Philadelphia Union get up to $750k in allocation money, potential sell-on fee in Auston Trusty trade

The Philadelphia Union stand to gain quite a bit from the Auston Trusty deal both this season and beyond.

The Colorado Rapids are providing $300,000 in targeted allocation money for 2020, $300,000 in general allocation money for 2021 and up to $150,000 in additional general allocation money if Trusty meets “certain performance metrics.”

All told, the Union could end up receiving nearly double the $400,000 in allocation they fetched from the Rapids for Keegan Rosenberry trade last December. That’s assuming he met the performance metrics needed for the additional $50,000 in targeted allocation money. The Union received $150,000 in general allocation money last season and will get $100k this season for the former draft pick from Ronks, Pa. who played every minute this season for the Rapids.

With the Trusty deal there is potential the Union will receive even more than the allocation money.

If the 21-year-old Media, Pa. native is sold outside of the league on or before Dec. 31, 2021, the Union will receive 30 percent of the transfer fee on any amount over what the Rapids paid in allocation money. If he is sold outside the league on or after Jan. 1, 2022, the Union will receive 25 percent of the fee on any amount above what the Rapids paid in allocation.

For example, if Trusty is sold to a team outside of MLS for $2 million before Dec. 31, 2021, the Union would receive 30 percent of $1.4 million (or 30 percent of $1.25 million if the Rapids end up paying the additional $150,000 in allocation money for performance-based metrics). In that scenario, a $2 million sale would yield between $375,00 and $420,000.

The homegrown defender made $124,100.04 in guaranteed compensation last season and had an option to return this season for his hometown team. Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said in a phone call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon that the team began negotiating a new contract with him at the beginning of the year but were unable to reach a new agreement.

“Auston has been an integral part of our defensive line since signing with the club in 2016 and his efforts helped lead the team to consecutive playoff appearances,” Sporting Director Ernst Tanner said. “With the depth of our defensive roster, we believe this is the best move for both the club and Auston. As one of our homegrown signings, we are proud of his accomplishments and wish him the best of luck in Colorado.”

Trusty was signed to a homegrown deal in August 2016 after impressing with Bethlehem Steel FC days before he was due to report to training camp at the University of North Carolina. A regular with United States youth national teams, Trusty represented his country in the U17 World Cup in 2015 and the U20 World Cup in 2017. He’s also received call-ups to the U23 national team.