Columbus Crew acquire Julian Gressel via trade with Whitecaps

Vancouver Whitecaps are trading wing-back Julian Gressel to Eastern Conference side Columbus Crew, according to a report from The Athletic.

Gressel joins the Crew after playing roughly one year for Vancouver, making 38 appearances in all competitions and scoring seven goals. In 2023, the 29-year-old has made 18 appearances, tallying eight goal involvements.

The former Providence College standout is now en route to play for his fourth Major League Soccer club, after having stints with Atlanta United (2017-2020), DC United (2020-2022), Vancouver Whitecaps (2022-2023), and now one of the league's oldest clubs, Columbus Crew.

It appears that teams have no interest in signing him as a Designated Player, which is interesting given the quality he possesses. Gressel is a versatile player, able to take up positions in the middle of the park as well as out wide as a winger and most recently as a wing-back.

Vancouver reportedly made a contract offer to Gressel, but he turned it down as he wanted to move back to the Eastern Conference, a similar situation that happened with Atlanta when their contract offer wasn't up to par for him.

With the Crew, Gressel will have the chance to show off his exceptional deliveries to the likes of Lucas Zelarayan, Christian Ramirez, and Juan 'Cucho' Hernandez. The Crew sit sixth in the Eastern Conference table with 36 points, and are gearing up to face St. Louis City in the 2023 Leagues Cup.

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