The Columbus Crew announced on Tuesday that they have waived winger Luis Diaz. The Costa Rican managed one assist in four games played this year for the Crew, tallying 80 mins after beginning the 2023 season with an injury.

Diaz joined the Black & Gold at the beginning of the 2019 season from Club Sport Herediano of the Costa Rica’s First Division as a Young Designated player on July 2. He was a part of the club’s MLS Cup-winning side in 2020.

“We appreciate Luis’ contributions to our club, including during our 2020 MLS Cup championship season, and wish him well moving forward,” Crew president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko said in the release announcing this decision.

The Costa Rican winger first made his debut on July 17, 2019 against the Chicago Fire, replacing Eduardo Sosa midway through the second half of the contest. He got his first assist in that match, helping Romario Williams bring Columbus back in the 90th minute of play. Diaz then made his first MLS start against the San Jose Earthquakes on Aug. 3, playing a full 90 minutes and assisting on a Gyasi Zardes goal in the 65th minute.

Diaz returned to the starting lineup against in-state rivals FC Cincinnati in the Crew’s 3-1 win over the Orange & Blue. He got his name on the scoresheet, giving the Black & Gold a 3-0 lead just before the halftime whistle and played 65 minutes in the win for Columbus.

Diaz notched two assists in the 2020 MLS Cup playoffs, most notably his provider for the Crew’s third goal in the MLS Cup Final to former midfielder Lucas Zelarayan. This helped lift the Black &Gold to their second MLS Cup in franchise history with a 3-0 win against the Seattle Sounders.

In his five-year tenure in Columbus, Diaz recorded six goals and 14 assists in 83 appearances (51 starts) and 4,580 minutes. The winger had a stellar season, contributing to nine goals in 2022 (3G, 6A) in 1540 minutes played under former head coach Caleb Porter.

As a Costa Rica National Team member, Diaz has earned three caps, making his international debut as a substitute against Uruguay in Sept. 2019. He earned his second cap in a CONCACAF Nations League group stage match against Curacao on Oct. 13, with his latest appearance against the United States on Feb. 1, 2020.