Salt Lake that clinched the series and sent Dallas to the Western Conference Finals. Dallas would go on to reach the MLS Cup 2010, where they lost 2–1 to the Colorado Rapids. He played the entire 120 minutes of the match in what would be his final game for Dallas. D.C. United On November 24, 2010, McCarty was selected by the Portland Timbers as their first pick in the 2010 MLS Expansion Draft, and then immediately traded with allocation money to D.C. United for Rodney Wallace and a fourth-round pick in the 2011 MLS SuperDraft. Then interim coach, Ben Olsen made McCarty a priority signing due to the similarities between Dax and his own style of play. On March 16, 2011, after only 4 months with the club, McCarty was named as the club's captain by Ben Olsen. McCarty made his first official appearance with the club in a 3–1 victory against the Columbus Crew during the season opener. After failing to perform up to Olsen's expectations as a converted attacking midfielder, McCarty was traded after 13 matches to rival club, New York Red Bulls in the middle of the season. New York Red Bulls In a shock move on June 27, 2011, McCarty was traded to the New York Red Bulls in return for Dwayne De Rosario. He became an instant starter for New York in central midfield upon his arrival at the club and was nicknamed the "Ginger Ninja" by teammates and supporters because of his light red hair. During the 2012 season McCarty had a breakout season for New York playing as a holding midfielder and was regarded as one of the top players on the team. He made 33 league appearances for the club and scored three goals and set up three others. He was regarded as the most underrated player in the league due to his silent presence in the midfield behind stars, Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill. Before the 2013 season; sporting director Andy Roxburgh extended McCarty's contract and praised him as the "heart and soul of the team." McCarty continued his fine play for New York throughout the season as he made 30 league appearances and scored four goals in helping the club to its first major title the 2013 MLS Supporters' Shield. On August 26, 2014, McCarty made his CONCACAF Champions League debut in a 2–0 win against El Salvadorian side, C.D.