Crew SC sends defender Lalas Abubakar on loan to Colorado Rapids

Crew SC announced a second move Wednesday with the loan of third-year defender Lalas Abubakar to Major League Soccer club Colorado Rapids for the remainder of the 2019 season.

The Crew received $125,000 in targeted allocation money, which can be used to buy down an expensive contract, or sign additional players. It was a rather large sum of money for a player that was fourth on the depth chart at center back, the position at which the Crew has the most depth.

Abubakar, a Dayton Flyer product, was drafted by the Crew with the fifth overall pick of the 2017 MLS SuperDraft. He made 23 appearances, including 20 starts, last season, but has played in just one game under coach Caleb Porter this year.

Abubakar was behind Jonathan Mensah, Josh Williams and Gaston Sauro at the center back position.

The Crew also have additional depth in the middle of the backline in Alex Crognale and Homegrown signee Aboubacar Keita, who are on loan to the United Soccer League’s Indy Eleven and Richmond Kickers, respectively.

In the team’s press release, Crew president Tim Bezbatchenko said Abubakar will now have the opportunity for valuable minutes, and the allocation money received “will benefit us as we continue to shape our roster.”

This is the fourth move the Crew has made this week. Earlier Wednesday, the Crew announced the acquisition of forward/midfielder David Accam from Philadelphia, which was finalized before the Primary Transfer Window closed at 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The Crew also acquired midfielder David Guzman from Portland on Monday, and traded midfielder Justin Meram to Atlanta United for allocation money on Tuesday.

jmyers@dispatch.com

@Jacob_Myers_25

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