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Even though the club just exercised his 2025 contract option, goalkeeper Luis Barraza appears to be on the way out of New York City FC.
Tom Bogert of GiveMeSport reports today that NYCFC has traded the 28-year-old ‘keeper to DC United in exchange for $50,000 in allocation money plus add-ons. Neither New York City FC nor DC United have officially announced the trade, but we will update this post with the official word when it’s available.
Sources: D.C. United acquire goalkeeper Luis Barraza in a trade with NYCFC. $50k GAM + add-ons.
Barraza, 28, started 24 games for NYCFC last year.
D.C. continue defensive overhaul, will be more to come this winter. Shrewd work here. pic.twitter.com/du73YzRhHp
— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) December 7, 2024
Barraza was one of three reserve goalkeepers who had their contract options picked up by NYCFC as part of the team’s end-of-2024 roster decisions. He, Tomás Romero, and Alex Rando were the three goalies stuck firmly behind Matt Freese on the New York City goalkeeper depth chart.
Rather than run it back in 2025 with the same group of goalkeepers, NYCFC Sporting Director David Lee has found a new home for one of his reserves, and DC feels like a logical landing spot for Barraza.
That’s partly because DC United employs one of Barraza’s ex-teammates as its goalkeepers coach: Cody Mizell, who spent three seasons with New York City and won MLS Cup 2021, along with Barraza, as one of the backups to goalkeeper Sean Johnson.
NYCFC weirdly orchestrated a January 2024 trade of Mizell to DC United for $50,000 in allocation money – even though Mizell’s playing days were over and he was set to take the job as DCU goalkeeper coach. So David Lee and New York City have now picked up $100,000 in allocation money from DC United by trading them two backup goalkeepers, one who never played a minute for the club from the nation’s capital (or for NYCFC, for that matter).
Now Barraza rejoins Mizell in DC and has a path to seeing legitimate playing time in goal. DC United just declined the contract options on the two goalkeepers who played the most minutes for them during the 2024 season, MLS veterans Alex Bono and Tyler Miller. Barraza wasn’t going to unseat Matt Freese for playing time in 2025 here in New York City, but now has a shot to stand out under a new head coach, that being former Red Bulls manager Troy Lesesne.
Across his full NYCFC career, Barraza made 38 appearances in goal in all competitions, keeping nine clean sheets across those appearances while notably being the starter in net when NYCFC won the 2022 Campeones Cup at Yankee Stadium. Barraza was also one of the longest-tenured players on the New York City roster, having been with the club since 2019 when NYCFC selected him in the MLS SuperDraft.
His biggest stretch of playing time with NYCFC came in 2023 right after Sean Johnson signed with Toronto FC as a free agent. Barraza got the first crack at taking Johnson’s job as NYCFC No 1 in goal, but had an up-and-down season in 2023 that ultimately ended with him being replaced as the team’s starter by Matt Freese.
Freese never let go of his hold on the starter’s job, putting together a somewhat overlooked elite season in goal in 2024 and remains under contract with New York City through the 2026 season. Now Barraza will head south down I-95 in search of more minutes and a fresh start while working under the tutelage of a familiar face (Cody Mizell’s).
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