St. Louis CITY SC opens its 2026 season on Feb. 21, but one of the more intriguing additions to the roster has already arrived. Midfielder Daniel Edelman, a 22-year-old Jewish standout who made his name with the New York Red Bulls, is now wearing CITY red.
Attempts to interview Edelman through the club were unsuccessful, but his story is well documented — including in a 2023 profile by the New York Jewish Week — and his résumé speaks for itself.
CITY acquired Edelman in January from the Red Bulls in exchange for $500,000 in 2026 General Allocation Money and $200,000 in 2027 GAM, with up to $150,000 more in conditional GAM tied to performance metrics. New York also retains a percentage of any future sale or trade.
“Daniel is a ball-winning, high-intensity midfielder whose addition will bring even more competition to our midfield group,” Sporting Director Corey Wray said in a club announcement. “He has played significant MLS minutes despite his young age and has shown maturity in his performances. We believe he can continue to develop and take another step at this level.”
Breakthrough years
Edelman has already made more than 100 MLS regular season and playoff appearances. He broke through with New York in 2022, became a regular starter in 2023 and converted the decisive penalty kick in a 2024 playoff shootout that sent the Red Bulls to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. He later started and played 84 minutes in the 2024 MLS Cup Final against the LA Galaxy.
Internationally, he has represented the United States at the U-16, U-20 and U-23 levels, captaining the U-20 team at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup after leading the squad to a CONCACAF championship in 2022.
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A Jewish presence
Off the field, Edelman has embraced being one of the few openly Jewish players in MLS.
“It’s pretty cool to think about,” he said in a 2023 interview with JTA. “There’s been some fans who have come up to me and say ‘Oh, it’s great to have someone Jewish on the field, see them playing.’ It’s not that common, to be honest.”
He grew up celebrating Jewish holidays with his father’s side of the family and has said Hanukkah is his favorite holiday because it’s when he gets to see everyone together, share good food and enjoy time as a family.
He has also spoken about drawing inspiration from his late great-grandfather, a Holocaust survivor who escaped from a cattle car en route to a Nazi camp.
“It’s inspiring that he didn’t give up, he kept fighting and he was able to make it out,” Edelman said.
New chapter in St. Louis
Now, three years after that profile, Edelman’s path runs through St. Louis. For CITY fans, and for Jewish soccer fans in particular, that feels worth celebrating.
