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U.S. men’s national team team goalkeeper Zack Steffen will return to MLS after completing a move to the Colorado Rapids from Manchester City, the clubs announced Thursday.
Steffen, 28, has signed a three-year contract through 2026 with a club option for an additional year. In order to facilitate the move, the Rapids acquired Steffen’s MLS discovery rights from the New England Revolution in exchange for $500,000 in general allocation money.
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“Zack is an elite-level goalkeeper with a wealth of experience internationally and in MLS,” said Colorado Rapids president Pádraig Smith. “His exceptional skills, experience, and proven track record make him a valuable addition to our roster.
“His character and mentality will greatly benefit our team. We’re thrilled to bolster our backline with his signing and look forward to welcoming him to Colorado.”
Steffen has been expected to leave City since last summer but suffered a knee injury that required surgery last May, and has not been able to play since. He was motivated to move to MLS due to a lack of playing time with City, having made just 21 league and cup appearances since joining Pep Guardiola’s side in 2020.
Starting in 2014, Steffen has played for Freiburg‘s second team and the Columbus Crew, a period that included a loan spell with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds of the USL Championship.
Following his $7 million transfer to Man City, Steffen also had loan spells with Bundesliga side Fortuna Düsseldorf in 2019-20, as well as a later loan to Middlesbrough in the Championship, where he made 45 league and cup appearances during the 2022-23 season.
Steffen will leave City having received Premier League winners’ medals in 2020 and 2021. He was also part of the team which lifted the Carabao Cup in 2021, keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over Tottenham in the final.
“We are incredibly happy to bring Zack to the club,” added Rapids head coach Chris Armas. “He is a top player with big experiences, and we know he will add so much to our group. His quality, leadership and winning mentality will help us for years to come.”
Born in Pennsylvania, Steffen has made 29 USMNT appearances since his debut in 2018 but was left out of the squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by coach Gregg Berhalter.