Detroit City FC acquires forward Macky Diop from Birmingham Legion

Detroit City FC on Wednesday added some firepower up front, acquiring 26-year-old forward Amadou  Macky Diop from USL Championship's Birmingham Legion FC.

The clubs have agreed the details surrounding the trade will remain undisclosed, although a team official confirmed to The Detroit News that no players from the current DCFC roster have departed in the deal.

The deal marks the first trade made in the USL Championship under the league's new collective bargaining agreement, which was signed in September 2021.

Diop, a Dakar, Senegal, native joined Birmingham Legion FC in Dec. 2021 after two seasons with Atlanta United 2. Diop has made seven appearances this season; his only start came in Legion's season opener and his first goal of the season came this past weekend in a 2-1 win over Loudoun United FC.

Per USL Tactics, Diop has accumulated just 0.26 expected goals per 90 minutes this season and ranks in the second percentile of goals above replacement percentage.

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During his time with Atlanta United 2, Diop had three goals and two assists in 20 matches during the 2021 season and scored five goals over 12 matches in 2020.

While Diop has struggled this season — he played just 24 minutes in DCFC's 1-0 win over Birmingham on April 16 — enough potential is there to give DCFC hope that he can add to a forward attack which ranks eighth in shots and 11th in goals in USL Championship competition this season. 

Nolan Bianchi is a freelance writer.