Columbus Crew: Roster moves re-shape offseason
Columbus Crew SC began their offseason moves by exercising player options despite rumors circulating about the impending departure of manager Gregg Berhalter and goalkeeper Zack Steffen. The moves that they have made re-shape the upcoming offseason.
2018 was a successful year for the Columbus Crew. Gregg Berhalter was able to motivate his players into a 14-win season and a second consecutive Eastern Conference semi-final trip, all in spite of the Austin relocation saga looming over the club.
This success has brought on a number of rumors including the departure of Berhalter himself to the U.S. Men’s National Team and the potential move of MLS goalkeeper of the year Zack Steffen to Manchester City.
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Despite all the noise, the show must go on and Columbus Crew announced the list of players who had their options exercised for next season on Monday.
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Eight players had their options exercised including first-team regulars such as Luis Argudo, Niko Hansen, Gaston Sauro and Josh Williams. Defenders Alex Crognale and Connor Maloney return to the club after a 2018 season in which they failed to appear much on the field.
Crognale spent a large part of the season on loan with Orange County SC. Maloney spent a brief stint with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds making two appearances for the club while only making one appearance for Columbus. Despite his limited on-field action, Maloney was voted by his teammates for the Kirk Urso Heart Award for the 2018 season. The club also reinforced their goalkeeper position by exercising the options on Jon Kempin and Ben Lundgaard, Kempin saw limited time in 2018 mostly spelling Zack Steffen while he was out on national duty and in cup matches. Lundgaard spent the bulk of his season on loan with Indy Eleven.
Ghanaian defender Lalas Abubakar also penned a new contract after a very successful first two seasons in Columbus. Abubakar was a first round pick for Columbus Crew prior to the 2017 season and has developed into a key contributor on defense. The club also are continuing to negotiate for the permanent transfer of fellow defender Milton Valenzuela from Newell’s Old Boys. Valenzuela was an impact player for the Crew in the ever important position of fullback in Berhalter’s system. The permanent transfer of the young designated player will be a crucial priority for the club moving forward.
Monday’s announcement did come with some players departing the club. Goalkeeper Logan Ketterer, midfielder Ricardo Clark, wingers Mike Grella and Cristian Martinez and forward Adam Jahn all had their options declined for 2019. The club did state that negotiations are ongoing with Clark. These departures could be telling as to what the club’s plans are for this off-season, winger is clear position of need for the club and Berhalter has been vocal about it being a priority headed into the winter. The departure of Adam Jahn could also indicate the intention of Columbus Crew to upgrade their striker depth. The club was far too dependent on Gyasi Zardes for goals this season and upgrading the winger and striker depth will be crucial for their success in 2019.
The final departure to touch on is Logan Ketterer, this isn’t exactly a surprise as he failed to appear for Columbus in 2018 but linked with the news surrounding Zack Steffen’s possible move to Europe it does highlight a new top priority for the club. There will be huge shoes to fill in goal for Columbus and, with only Kempin and Lundgaard on the roster, it seems extremely likely that Columbus will be looking for Steffen’s replacement in the transfer window this upcoming January.
This announcement by the club was the beginning of a number of moves to the roster that fans will see over the next three months. With MLS Free Agency, the waiver draft and the MLS draft, there will surely be plenty to talk about in December. If all is true with the departure of Berhalter and Steffen, though, the January transfer window will be the most important part of the club’s offseason.
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The club could be on the market for not only a winger, as previously stated, but now a starting-caliber goalkeeper and potentially more with other players such as Wil Trapp rumored to potentially be on the move. This will indeed a busy winter for the Crew.