Perry Kitchen had signed with Randers FC of the Danish Superliga, the club announced Wednesday.
The midfielder had been at Scottish club Hearts, where he had served as club captain but had fallen out of the lineup in the second half of the season.
“We have been chasing a true No. 6 for a while to get a balance on the team,” Randers director Michael Gravgaard said in a press release. “In Perry Kitchen, we get a player with a strong character. He possesses many of the virtues we want and Randers FC is known for.
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“He is not a magician who can beat five men, but a disciplined player who worked very hard, and is also wise. We have high expectations for him and expect that he makes an impact quickly.”
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Kitchen, the third overall pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft from the University of Akron, spent the first five years of his career with D.C. United.
The defensive midfielder then departed the club for Hearts, who he joined in the middle of the 2015-16 campaign on free transfer. Kitchen became the club captain but saw his playing time decrease in the second half of the 2016-17 season, which saw Hearts finish fifth in the Scottish Premiership.
“I'm really looking forward to getting started at Randers,” Kitchen said in a press release. “I've had a really good time at Hearts, but switching to Randers FC was a really good opportunity for me at this time. It is important for me to work hard and play as much as possible, which is going to happen here.”
Kitchen has five caps for the U.S. national team, but he has not been called in since Bruce Arena took charge of the program in November.
