Colorado Rapids Executive Vice President and General Manager Pádraig Smith is excited his outfit has been able to wrap a deal for Ghanaian defender Lalas Abubakar on a permanent basis.
Last season, Abubakar joined the club on loan and became a key cog of the team.
He featured in 22 games for the Rapids and was selected as the club’s Defensive Player of the Year.
The 24-year-old joined Colorado Rapids from Columbus Crew in exchange for $400,000 in General Allocation Money (GAM) and a 2020 international roster spot.
"We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Lalas back," said Rapids Executive Vice President & General Manager, Pádraig Smith.
"Since joining us last year Lalas has been an integral part of our team and has established himself as a top defender in MLS. We’re excited to have him with us from the start next year and build on the exceptional season he had in 2019," he added.
Prior to his arrival in Colorado, the highly-rated defender spent two seasons with Crew SC where he made 35 appearances and scored two goals for the club.
He was selected by Columbus in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2017 MLS Super Draft presented by Adidas.