The Columbus Crew and defender Frankie Hejduk have agreed to a new two-year contract, the club announced Thursday. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.
By putting pen to paper on a new deal, Hejduk will return to the Black and Gold for his fifth and sixth seasons with the club. In 2007, he'll be looking to rebound from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that ended his 2006 season on April 29.
"There isn't anywhere in MLS I'd rather be than Columbus and I'm excited about returning," Hejduk said. "I'm ready to get back to work and try to help bring a championship to the city and its great fans."
Hejduk, 32, is known as a workhorse on the back line, a reputation that belies the Cardiff, Calif., native's surfer attitude off the field. Arguably the fittest - and one of the fastest - players in MLS, Hejduk terrorizes the opposition with his tough tackling and his ability to race up and down the flank as a wingback.
"Getting Frankie signed was a priority of ours this offseason," said Crew general manager Mark McCullers. "Not only is he a stalwart who provides professionalism and a tireless work rate, he also brings some personality, energy and enthusiasm to our team. He's somebody who belongs in black and gold and he helps solidify our back line."
Hejduk will want to reassert his athleticism less than a year after tearing his ACL, one in a spate of injuries that helped to doom an inexperienced Crew team to a second consecutive season of missing the playoffs. Hejduk is now fully recovered, and head coach Sigi Schmid will be counting on him.
"We are very excited that Frankie will continue to be part of the Crew," said head coach Sigi Schmid. "We're looking forward to having him for a full season this year and his leadership will be very important to our success."
In addition to cutting short his 2006 MLS campaign, last year's injury prevented Hejduk from playing in his third FIFA World Cup. Hejduk had been named to the U.S. roster just a day before the injury. He is the only U.S. player to have participated in the 1998 and 2002 World Cups and the 1996 and 2000 Olympics.
Hejduk has made a total of 65 appearances in four seasons with the Crew. He previously played 50 games for the Tampa Bay Mutiny from 1996-98, then spent time with German side Bayer Leverkusen (1998-2002) and Swiss club St. Gallen (2002). He has been selected an MLS All-Star four times.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
