Danny Cruz challenges a defender earlier this season. Photo by Francis Chung.

D.C. United shipped away midfielder Danny Cruz to the Philadelphia Union on Wednesday, in a move that left many fans of the black and red scratching their heads. In exchange for Cruz, United received Colombian forward Lionard Pajoy and an international roster spot—which Pajoy himself will fill.

Cruz came out of the gates strong—he started 10 of United’s first 14 matches—but had more recently found himself riding the bench, struggling to find playing time at outside midfield on a squad that already includes Honduran international Andy Najar, breakout rookie Nick DeLeon and the surprising Lewis Neal. Despite his struggle to wrestle his starting spot back, Cruz remained a fan favorite—and an active contributor off the field. His presence in the locker room will surely be missed.

United also takes a bit of a hit to the checkbook with this move, taking on Pajoy’s $180,000 salary in exchange for the slightly more reasonable $100,000 that Cruz was raking in.

So where does United’s latest acquisition fit in to an attacking corps that already includes the likes of Chris Pontius, Hamdi Salihi, Long Tan, and Maicon Santos? To try and make some sense of the matter, I reached out to my United press corps brethren (and some Red Bulls fan who writes for Gothamist, too.)

******

Thomas Floyd, Writer/Editor, The Washington Times, @ThomasFloyd10

In recent weeks, it became increasingly apparent Ben Olsen was not comfortable with Maicon Santos and Hamdi Salihi at striker, despite flashes of goal-scoring efficiency from both. Thursday’s acquisition of Lionard Pajoy from Philadelphia confirmed those worries. With five goals in 20 games, Pajoy is finding net at a notably less-prolific clip than Santos and Salihi. But it’s hard to imagine United shipping away a young, talented player such as 22-year-old Danny Cruz if the club didn’t think Pajoy, 31, would contribute down the stretch. Look for the Colombian to get an extended look up top alongside Dwayne De Rosario, especially if Santos’ toe injury lingers and Salihi is frequently hopping across the Atlantic for Albania national team matches.

Dan Dickinson, Sports Editor, Gothamist, @GothamistDan

Boy, D.C. sure likes making trades with I-95 rivals right before matches, huh? Unlike the DeRo for Dax swap last summer, I don’t know if anyone’s going to feel swindled this time. Pajoy, despite missing plenty of chances this year, was still the Union’s leading scorer. I’m less familiar with Danny Cruz, but he seems like a decent midfielder who was just stuck back in the chart for minutes.

I’m surprised to hear Ben felt like he didn’t have enough depth up front—but then again I don’t understand the point of having a Designated Player [Salihi] that doesn’t routinely start. (Other than Rafa Marquez.) I’m also not sure what Philly needs with another midfielder. So…rather than a win-win, let’s call this meh-meh.

Seth Vertelney, Editor, Goal.com USA, @svertgoalcom

At first glance, it would appear D.C. United gave up too much for Pajoy, who’s something of a misfiring striker. However, I’m not totally against the move for a couple reasons. First, Cruz, though a nice locker room guy, isn’t a player that’s going to set the world on fire. Houston chose not to re-sign him after last season and now he’s been cast aside again. He hadn’t been getting much playing time, and DCU has the depth to handle his absence. Second, Pajoy presumably means the end of the Long Tan era which, without looking up how long he’d been here, lasted exactly that amount too long. With Maicon Santos a bit banged up and Hamdi Salihi’s enigmatic form, Pajoy should get a chance to contribute. If he converts a couple more chances than he did in Philly, DCU could come out on top in this deal.

Jason Anderson, Contributor, Black and Red United, @ChestRockwell14

The move comes as quite a surprise. Even with Danny Cruz’s recently reduced playing time, it had seemed like his place within the squad was secure. Lionard Pajoy’s debut season has been an odd one: He’s Philly’s leading scorer, but with only 5 goals and with Union fans not exactly mourning his departure. If this move is indicative of anything, it’s a) that Ben Olsen is losing patience with Maicon Santos and Hamdi Salihi and b) that Olsen ultimately sees Chris Pontius as a midfielder who can play forward, rather than as a forward who happens to be playing midfield. If Pontius is a wide midfielder, then Cruz was currently sitting fourth on the depth chart. If, however, Pontius were seen as more of a forward, United wouldn’t have much need for Pajoy.

Pablo Maurer, Handsome, Affable, Brilliant, DCist, @DCist_Pablo

So what do I think of the trade? I was initially disappointed—but honestly I can chalk that up to the fact that I (along with many other United fans) built a respect for the things that Danny Cruz does for United off the pitch. He’s a super likeable guy, a great interview and an active participant in DCU’s community outreach. As for his play on the field, I think he’s always fit the “gritty, give you 110% every time, hustle” type of mold. But Cruz was lacking in other areas – his touch on the ball and decision making often left much to be desired. Those things will come in time—Danny told the Capital Soccer Show in April that he didn’t even start playing soccer until he was 14—but United’s needs are more pressing. I don’t think it’s a bad move for the black and red. And I have faith in both the United front office and Ben Olsen himself. Perhaps Barra Brava member @BlasianSays puts it best himself:

So, let’s see what Lionard can do. With Salihi and Santos proving to be more and more unreliable and Long tan proving to be, well, Long Tan, Pajoy has a golden opportunity to secure a starting spot. One thing’s for sure: we won’t have to wait very long to get a look at both of them in their new kits, as United faces the Union on Sunday at RFK (5 p.m., NBC Sports Network.)

Team Notes: Sunday’s game against Philly is a crucial match for United, which needs to solidify its playoff position. More importantly, it’s MOTHERFUCKING DWAYNE DE ROSARIO BOBBLEHEAD NIGHT ….. If you’re one of the first 50 cyclists to arrive at RFK on Sunday, you’ll get take the game in for free—details here.