WASHINGTON (May 7, 2020) -
D.C. United and Sint-Truidense V.V. have completed the permanent transfer for Homegrown midfielder Chris Durkin.
Durkin signed a contract with D.C. United on June 14, 2016 to become the club’s eighth-ever Homegrown Signing as a 16-year-old. The midfielder made his debut for the Black-and-Red in the 2016 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when he started and played 86 minutes in the Fourth Round against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The former U-20 U.S. Men’s National Team player made his Major League Soccer Regular Season debut for United as a 73rd-minute substitute in the 1-1 draw against Orlando City SC on March 3, 2018. He started his first league match for the Black-and-Red in the 3-1 loss against Columbus Crew SC on March 24, 2018 and scored his first professional goal in the 3-2 win against Colorado on April 13, 2019. Durkin scored one goal and recorded one assist in 36 appearances (23 starts) in MLS Regular Season play.
“We want to thank Chris for starting his career at D.C. United, and we wish him all the best with his goals and dreams of a career in Europe,” Dave Kasper, D.C. United General Manager and VP of Soccer Operations, said. "He will always be a part of the D.C. United family as he was when he started playing in our Academy and drove I-95 daily for two hours each way to get to practice.”
Since joining Sint-Truidense V.V. in the Belgian First Division A on August 30, 2019, Durkin has made 14 appearances and scored one goal. The midfielder made his debut for the Belgian side on Sept. 25, 2019 in the 2-0 win against OH Leuven in the Sixth Round of the Beker van Belgie, a domestic cup in Belgium. The 20-year-old scored his first goal for Sint-Truidense on February 8, 2020 in a 5-2 win against KAS Eupen in league play.
In 2019, Durkin scored one goal in 13 MLS Regular Season appearances, including seven starts. He last appeared for D.C. United in the loss to the Philadelphia Union at Audi Field on August 4, 2019. The midfielder also made one appearance in the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup when the Black-and-Red fell to New York City FC in the Round of 16 on June 20, 2019.
