Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders have officially traded forward Eddie Johnson to D.C. United, the team announced:

OFFICIAL: The #Sounders trade Eddie Johnson to @DCUnited in exchange for allocation money. http://t.co/gM3TP4HRY1

Good luck to @eddie_johnson7 as he continues his career with @dcunited. Thanks for two great seasons!

SI.com's Brian Straus initially reported the deal and said Johnson was dealt for exchange for a "large amount of allocation money."

Straus adds that Johnson is expected to sign a new contract with United that will pay him more than the estimated $156,333 he earned last season in the Pacific Northwest. 

Seattle fans will certainly be sad to see the 29-year-old go, but his surging production and the arrival of Clint Dempsey in August has left the franchise between a rock and hard place. Dempsey's salary demands, "roughly 30 times greater than Johnson's," according to Straus, made the front office's decision that much easier and United are sure to benefit as a result.    

Johnson, who spent several years in the Premier League with Fulham, is an elite goal scorer, recording 29 goals in all competitions during two seasons with the Sounders.

Former Sounders teammate Steve Zakuani praised Johnson's remarkable turnaround on Twitter shortly after the trade was reported: 

Sometimes you have to put personal opinions aside & respect what he did on the pitch & how he turned his career around @eddie_johnson7

United will definitely welcome the talented striker with opon arms as they finished dead last in the Eastern Conference last season, scoring just 22 goals in 34 regular-season games.

The United States Men's National Team star has also reemerged as an international stud, starring for the Americans at last summer's 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup and netting five goals in 15 appearances for the USMNT this past year.

D.C. fans will have to wait until March 8 to see Johnson in action in a United uniform for the first time, when the Black-and-Red kick off the 2014 MLS regular season at home against the Columbus Crew.   

Follow Bleacher Report Featured Columnist Patrick Clarke on Twitter. 

Read more MLS news on BleacherReport.com

Source: Click Here