One of America’s young stars who has been plying his trade in England, Conor Doyle, has been acquired by D.C. United through a Major League Soccer lottery conducted on Thursday morning.
The 21 year old forward has spent the last three years at Championship side Derby County, where he’s made 23 appearances and has yet to score a goal. For the last few weeks, the former U.S. Under 20 player has been training with the Colorado Rapids in hopes of reaching a loan agreement with the club.
That desire was squashed Tuesday when his rights went to D.C., who have the league’s worst record at 2-13-4 and are in need of a jump-start to an attack that has produced only eight goals in 19 matches.
D.C. United GM Dave Kasper spoke highly of Doyle but remained reserved when it came to discussing how much playing time the former Creighton man may see.
“Conor is another quality young talent who has advanced international soccer experience for his age,” Kasper said in a club statement. “This loan will allow us to take a close look at him with an eye on the future. We look forward to Conor’s arrival in D.C. and to integrating him among our strong core group of up-and-coming players.”
Doyle’s loan deal was sought by Derby manager Nigel Clough, who believed that the forward would benefit from an increase in playing time and experience while he continues to develop. Doyle and Clough had targeted Colorado as the place to make that happen as Rapids president, Tim Hinchey, had previously worked at Derby.
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