BALTIMORE - Columbus Crew Head Coach Greg Andrulis announced today that The Crew has traded forward Jeff Cunningham to the Colorado Rapids for their natural First Round MLS SuperDraft pick in 2006. The Crew now owns two First Round picks in next year's draft.
"As with any deal, there are a lot of factors that come into play," said Andrulis. "Jeff has been a valuable member of The Crew since 1998 and we wish him the best of luck in Colorado. But this move clears salary cap space for us and changes the dynamic of our team. This trade is just a piece of the bigger puzzle as we continue to build our team for 2005 and the future."
Cunningham was The Crew's First Round selection in the 1998 MLS Draft. He leaves Columbus as the team's second all-time leading scorer with 167 points on 62 goals and 43 assists. The Montego Bay, Jamaica native, also had three goals and recorded five assists in 16 postseason games. The former University of South Florida star finished the 2004 season with nine goals and four assists for 22 points.
Transaction (MLS) - The Columbus Crew acquires Colorado's Natural First Round Draft pick in the 2006 MLS SuperDraft in exchange for forward Jeff Cunningham
