Higuain agrees to one-year extension

A lot can change in two months. Just ask Crew SC midfielder Federico Higuain.

Two months after the 32-year-old midfielder from Argentina said this season would be his last with the Crew and a month after he lightly backtracked by saying “you never know,” Higuain put pen to paper to ensure he will be back.

The Crew announced Tuesday it had signed Higuain to a one-year extension of his designated player contract, meaning the career of one of the club’s most productive players will continue into a seventh season.

Per club and league policy, specific terms of the deal were not disclosed. Higuain’s guaranteed compensation for 2017 is $1.05 million, according to players’ union data.

“Federico Higuain is an important part of what we do,” Crew coach and sporting director Gregg Berhalter said. “He’s a guy who we felt was valuable to re-sign and certainly has a place in our team in the future. Over the last couple months it was about communication and communication about the future, and thankfully we were able to come to come to an agreement.”

Two months ago, the Crew had a losing record and Higuain, a 5-foot-8, 165-pound midfielder, was still more than two weeks away from returning from a sprained knee that cost him a month and a half of the season.

After an early August training session, he and Berhalter had a lengthy conversation next to the Crew’s training pitch that at times became animated.

Minutes later, Higuain told The Dispatch the 2017 season would be his last with the team. Informed of Higuain’s comments, Berhalter remained optimistic the club would be able to reach an agreement with Higuain.

In context, the Crew had a lot on its plate, and timing was everything. Higuain’s announcement came just days before the Crew signed wing Pedro Santos, traded midfielder Ethan Finlay to Minnesota and secured $400,000 in allocation money in a trade with New England, all before the close of the secondary transfer window.

“There’s always a conflict in terms of timing between a player and an organization. At that time that we were discussing it, we clearly had other goals as an organization,” Berhalter said. “What was pressing, first and foremost, was trying to put the team in a position to make the playoffs. At that time individual priorities sometimes take a backseat, but that didn’t mean that we didn’t value Federico or appreciate what he brings to this team.”

Higuain has six assists in his last five games to push his season total to 11, a high in his Major League Soccer career. With two games remaining, his goal total of nine is already his highest since 2014 and just two shy of his career-high with the Crew.

“It’s a big day, it’s an important day for me. It’s not easy being away from my country, but here in Columbus, my family and I, we found a place to be happy,” Higuain said. “I believe (the Crew has) always trusted the way that I play, and that, for me, is the most important thing.”

When healthy, he has been an asset for the club, but it’s only natural to wonder about the sustained health of a veteran player. Higuain has missed at least seven games due to injury in 2016 and ’17, and he will turn 33 this month, things Berhalter considered but did not dwell on.

As the possibility of Higuain parting ways with the Crew was discussed over the last couple months, Berhalter said he made it clear to Higuain that he would do what he could to help the midfielder stay in MLS, Crew SC or not.

As of Tuesday, Higuain, along with his 48 career goals and 46 assists, will be back with the Crew for another season.

“I’m going to go on record saying he’s one of the greatest players ever to play for the Crew,” Berhalter said. “It’s a short list of guys that he’s up there with, so it’s great to have him back.”