Real Salt Lake acquire forward Diego Rocio from Philadelphia Union | OneFootball

By MLSsoccer staff

TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade

Real Salt Lake have acquired forward Diego Rocio from the Philadelphia Union, both clubs announced Thursday.

In exchange for Rocio's Homegrown Priority, RSL sent Philadelphia $100,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) split evenly across the next two seasons. The Union could receive an additional $250,000 in conditional GAM and retain both a trade percentage (move within MLS) and a sell-on percentage (move out of MLS).

RSL have signed Rocio to MLS NEXT Pro affiliate side Real Monarchs through the end of 2025. The 17-year-old Mexican youth international will join the first team in 2026 as a homegrown player through the 2028 MLS season, with an option for 2029.

A standout player for Philadelphia's vaunted academy, Rocio grabbed the spotlight at the 2024 Generation adidas Cup, scoring five knockout-round goals to win tournament MVP honors after leading the Union to a second-straight U-17 title. That same year, he had one assist in four MLS NEXT Pro appearances with Philadelphia Union II.

The US-born Rocio has represented Mexico twice at the U-18 level.

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