Thirteen days ago, Minnesota United and the Colorado Rapids were foes on the field. On Friday, they became trade partners in a deal that drastically improves the putrid back line of the Loons.
Minnesota is set to bring in midfielder Sam Cronin and defender Marc Burch in exchange for midfielders Mohamed Saeid and Josh Gatt, per the Minnesota Star-Tribune.
The Loons are off to an historically bad start, conceding 18 goals in their first four games, including two at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in a match that Cronin and Burch started in. Cronin was one of the best defensive midfielders in MLS last season, while Burch is an instant upgrade over anyone on Minnesota’s current depth chart.
The trade seems like a questionable one from the Rapids perspective, but it appears Pablo Mastroeni has enough trust in Micheal Azira and offseason signing Bismarck ‘Nana’ Adjei-Boateng in defensive midfield, with Saeid being another option to turn to in the middle of the park. The deal leaves the Rapids a bit exposed at left back, but with a Week 5 bye in hand, they’ll have plenty of time to find a Burch replacement.