Arsenal sign Colorado Rapids defender Auston Trusty

Colorado Rapids defender Auston Trusty has signed for Premier League side Arsenal and will move to north London in July, the club announced Monday. 

Trusty will remain on loan with the Rapids until the summer before joining the Gunners ahead of their 2022/23 campaign.

The defender will remain in MLS through Colorado’s impending Concacaf Champions League participation.

It's notable that both Arsenal and Colorado are owned by Kroenke Sports & Entertainment.

“Auston is coming off an exceptional season in 2021 in which he played a vital role in helping us finish atop the Western Conference for the first time in our history,” Rapids EVP and general manager Padraig Smith said in a release.

“We remain committed to bringing through the top young players from Colorado and across the United States and to providing them with a platform to flourish, achieve success in MLS and earn the chance to make a move to Europe.

“Auston’s outstanding performances caught the eye of several European clubs over the past 12 months and we are privileged to be part of an organization with the reach and scale of KSE that allows us to help a player of Auston’s potential further his development and career aspirations in Europe.”

The defender spent the last two seasons with Colorado after arriving via trade from the Philadelphia Union. He has managed three goals and five assists in 97 MLS regular-season games since joining the league in 2016.

Trusty is the latest MLS player to secure a transfer abroad. Left-back Sam Vines moved to Belgian side Royal Antwerp last summer midfielder, while Cole Bassett joined Feyenoord in the Dutch Eredivisie on loan earlier this month.