Minnesota United trades hometown player Caden Clark to CF Montreal

Late last year, Minnesota United announced that they were bringing home prodigal son Caden Clark — and just as quickly, the Medina native is now headed back out the door.

A source confirmed a report by Tom Bogert at GiveMeSport.com that the 21-year-old Clark is being traded to CF Montréal, in exchange for an as-yet-unspecified amount of general allocation money (GAM) — basically, salary-cap space — and a draft pick. The amount of GAM could increase based on performance incentives, and Minnesota will retain a percentage of any future sales should Clark hit it big in Quebec.

Clark left Minnesota and became a breakout star with the New York Red Bulls at age 17, and earned a move to New York’s sister club in the German Bundesliga, RB Leipzig, for the 2022 season. He wasn’t able to break through there, though, and never played for Leipzig — eventually leading to a move back to Minnesota.

This season, Clark began the year starting at wide forward, before becoming a backup at left wingback and then right wingback: all spots in which he never quite seemed comfortable after coming up as an attacking midfielder.

Though he appeared in 23 of Minnesota’s 25 MLS games this season, only 11 of those appearances came as a starter.