The Seattle Sounders shored up their midfield ranks for 2017 on Thursday, acquiring midfielder Harry Shipp in a trade with the Montreal Impact in exchange for allocation money.
Shipp, 25, started 20 games for the Impact last season, scoring twice and adding three assists. He played in just two of Montreal’s five postseason games, however, coming off the bench in each and recording just 18 total minutes.
Shipp will likely fill a void in the Sounders’ midfield for the time being vacated by Erik Friberg and Andreas Ivanschitz, each of whom did not have their contract options exercised for 2017. A forward in college, Shipp could operate as an attacking winger or attacking center midfielder.
The Lake Forest, Ill., native joined the Impact on Feb. 13, 2016, in exchange for general and targeted allocation money. Shipp spent the first two years of his career with the Chicago Fire where he was just the third Homegrown Player in Fire history and the first to play actually appear in an MLS match for Chicago.
Shipp scored seven goals and tallied six assists in 26 starts in his first season in Chicago, and finished second in the 2014 AT&T Rookie of the Year voting. He scored three times and recorded a team-high eight assists in 29 starts in his sophomore campaign, prompting MLSSoccer.com to name Shipp No. 6 on its annual “24 Under 24” list.
Before turning pro, Shipp led Notre Dame to the 2013 NCAA championship as a senior and was named the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Player. He was named ACC Offensive Player of the Year and was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy after recording 12 goals and 10 assists in his final season in South Bend.
