Draft picks Lundgaard, Argudo sign contracts

Crew SC made two expected additions to its roster Thursday, signing goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard and midfielder Luis Argudo, both 2018 draft picks.

The Crew selected Lundgaard, 22, with the 21st overall pick in the SuperDraft. The Virginia Tech product won 10 games and recorded six shutouts as a senior for the Hokies in 2017.

“It was an incredible feeling, obviously, signing a first pro contract,” Lundgaard said. “It’s what I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. When the Crew drafted me, I knew I was coming into a good organization and during preseason they just continued to prove that to me.”

Coach Gregg Berhalter said the Crew drafted Lundgaard based on his potential and plans to loan him out to get games under his belt. He said the team is working on a destination for Lundgaard.

Argudo, 22, was a third-round selection. As a senior at Wake Forest in 2017, he scored eight goals and provided six assists. It’s not likely he will see much time at either wing position or in the defensive midfield this season, but he was added to the roster after a strong preseason.

Argudo scored against Japanese club Iwaki FC in the Crew’s second game of the Pacific Rim Cup and surprised the coaching staff with his ability to adapt to the speed of the game, Berhalter said.

“It was nice hearing Gregg say that they were going to give me a contract,” Argudo said. “Obviously camp is camp and it was tough, but I thought Wake Forest really prepared me for this.”

Argudo is the second straight third-round draft pick of the Crew to surprise the coaching staff. Connor Maloney, now in his second season with the team, wowed coaches with his effort during the Crew’s preseason camp in Brazil in 2017.

“I think it’s a credit to the work (assistant coach) Pat Onstad does running the college scouting and running the college program,” Berhalter said. “We have a good understanding of what’s out there and we’re able to use the draft to get those surprises.”

Second-round selection Edward Opoku is a member of the Generation Adidas class and has already signed a contract with the league. Another second-round selection of the Crew, midfielder Jake Rozhansky, is under contract with Israeli club FC Maccabi Netanya until this summer, but the Crew now holds his MLS rights.

With the addition of the two rookies, the Crew’s roster sits at 27 players.

Injury update

In the club’s first injury report of the 2018 season, midfielder Mike Grella (knee) and defender Gaston Sauro (knee) are both listed as out. Midfielder Pedro Santos (right thigh injury) and defender Josh Williams (right foot injury) are listed as questionable.

Midfielder Wil Trapp, who was limited during Wednesday training, was a full practice participant Thursday, Berhalter said.