Colorado Rapids have secured US men’s national team figure Zack Steffen, signing the goalkeeper from Premier League giants Manchester City. He joins for the 2026 MLS season with an option for 2027. To complete the deal, Colorado sent $50,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) to the New England Revolution for his discovery priority.
Steffen arrives to the Rapids for his second Major League Soccer stint after previously starting in between the goal for 2023 MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew from July 2016 to July 2019. He originally managed 84 appearances across all competitions for the Eastern Conference side.
Steffen has inked a three-year deal with Colorado, keeping him at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park through the 2026 season with an option for 2027.
“Zack is an elite-level goalkeeper with a wealth of experience internationally and in MLS. His exceptional skills, experience, and proven track record make him a valuable addition to our roster,” club president Pádraig Smith said in a release.
“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.”
Following his standout performances with Columbus that included 26 clean sheets in, Man City snapped him up from the Crew for roughly $7m. Since then the 28-year-old has been sent out on loan twice — first to Fortuna Dusseldorf in the Bundesliga in the 2019/20 season and then to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough for the 2022/23 season.
With Dusseldorf, Steffen kept two clean sheets and conceded 36 goals in 17 appearances as the team were relegated to the 2. Bundesliga. During his stint with Middlesbrough, he conceded 56 goals while keeping 10 clean sheets in 45 appearances in which the side reached the EFL playoffs but fell just short of promotion to the Premier League, losing 1-0 to Coventry City on aggregate in the semifinal.
Steffen made his debut at the international level for the USMNT back in January 2016 and has since featured 29 times for the Stars and Stripes, taking home the 2021 Concacaf Nations League in a game where he featured for the US but was forced off late on due to a knee injury.
Steffen’s numbers with City aren’t too shabby despite not featuring for the 2023 UEFA Champions League winners on a consistent basis. After returning from his loan move to Dusseldorf, he made 21 appearances for City from July 2020-July 2022, keeping eight clean sheets and conceding 16 goals during that span.
Although he really play a part in the wins, Steffen still took home winners’ medals for Man City’s Premier League wins in 2020/21 & 2021/22, their 2021 League Cup triumph and their 2023 UEFA Super Cup.
The Rapids have been busy so far in the offseason ahead of the 2024 campaign, as they’ve brought in full-back Miguel Navarro, forward Omir Fernandez and now Steffen while showing the likes of full-back Andrew Gutman, Danny Wilson and Sam Nicholson the exit door.
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