Meantime, midfielder Moses Nyeman (Riverdale, Md.) is planning to become the 13th player since 2009 to sign a homegrown contract with United, people close to the situation said. The sides have reached an agreement in principle, said one source who requested anonymity because the deal has not been finalized.

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Nyeman will turn 16 in November. Neither United nor his representatives wanted to comment.

Both Kayo and Nyeman have played as amateurs for Loudoun United, D.C.'s new second-division team based in Leesburg.

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Kayo is a member of the U.S. under-17 national team headed to Brazil next month for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Nyeman this weekend will report to Chula Vista, Calif., for a U-16 national team identification camp.

Kayo has long aimed to play in Europe and, this summer, trained with multiple clubs there. Eager to turn pro but unable to sign with Wolfsburg until he’s 18, he needed a temporary team until next July.

United was given the option of using him at Loudoun until he left for Germany, but the organization preferred to give the playing time to academy players under consideration for MLS contracts.

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Because United offered Kayo a contract, the club will retain his MLS rights.

Orange County became a realistic destination because of a longtime friendship between Oliver Wyss, the club’s president of soccer operations, and Kayo’s U.S. under-17 coach, Raphael Wicky. Both are Swiss.

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Kayo joins another former D.C. prospect at Orange County: forward Michael Seaton, who, in January 2013, signed a homegrown contract with United and was traded to the Portland Timbers 2 ½ years later. This season, Seaton, 23, is Orange County’s leading scorer with 12 goals.

Kayo — who is 6 feel 1 and plays in central midfield — is eligible to make his pro debut this weekend at Tulsa. With six matches left in the USL Championship season, Orange County is sixth in the 18-team Western Conference with an 11-8-9 record.

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Nyeman, a central midfielder, has made 11 appearances for Loudoun United. His teammates include two other D.C. academy products who signed MLS homegrown contracts this year: midfielder Antonio Bustamante (Springfield, Va.) and attacker Griffin Yow (Clifton, Va.).

Nyeman will continue playing for Loudoun this fall, then report to D.C. training camp in January. For development purposes, he will spend most, if not all, of next season with Loudoun.