San Diego FC announced today the Club has acquired the right of first refusal for Swedish American Defender Christopher McVey from D.C. United in exchange for $50,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and up to $50,000 in conditional 2026 GAM if certain performance metrics are met. SDFC has also signed McVey to a new contract through the end of the 2026 MLS season with a Club option for an additional year. The trade will be executed upon the reopening of the MLS trade window following tonight’s Expansion Draft.
“Chris brings versatility and experience to our team,” said SDFC Sporting Director Tyler Heaps. “He has proven he can defend at a high level in this league, and he will come in to compete for a spot across our backline. We’re excited to welcome him to San Diego FC as we continue to build a strong and balanced squad for our inaugural season.”
McVey signed with D.C. United at the beginning of 2024 in a trade with Inter Miami CF. During the 2024 season with D.C. United, the 27-year-old made 28 appearances, all 28 as starts, in all competitions. McVey made his debut for D.C. on Feb. 24 in a 3-1 home win against the New England Revolution. He went on to score his first goal with United on May 25 in a 1-1 draw against Chicago Fire FC.
McVey joined Inter Miami CF on Jan. 14, 2022 and spent two seasons with the club, making his debut for Miami on Feb. 26, 2022 in a 0-0 league draw against the Fire. He went on to score his first goal for the club on July 20, 2022 in a 4-4 league draw against FC Cincinnati. In his first season at Miami, McVey was ranked eighth in MLS for minutes played with 3,040. In two seasons with Inter Miami, McVey appeared in 61 matches across all competitions, scoring one goal and recording one assists on his way to winning the 2023 Leagues Cup title.
The Sparsör native started his professional career with IF Elfsborg academy, spending three years with academy before making his debut with the senior team on Oct. 1, 2017 in a 5-2 league loss to AIK Fotboll. McVey made a total of 42 appearances across all competitions for Elfsborg between 2017 and 2021, gaining valuable experience by playing five UEFA Conference League qualifying matches in the 2021-2022 campaign. Over three seasons, McVey appeared in 42 matches for IF Elfsborg across all competitions, scoring one goal and one assist before signing with Inter Miami CF. During his tenure at Elfsborg, the central defender was also loaned out to Swedish second division club Dalkurd FF in 2019, making 17 appearances and registering one goal and an assist.
On the international front, McVey has represented the U-17 and U-18 sides of the Swedish National Team.
Transaction: San Diego FC acquired the right of first refusal for Swedish American Defender Christopher McVey from D.C. United in exchange for $50,000 in 2025 General Allocation Money (GAM) and up to $50,000 in conditional 2026 GAM if certain performance metrics are met. SDFC also signed McVey to a new contract through the end of the 2026 MLS season with a Club option for an additional year.
Name: Christopher McVey
Position: Defender
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 185 lbs
Born: April 12, 1997
Age: 27
Birthplace: Sparsör, Sweden
Previous Club: D.C. United
Pronunciation: chris-TOH-fer mik-VAY
