Trapp agrees to contract extension
Crew SC’s homegrown captain will remain in Columbus for at least a few more years.
The club announced Tuesday that midfielder Wil Trapp, a Gahanna native, has signed a multi-year contract. A source confirmed that the extension runs through the 2020 season. Financial terms were not released.
Trapp's salary last year was $178,250. Crew SC said targeted allocation money — used to buy down a contract above the maximum singleplayer budget charge — was used in the extension. The MLS’s maximum budget charge for 2017 is $480,625, meaning that the contract at
some point will push Trapp's salary near to or beyond triple what he made last year.
“For me, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders just from the standpoint of, you can step into the season with confidence, knowing that all the contract stuff is out of the way and you can focus on playing,” Trapp said. “That was a big testament to (coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter) and my camp of really just getting it settled and allowing me to move forward in an easy and comfortable way.”
Trapp, a 2011 Gahanna graduate and a product of the Crew SC Academy system, signed with the Crew as a homegrown player in December 2012 and has made 95 regular-season appearances in Major League Soccer since the start of the 2013 season.
Trapp said remaining close to where he grew up played a “massive” role in his decision to agree to 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 said. “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.”
Trapp served for three years as the team's vice captain before being named captain by Berhalter before this season.
A defensive midfielder, Trapp has long been a key piece in the Crew's possession style of play. He frequently leads the team in touches and was one of just two players to complete more than 1,600 passes during the 2016 MLS season.
Trapp received his third call-up to the U.S. men’s national team this year for its January camp, and he has made two appearances with the senior national team. He made his first MLS All-Star roster last season.
On Thursday, the Crew announced it had signed left wing Justin Meram to a multi-year contract extension that also will involve the use of targeted allocation money. At the time, Berhalter said the investment pool of targeted allocation money gives the Crew “flexibility to work to re-sign top performers.”
Tuesday’s announcement was another step by Berhalter in planning beyond the 2017 season.
“I think it’s great for two reasons — first of all, to have Wil commit to the club in the prime of his career is great news for Columbus Crew SC, and then for the team, just knowing we have this solid foundation on which to build is important,” Berhalter said. “I think consistency goes a long way in building successful teams, and Wil is certainly going to be part of that.”