Team midfielder Sebastian Berhalter will spend this season, and potentially longer, with Austin FC.
The Crew announced on Wednesday that they are sending the local player to Austin on loan with an option for a permanent transfer.
The move should give Berhalter a chance to play with the MLS expansion squad – owned by former Crew owner Anthony Precourt – which Berhalter would not have had with the Crew this season.
The deal will also reunite Berhalter with Austin coach Josh Wolff, who was the team’s assistant when Berhalter’s father Greg was head coach.
The crew will receive $ 50,000 in General Allowance (GAM) money. If Berhalter meets some unspecified performance criteria, the crew could get up to $ 50,000 more in GAM.
“As a young player it is important for Sebastian to have regular minutes to help his development,” Crew Chairman and CEO Tim Bezbatchenko said in a statement. “With Sebastian entering his second year at the professional level, it is vital that we continue to create a path that allows him to gain more experience. This opportunity gives him a chance to save valuable time in MLS, in a different market, which will help him grow as a player. “
Berhalter, 19, has made nine appearances with four starts in his first professional season in 2020 after a year of college football in North Carolina. Berhalter was the immediate replacement for Artur or Darlington Nagbe in the central midfielder before the Crew added Fatai Alashe and Aidan Morris started to gain more playing time last season.
Morris – one of Berhalter’s closest friends and former Crew Academy teammate – performed exceptionally well in a unexpected start in MLS Cup instead of Nagbe, who had come out with COVID-19, earning a place ahead of Berhalter on the depths chart ahead of the 2021 season.
Crew added MLS veteran Perry Kitchen at his midfield depth this offseason, giving Morris a clear partner in the central midfield when the crew needs to turn.
This signature, more the signature of the local Isaiah Parente, made the central midfield position very crowded, so Crew coach Caleb Porter decided to give Berhalter a chance to gain playing time and experience at another club this season.
Berhalter joins two of his teammates from last season, defender Hector Jimenez and goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell, in Austin. Berhalter is the sixth former Crew player to join Austin’s roster ahead of his inaugural season in MLS.
@_jcmyers
