Crew reacquires Francis; Valenzuela hurt
Crew SC reacquired defender Waylon Francis in a trade with the Seattle Sounders on Tuesday after defender Milton Valenzuela suffered a serious knee injury that will keep him out for much of the year, if not the entire 2019 season.
The Crew sent $50,000 in general allocation money to Seattle for Francis, which is the same figure the Crew received when it traded Francis to the Sounders at the end of the 2017 season.
Crew president Tim Bezbatchenko confirmed Valenzuela's injury to The Dispatch. Valenzuela made 30 appearances for the Crew last season, starting 29 games at left back. He was entering his second full season with the Crew as the presumed starter at left back, but the injury changed the team’s plan less than a month before the season begins on March 2.
The Crew exercised the purchase option on Valenzuela’s loan from Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina on Dec. 21 to complete his transfer. The injury occurred in training over the weekend, prior to the Crew’s friendly with Los Angeles FC on Monday, The Dispatch learned. The team flew Valenzuela, 20, to Columbus after the injury, and he’s expected to have surgery soon.
Former Crew coach Gregg Berhalter raved about Valenzuela toward the end of last season. Valenzuela finished second among defenseman on the team with 2,557 minutes and tied for first among Crew defensemen in assists with six, good for third on the team. He had the assist on Gyasi Zardes’ gamewinner against the New York Red Bulls in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals.the Crew will miss Valenzuela’s energy at the fullback spot opposite Harrison Afful, a position that figures to be a major part of the offense under coach Caleb Porter. But Francis, acquired to be Valenzuela’s immediate replacement, is a proven starter at the MLS level and had his best seasons in Columbus.
Bezbatchenko said when he was with Toronto FC and when Porter was with the Portland Timbers, they identified Francis as a player they’d like to have on their teams.“we are pleased to welcome Waylon back to the club,” Bezbatchenko said in a news release. “In Waylon, we gain a talented MLS veteran who adds strong versatility and who knows what it takes to compete in this league, as well as at the national team level.“his familiarity with the organization will be beneficial as we reincorporate him back into this roster and we look forward to his contributions as we prepare for the upcoming season.”
Francis, 28, rejoins the Crew after one year in Seattle in which he played 11 games with five starts. During his four seasons with the Crew (2014 to 2017), Francis made 83 appearances, starting in 75 games, primarily at left back. He recorded 18 total assists and led defenders in the category in all but one season.
Francis was an integral player on the Crew’s run to the 2015 MLS Cup final and has been a member of the Costa Rica national team since 2013.He is under contract past the 2019 season, so the move adds depth to the position in the future.