New York City FC might not have lost Khiry Shelton to the expansion draft, but he’s heading out the door anyway.
The club announced Thursday it has traded the once highly touted forward to Sporting Kansas City for defender Saad Abdul-Salaam in a straight swap.
Both players were left unprotected but were passed over by Los Angeles FC in the expansion draft Tuesday.
For NYCFC, Abdul-Salaam, 26, could become quite the coup if he can regain the form he displayed in 2016, when he grabbed Sporting KC’s Defender of the Year honors. The wingback, who could slot on the right side for Patrick Vieira, had his role reduced in 2017 after Sporting KC decided to shift Graham Zusi to the back line.