The MLS champion Galaxy From the Jalen Neal shopping center to Montreal Monday against $ 650,000 in general allocation money. This is the second important trade that the team has achieved Since he won the MLS Cup A month ago, after the December move which sent the midfielder Gastón Brugman, the most useful player of the championship match, in Nashville.
But the last job is a surprise given the age of Neal – he is 21 years old – and his salary adapted to clubs, which paid him $ 178,625 last season, his second with the team. A few hours after the news of the trade was disclosed, Neal was called to the national team for his training camp in January.
The Galaxy will also receive an international list place in the agreement and will retain a percentage of sale of transfer fees if Neal is sold to another club.
THE The galaxy is under pressure To exchange a salary to go under the MLS pay ceiling of $ 5.95 million in 2025 after two players, the striker Dejan Jveljic and the winger Gabriel Pec, aged by contract who took up limited blows against the ceiling. However, Monday's trade leaves the galaxy with only two central backs under contract in Emiro Garcés and Eriq Zavaleta. The team said they stayed in negotiations with the central back Maya Yoshida, the captain of the galaxy whose contract expired last month. The team was also linked to the Dosé à Dos Central Ecuatorien Diogo Bagüí, 19, and to Dane Mathias Jorgensen. An agreement with Jorgensen would be close, people who know the unauthorized negotiations to discuss it publicly said the Times publicly.
Neal, from Lakewood, joined the Galaxy Academy in 2016 before making his debut at MLS in 2023, when he made 14 departures. He also started the seasons in the past and made 34 times in total in total despite the 11 months missing with a sports hernia and adductor injuries that required several surgeries.
Internationally, he made six appearances for the senior national team. Neal has also been appointed humanitarian aid of the year of the galaxy in the past two seasons in recognition of his community work.
“Jalen illustrates what it means to have a graduate of the Galaxy Academy, both as a professional and as a person,” said managing director Will Kuntz in a statement. “Its progression from the Academy in Galaxy II, when it started with the national team to be on the ground for the final whistle of the MLS CUP final, says a lot about the potential of the galaxy professional development route.
“But Jalen's dedication to his local community and his active commitment in such young age service testify even more of the special character and the human being he is. We are indescribedly proud of everything I have done for the galaxy. ”
