The Columbus Crew is set to make a trade with the Vancouver Whitecaps for wing back Julian Gressel. This move was first reported by Tom Bogert from The Athletic, and confirmed through sources close to the situation by Massive Report. The compensation back to Vancouver has not been fully agreed upon to this point but the trade could be officially announced as early as Friday.

Gressel has appeared in 18 matches, 16 starts, for the Whitecaps this season, tallying three goals and recording five assists. The 29 year old is in the final year of his contract with the Cascadia side and, according to Bogert, was aiming for a move back to the East Coast.

Previously with Atlanta United and D.C. United, Gressel is no stranger to the Eastern Conference.

In his three years with Atlanta from (2017 to 2019, the midfielder tallied 15 goals and recorded 35 assists in 7,686 minutes played in Major League Soccer. Gressel then made the move to D.C. United in 2020 where he registered four goals and 23 assists in his two years in the Nation’s capital. Gressel then was traded to the Whitecaps prior to this season.

Gressel has also appeared six times for the United State Men’s National Team after becoming a U.S. citizen in November.

As a natural wing back, Gressel should fit in well with the system head coach Wilfried Nancy brought to Columbus this year. Traditionally, Gressel plays on the right side, moving up and down the flank. At 6-foot-1, Gressel could also play in the right center back role, which has been the more attacking of the three this season. This move could impact either Steven Moreira or Mohamed Farsi, depending on how Nancy wants to deploy his players.