Tyrone Marshall would have liked to spend his last few weeks before preseason on the beach in his native Jamaica, but now that he is officially a Colorado Rapids player, he will instead spend that time relocating with his family to the Rocky Mountains.
The 36-year-old veteran central defender agreed terms Monday with the Rapids after the club selected him in the second stage of the Re-Entry Draft on Dec. 15. Marshall, who told MLSsoccer.com he has signed a one-year deal with the option for one more year, said he was glad the lengthy negotiation process is now over.
“I am excited we are in agreement and we can get going,” he told MLSsoccer.com “I wanted to get this sorted before preseason starts.”
[inline_node:325775]Marshall was the Sounders' Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 but saw less playing time last season in Seattle. He knows he also faces an uphill battle to challenge Drew Moor and Marvell Wynne for a starting spot in the center of the back four now that he is a Rapid.
“Those two guys won a cup together and it is what it is,” he said. “There are a lot of games coming up. Things happen and it is good to have some kind of depth so that you are not going to lose a beat if someone else comes in.”
Marshall is already familiar with the Rapids organization. He was originally drafted by Colorado in 1998, but only played in one game for the club. Furthermore, he knows a number of the current players on the team's current roster -- Omar Cummings from their time together with the Jamaican national team, Pablo Mastroeni from their time at Miami, Brian Mullan from their days with the LA Galaxy, and Wynne when they shared the pitch in Toronto -- and is looking forward to meeting up with them in Denver.
Marshall said he hopes to see out his playing career in Colorado with the aim of getting into coaching once he hangs up his boots. For now, however, he is focused on working as hard as he can to contribute to the team in a center back role and help the Rapids defend their MLS Cup title.
“I can read the game better there in the middle, organize things and make sure things are right,” he said. “I’ll leave the outside to the younger guys.”
The Rapids are due back for preseason the week of Jan. 24.
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