Columbus Crew SC midfielder Wil Trapp recently acquired a Greek passport, a noteworthy development should the US national team midfielder look to move abroad in the future.
Trapp, whose maternal grandfather emigrated from Greece, confirmed to MLSsoccer.com that he obtained a Greek passport. Despite that, Trapp does not necessarily have immediate plans to move to Europe.
The midfielder signed a new contract with Columbus last year that runs through the 2020 season. The new deal required Targeted Allocation Money, and Trapp’s total compensation was listed as $550,004 in the 2018 MLS Players’ Association salary release this week.
The Crew SC captain has continued to progress on the field for his hometown team, taking an even larger leadership role for a relatively young group. The Homegrown Player midfielder has started 10 games this year and has performed well for a Columbus team that currently sits in fourth place in the Eastern Conference.
Trapp expressed his loyalty to his hometown club last season when he inked the extension.
“This is home; it’s a club that I’ve obviously grown up with and known for the majority of my life and been fortunate enough to play for, and I want to win here,” Trapp told the Columbus Dispatch. “At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing for me, and this contract, this extension, gives me and this club the opportunity to pursue the dreams we have from an individual as well as a collective basis.”
Crew SC host the Chicago Fire on Saturday (7:30 pm ET | TV & streaming info).
It will be worth watching how Trapp’s role with the US continues to evolve.
The 25-year-old holding midfielder has worked himself into the picture in the months after the Americans failed to qualify for the World Cup. Trapp started and played 173 minutes across two friendlies in March.
Holding a Greek passport provides a much easier road to Europe should a team inquire about purchasing Trapp from Columbus. Crew SC coach Gregg Berhalter has a history of selling or trading players for the right price with notable examples including Giancarlo Gonzalez, Nicolai Naess and Ethan Finlay.
The contract extension shows how highly Columbus values Trapp, however. It would likely take a strong offer for Berhalter to consider moving his captain.
