DC United announced today the club has acquired defender Brandon McDonald from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for allocation money.

"We are excited to be acquiring a solid veteran in Brandon," General Manager Dave Kasper said. "He is an experienced, hard-nosed player who has played at both the centerback and holding midfield spots in our league. We look forward to integrating him into our team immediately."

The 25-year-old defender joins the Black-and-Red after spending two full seasons in San Jose. Over the course of his tenure with the Earthquakes, McDonald appeared in 58 MLS games (54 starts), including eight starts in 2011.

The Phoenix, Ariz. native was drafted by the LA Galaxy with the 46th pick in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft and played 16 games for the Galaxy prior to joining San Jose in 2009. McDonald also played four years at the University of San Francisco from 2004 to 2007.