Dylan Nealis was acquired for $175K in GAM and a possible addition $50K.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville Soccer Club announced Saturday the acquisition of Massapequa, N.Y. native and defender Dylan Nealis from Inter Miami CF in exchange for $175,000 in General Allocation Money and an additional $50,000, if Nealis meets certain performance-based metrics.

Nealis is signed for the 2021 Major League Soccer season with options for the 2022 and 2023 seasons.

“Dylan is an outstanding defender who can contribute on both sides of the ball and has the potential to fit into our group really well,” Nashville general manager Mike Jacobs said in a statement. “He has a lot of the positive attributes we look for in players and will be a welcome addition.”

Nealis, selected with the third-overall pick in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft from Georgetown University, is set to join a Nashville SC defense that posted a 0.956 goals-against average, the best of any expansion club in league history.

The 22-year-old’s presence in Miami’s starting XI began early in the season as he logged 19 matches and 1,104 minutes.

At the collegiate level, Nealis made a massive impact captaining the Hoyas for two seasons and leading the squad to the 2019 NCAA Division I men’s College Cup title. He was named a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist for 2019, won the Big East defensive player of the year, and was named to the All-Big East first team and the United Soccer Coaches All-America first team. The 5-11, 175-lb. Nealis appeared in 78 games for Georgetown, registering seven goals and 14 assists.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.