Whitecaps striker moved after complaining on Twitter
Long Tan traded after he tweets about lack of playing time
The Vancouver Whitecaps traded disgruntled striker Long Tan to D.C. United on Thursday.
In return, Vancouver received a third-round choice in the 2015 Major League Soccer SuperDraft.
The move came after Tan was suspended earlier this month for complaining on Twitter about his lack of playing time. The indefinite suspension ended up being a week, and he did see limited action as a substitute afterwards.
However, his days with the Whitecaps appeared numbered after he took shots at coach Martin Rennie, without mentioning him by name, on Twitter. He criticized Rennie for not giving him sufficient playing time and refusing to release him so that he could pursue opportunities with other clubs.
Tan, a 24-year-old native of Dalian, China, is the first Chinese player to suit up for an MLS club. He has struggled to get into the lineup since joining the Whitecaps at the start of their 2011 expansion campaign via trade from Tampa.
He made 17 MLS regular season appearances over two seasons with Vancouver, but only four this year. Although Tan excelled at the end of last season, he was pushed down the depth chart by Omar Salgado, who is currently out with a foot injury, and newcomers Sebastien Le Toux, Darren Mattocks and Etienne Barbara.