Atlanta United trades winger Derrick Etienne Jr. to Toronto FC for $200k General Allocation Money

Atlanta cuts loose a player it once had high hopes for as a marquee free agent signing.

via Atlanta United

Atlanta United announced today that it has finalized a trade that will see winger Derrick Etienne Jr. move to Toronto FC in exchange for $200k of General Allocation Money (GAM) with another $175k of GAM possible based on future performance.

The deal was officially administered prior to the closing of the league’s primary transfer window, which happened yesterday.

In a corresponding roster move, Atlanta has moved Daniel Rios, the forward recently acquired on loan from CD Guadalajara, to the senior roster. The financial result of these two moves is a wash, but Etienne’s trade clears things up for moves made heading into next year. Etienne is earning $676,250 this year according to the MLS Players Association Salary Guide, and he was under contract by Atlanta through the 2025 season with options for the following two years.

The Athletic’s Tom Bogert reports that Atlanta United will still be on the hook for most of Etienne’s salary this year.

Etienne crossed the 1,000-minute mark for Atlanta last year in his only full season for the club. His playing time diminished markedly as the season wore on, and June 11, 2023 is that last time he made a starting lineup for Gonzalo Pineda’s team. In 2024, Etienne registered more minutes with Atlanta United 2 than with the first team, where he made only a single appearance. He never scored a goal for either club during his tenure in Atlanta.

Considering those numbers, recouping a fee of any sort should be seen as a win for the club (and a beneficial move for the player who was no longer in the team’s plans moving forward). While, in tandem with the Rios roster move, it won’t save much money this year, it saves the club from resorting to a contract buyout, which is limited to one per year (but likely to become two per year as soon as this summer).