The San Jose Earthquakes continued their offseason makeover on Monday, sending longtime midfielder Sam Cronin to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for allocation money.
Cronin, 28, spent the last four-and-a-half seasons in San Jose, recording five goals and 12 assists in 140 regular season appearances with the Quakes. He’ll slot into a Colorado midfield that on Monday officially lost Jose Mari, who signed with La Liga club Levante in his native Spain after spending one year with the Rapids.
It's the second big midfield move made by the Rapids in recent days after acquiring veteran Marcelo Sarvas from the defending MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy.
- TRANSACTION PAGE: Catch up on ALL the offseason moves here
For the Quakes, the move opens up some space in their crowded central midfield. New San Jose boss Dominic Kinnear selected defensive midfielder Fatai Alashe fourth overall in last week’s MLS SuperDraft, with the Michigan State product joining fellow youngster JJ Koval, veterans Jean-Baptiste Pierazzi and Khari Stephenson as well as the more attack-minded Designated Player Matias Perez Garcia in the middle of the park.
Cronin began his pro career in 2009, when he was selected No. 2 overall by Toronto FC. The Wake Forest grad made 33 appearances with TFC, scoring one goal and notching six assists before being shipped to San Jose midway through his second season. Cronin has 173 appearances - including 162 starts - in his six-year MLS career, playing at least 23 regular season games in each of his pro seasons.
