After just five appearances with D.C. United, Alain Rochat is packing his bags.
On Thursday, the club officially announced Rochat's transfer to Swiss club BSC Young Boys, a move which had been rumored in recent days.
D.C. only recently traded for the defender/midfielder on June 6 in a deal that sent a natural second-round 2015 SuperDraft pick and a 2016 conditional pick to the Vancouver Whitecaps. The Canadian-born Rochat was not exactly pleased about the midseason move, lashing out at the trade mechanism in MLS: "If you ask my opinion, I’d say it’s terrible,” Rochat told SoccerByIves.net. "This trade thing could be OK in the offseason."
Thursday's transfer allows Rochat to rejoin Young Boys after playing for the club for three seasons from 2002 to 2005. Meanwhile, D.C. United will be able to make use of a portion of the transfer fee as allocation money toward the signing of new players or decreasing the salary budget hit of current rostered players.
Rochat's transfer is the latest in a series of player transactions for MLS' last-place club which include the acquisition of former US youth international Jared Jeffrey, the signing of Homegrown player Collin Martin and the trade for Toronto FC playmaker Luis Silva.
