get him the ball, he’ll give them room to operate in space,” head coach Jim Curtin said during the live draft broadcast. “David’s a proven goal scorer in our league. His resume speaks for itself.”

Accam’s current contract is reportedly set to expire at the end of this season. His guaranteed compensation in 2017 was $820,937.50, according to salary figures released in September. Only Alejandro Bedoya earned more than Accam on the Philadelphia Union roster last season.

The financial breakdown provided by the Union is as follows:

• $400,000 Targeted Allocation (expiring 8/31/2019)
• $200,000 General Allocation (expired 5/31/2019)
• $100,000 General Allocation, to be disbursed by the league at the conclusion of the 2018 season (expiring 5/31/2020)
• $500,000 Targeted Allocation to be received disbursed by the league at the conclusion of the 2018 season (expiring 8/31/2020)