This story has been corrected. Read below.
The New England Revolution have finally granted Lee Nguyen his wish, trading the midfielder to LAFC in exchange for $700,000 in allocation money, with the Revs possibly receiving an additional $250,000 in allocation funds if certain conditions are met.
The move occurred just before the close of MLS's primary transfer window, and the breakdown of allocation money will see New England receive $350,000 in general allocation money and $350,000 in targeted allocation money from LAFC in 2018. The Revs could also possibly receive a first-round draft pick in either 2019 or 2020.
"On behalf of the club, I'd like to thank Lee for his years of service," Revolution general manager Mike Burns said. "Every decision is made in the best interest of the club, and we feel this move helps strengthen our team now and puts us in the best position to succeed in years to come."
A league source indicated that neither the additional allocation funds, nor the additional draft pick are likely to end up in New England. One stipulation in the deal is that if LAFC were to trade Nguyen during this summer's secondary transfer window, then as a form of insurance, New England will receive an additional $100,000 in allocation money plus a draft pick.
The source indicated that the Revs actually received better offers for Nguyen from Eastern Conference teams in the form of more guaranteed allocation money, but New England was reluctant to trade the midfielder within the conference.
The other condition is that if LAFC re-signed Nguyen for more money before the expiration of his contract, then New England would receive $150,000 in allocation money.
There are no absolutes of course, but the source indicated that not only does LAFC have no intention of dealing Nguyen, but also it likes him at his current salary, which according to the MLS Players Association paid him $500,000 last season in guaranteed compensation.
Nguyen, 31, had made no secret of his desire to leave the Revs, requesting a trade both before and after the hiring of Brad Friedel as Revolution manager. But the relationship between Nguyen and the Revs became even more strained when the player was a no-show on the first day of training camp on Jan. 24.
Nguyen eventually re-joined the team on Feb. 9, but it was clear that the 2014 MVP finalist wasn't in Friedel's plans. Not once did Nguyen make the game day roster this season.
The former U.S. international goalkeeper said later on Wednesday there was nothing personal between him and Nguyen.
"He thanked us for everything, I thanked him for everything and I wished him best of luck," Friedel said. "I've said many, many times, there's never been a personal issue at all between Lee and myself. I sincerely hope he enjoys his time at LAFC."
Asked he could ever envision Nguyen playing in his side, Friedel was non-committal.
"I can't answer that with a premonition of what might happen," Friedel said. "I said all along, anybody who's committed and anybody who works hard, they have a chance to play. That goes for every player across the board. There's a plan for every single player we ever have under contract to get themselves into the team, but they have to be committed and work hard."
LAFC will be gaining an attacking midfielder who put up some impressive numbers during his six seasons in New England. Nguyen recorded 54 goals and 56 assists in 211 league and cup appearances. The first two numbers both rank second in Revolution history.
Prior to joining the Revs, Nguyen spent time on the books with Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven, Danish club Randers as well as Vietnamese sides Hoang Anh Gia Lai and Binh Duong.
The acquisition comes on the same day that LAFC announced that forward Marco Urena will miss a month after undergoing surgery for facial fractures he sustained in last weekend's 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders.
Nguyen has made nine appearances with the U.S. men's national team.
This report included a tweet from a Twitter account attributed to Revolution coach Brad Friedel. The tweet was fake and was added due to an editing error the day after publication. The tweet has been removed from the story.