TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
D.C. United made the 14th Homegrown Player signing in club history on Friday, inking 16-year-old attacker Kevin Paredes to a deal. The teenager is most comfortable on the right wing, as he is special cutting in on his left foot.
Paredes, a South Riding, Va., native, started his youth career with Loudoun Soccer before joining D.C. United’s academy in 2016. Paredes made three appearances (one start) during the 2019/20 season for D.C. United’s USL Championship affiliate, Loudoun United. The midfielder recorded one assist and maintained a passing accuracy of 79%.
As a member of D.C. United’s academy since the U-13 level, Paredes has scored 39 goals in 85 U.S. Soccer Development Academy (USSDA) appearances (61 starts). During last year's Generation adidas Cup, Paredes scored two goals
“We are thrilled to sign another quality Homegrown player in Kevin,” said D.C. United GM and VP of soccer operations Dave Kasper in a statement. "He has been on our radar since he joined the club’s academy in 2016 and he has shown consistent signs of development throughout. We are excited to get to work with Kevin and look forward to providing him a pathway to the first team.”
Paredes has represented the US U-17 men’s national team on three occasions; scoring a goal and recording an assist. The 16-year-old made his debut in a friendly against the Netherlands U-17 squad on Nov. 14, 2019. During the match, Paredes scored his first goal for the national team as he helped his squad to a 3-3 draw. In the 3-2 victory over Turkey’s U-17 team on Nov. 18, 2019, the midfielder recorded an assist for the United States second goal of the match.
