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Crew announces Gonzalez sale

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                                                                                                       Photo by ISI Photos

As first reported on Soccer by Ives this morning, The Columbus Crew has sold defender Marcos Gonzalez to Chilean club Universidad Catolica for an undisclosed fee. The Crew officially announced the sale on Thursday evening.

"Marcos Gonzalez has been a solid contributor to our team over the past two years," Crew general manager Mark McCullers said in a team-issued release. "Catolica was very anxious to add Marcos to their roster for the upcoming run in the Copa Libertadores and made an offer that we could not pass up and likely would not have seen again.

"While we have lost a very capable defender, we have added significant resources to our club that will be reinvested in our continuing effort to improve this team."

So how much did the Crew get? That is a good question, but you can bet that most of it will go toward paying the designated player the Crew has lined up. Expect news on that chase soon.

As for losing Gonzalez, it is a tough break but Columbus has some good options in the back, with Chad Marshall, Danny O’Rourke and rookie Andy Iro, as well as veteran Ezra Hendrickson. You can argue that Gonzalez was better than all of them, but the Crew can offset his loss if it spends wisely on a productive designated player.

I remember seeing Gonzalez in spring training of 2006 and thinking that Columbus had found itself a cornerstone defender. He really came of age in 2007, which set the stage for this transfer. Columbus must have known this deal was happening when it selected central defender Andy Iro in the MLS Draft rather than striker Patrick Nyarko.

What do you think of this sale? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Dang. Glad I came here. I touched on the Crew’s newfound defensive crossroads somewhere in the middle of a monster post about where all MLS teams sit at this point in the off-season.

    I think the rub for me with both Iro and O’Rourke is that they’re unknown quantities replacing one known, and good, quantity. They may pan out swell, but they may not.

    And thanks for the Jed Zayner plug “Mike.” Gives us all something else to watch for.

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  2. Farewell to Marcos. He was classy, no matter what Andrea Canales says. I doubt we got that much money for him, but who knows, maybe Catolica will be more open in talking about how much they paid…

    Zurawski here we come!

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  3. McCullers wasn’t playing dumb, he really just doesn’t know what’s going on with his own club. He’s too busy booking Rascal Flatts and 50 Cent for his new stage.

    Calls to the Crew’s front office about when their new jersey will be available for sale have not been returned. Probably all in a meeting to figure out if Justin Timberlake is still a hot act to book. I pay over 250$ a year for a season ticket, show up to every game, chant my Crew praise for 90 minutes each match and what do I get in return? No playoffs in 3 years and my seat is now is at center stage. But what will I do now?? Sign up to do it all over again, because I am Columbus ‘Til I Die!

    Sorry to see you go Marcos and the supporters will miss you.

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  4. Did you see McCullers comments to Shawn Mitchell? Trying to act all dumb on the subject.

    Way to go Ives breaking it first 😉

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  5. It is disappointing to lose Marco as he was definitely a rock in central defense. I like the prospects that the Crew currently have in the wings though, O’Rourke and Iro, as well as Marshall coming back. Hopefully we get the DP striker to score some goals because I am sure that they will give up some more without Gonzalez in the back.

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