D.C. United defender Sean Nealis was supposed to make his return to Harrison Wednesday night. While he is now in enemy territory, Red Bull New York supporters appreciated his time with the club and some wished he was still with them.
Back on December 22, 2025, New York officially traded the defender to the nation’s capital in exchange for $350,000 in total General Allocation Money (GAM).
Nealis’ time with New York was a special one. The Massapequa, New York native was the club’s captain for a season and was responsible for scoring the club’s only goal in the 2024 MLS Cup Final. Nealis was also one of the leading players on New York’s backline in 2021 which led the league in shutouts with 13.
“We want to thank Sean for everything he gave to the club,” Head of Sport Julian de Guzman said back in December. “Sean handled himself with class every day and represented the club the right way. We are grateful for his time here and wish him all the best going forward.”
Now with D.C., it has not gone well for him with one of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) original clubs. In only four league matches this season, Nealis has only started one match. That match came against FC Dallas on April 4 where D.C. allowed a season-high four goals.
To make matters worse, Nealis sustained an injury in that match vs Dallas. On April 9, D.C. announced that the defender underwent right shoulder surgery to repair his clavicle. When the news was originally announced, it was expected that Nealis would be sidelined for about six to eight weeks.
Even from a far, it’s terrible news for Red Bull fans who would have loved to see him potentially play Wednesday in a huge rivalry match.
Injuries have been a very common theme for the Nealis family in 2026 as Sean’s brother Dylan faced some setbacks in March. New York without Dylan suffered badly in March. The club allowed 10 goals in three matches including a match where they surrendered six to Charlotte FC.
One has to wonder how much different New York’s backline would have been had Sean not been moved back in December. Defensively, it has been an up and down mess for New York. Despite three solid performances in a row to begin April, that all faded away when they fell once again to CF Montréal last Saturday.
In Saturday’s match, Red Bull lost 4-1 on the road to one of the worst clubs in the league. They previously allowed three goals in their loss to Montréal back on March 8.
Would Sean make any difference for New York in 2026 had he stayed? He would have been a steady piece and a reliable one at that. He would more than likely receive more minutes, but who knows what would have happened.
Nealis will now have to wait a little longer to face his former squad as the second meeting between these bitter rivals won’t be until October 14 at Audi Field. Until then, let’s hope Sean makes a return to the pitch soon.
