In search of playing time, 22 year-old PSV Eindhoven prospect Richard Ledezma has joined New York City FC on-loan through the end of the current MLS season.
Long rumored to have been in the works, the move was confirmed by the MLS club on Friday, who looked to add depth to their roster in the early phases of the new season.
“We will play in a number of competitions throughout the season, so building a strong squad is an important part of our strategy and Richy adds quality and depth to our roster,” Sporting Director David Lee stated in a press release announcing the loan.
Through the nonsensical rules of MLS, Real Salt Lake still owned the league rights to Ledezma despite him having played within the PSV Eindhoven system for more than four years, meaning that NYCFC had to pay the Utah-based team $50,000 in conceptual “General Allocation Money” to secure his services for the rest of the season.
While they missed out on this season’s CONCACAF Champions League, the New York-based club is still navigating three competitions, with the US Open Cup and newly minted Leagues Cup set to add several games to their busy MLS schedule.
Ledezma had struggled for playing time at PSV after several spells on the sideline due to injury, including an ACL injury that kept him off the field for nearly a year from late-2020 until December 2021.
In the current Eredivisie season, he had only managed seven appearances and a total of 130 minutes thus far, in addition to a further six games with their second team.
Still, the Dutch powerhouse holds the American in high regard, as they first signed the player to a contract extension through 2025 before allowing him to link up with the MLS club.
The Phoenix-born midfielder was once one of the most prized youth prospects in the US Soccer system, however struggles with multiple injuries have limited him to only a single senior-team cap back in 2020.
It has not been indicated yet whether Ledezma made the trip with his new teammates to Houston to take on the Dynamo in Saturday-night league action.
