More changes are underway at the Columbus Crew.
The club declined the contract options of seven players and picked up the options of 16 players from its 2014 roster, it was announced Tuesday, with the most high-profile departure being that of Jairo Arrieta, the Crew’s co-leading scorer from the 2012 season with nine goals.
After nearly leaving following the 2013 season, the 31-year-old Costa Rican international was given a chance to succeed in head coach Gregg Berhalter’s first season – one he won’t get next year.
“Jairo was in a situation where it wasn’t for lack of trying,” Berhalter said. “He really worked hard and gave everything for the team. But in the end it just was a little short of what we were looking for. Now, with bringing in Kei [Kamara] and having Aaron [Schoenfeld] performing, we felt it was time to move in a different direction.”
The club also parted ways with defenders Matt Wiet and Ross Friedman, midfielders Kingsley “Fifi” Baiden, Daniel Paladini, Agustin Viana and Matt Walker.
Berhalter said the decisions came on a case-by-case basis.
“We looked at all the guys and their performances this year and looked at where we think they’re going to be next year and then we made decisions,” he said.
Another noteworthy result of the cuts was the loss of three of the team’s Homegrown products in Friedman, Walker and Wiet. Berhalter said the trio weren’t giving the Crew enough but hopes they can excel elsewhere.
“We want to give them a chance to develop in a different way,” he said. “By leaving the organization and going out and finding a club and trying to play regularly, we think that will be helpful for them in the long run. We looked at the impact they were making with the first team this year and we felt they’d be better suited to finding an atmosphere where they were contributing a bit more.”
Another notable departure is that of Viana, a fan-favorite midfielder, who simply proved too costly to sit on the bench behind the excelling Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp, Berhalter said, also crediting injuries with stalling a season in which he made just four appearances after starting 20 times in 2013.
“[The media] are the ones saying Wil and Tony are some of the best midfielders in the league, and that’s difficult to break into,” he said. “And when they weren’t around, [Viana] had opportunities. But it’s difficult. When you have guys who are fit and really performing at a high level, it becomes difficult to surpass.”
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For Baiden and Paladini, long-term injuries stopped their seasons before they started, and Berhalter said he and his staff couldn’t get a solid picture of either as a result.
The Crew boss left open the possibility of bringing back any of the players but didn’t suggest that the idea was likely.
“I wouldn’t rule that out,” he said. “I think it’s certainly a possibility, but I would say we’re pretty comfortable with the decisions we’ve made so far.”
