Life comes at you fast, especially for the 2023 MLS Cup champions.

Even before the victory parade ended in Columbus on Tuesday, after winning the club’s third league championship by defeating LAFC 2-1 on Saturday, the Columbus Crew had to make its end-of-the-year roster decisions. This is always a confusing time for players and fans alike, as everyone involved looks to figure out where they will be playing next season and who will be wearing the black and gold kit with three stars in 2024.

The Crew front office, led by president and general manager Tim Bezbatchenko and assistant general manager Issa Tall, had several tough and impactful decisions to make for Columbus as they look to build another championship squad in 2024. While several team members are already under contract for next year, Bezbatchenko and Tall had to decide which contract options to pick up and which to decline, effectively allowing those players to leave the club, as well as which players to re-sign to new deals.

Below is an analysis of the roster decisions made by the Black & Gold front office.

Re-signings

The Crew announced on Tuesday that three players had signed contracts to remain with the club in 2024 and beyond. Black & Gold center back Steven Moreria will be in Columbus until at least 2025. Columbus also announced that mid-season acquisition Rudy Camacho has re-signed with the club through the 2025 season. Finally, veteran goalkeeper and Ohio native Evan Bush also re-signed for the 2024 season.

The re-signings of Moreira and Camacho are huge for the Crew as both players were important parts of the Black & Gold’s 2023 campaign and will provide an excellent foundation on the backline to continue to build on. It’s also worth mentioning that Moreira and Camacho are proven fits in head coach Wilfried Nancy’s system. Keeping players that fit Nancy’s game model is of the utmost importance for Columbus this offseason.

While it’s unlikely that Bush will play significant minutes for the Crew in 2024, he provides veteran leadership and will be a solid backup for starter Patrick Schulte. Although the Black & Gold will look to add another goalkeeper to the first team (keep an eye on Crew 2 goalkeeper Stanislav Lapkes), Bush provides another option in Leagues Cup, the U.S. Open Cup, the Campeones Cup and the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

The Crew also re-signed captain Darlington Nagbe in November to a contract through the 2025 season with a club option for 2026. This deal keeps another Ohio native and undoubtedly the leader of this team in Columbus for the foreseeable future. 

Contracted for 2024

Fortunately for Bezbatchenko and Tall, most of the Black & Gold’s championship roster is already under contract for 2024. Here is a list of the players who are under contract in 2024: Evan Bush, Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho, Yevhen Cheberko, Keegan Hughes, Steven Moreira, Aidan Morris, Darlington Nagbe, Yaw Yeboah,Max Arfsten, Cucho Hernandez, Christian Ramirez, Diego Rossi and Jacen Russell-Rowe.

Exercised options

The majority of players on the Crew’s roster and most rosters across the league have club options on their contracts, meaning that the club can choose to extend a player’s contract for another year before offering new terms. Bezbatchenko and Tall chose to exercise the club’s options Schulte, defenders Mohamed Farsi, Philip Quinton and Will Sands and midfielders Alexandru Matan, Kevin Molino and Sean Zawadzki.

Most of these decisions were no-brainers for the Black & Gold front office. Schulte, Farsi, Matan and Zawadzki all played important roles in Columbus’ championship campaign in 2023 and will be expected to contribute at a high level again in 2024. Sands was out injured for almost the entirety of the MLS season but looked well suited to playing wing back in Nancy’s system before his ACL tear in late April. Sands will at least be a reliable depth option for Columbus in 2024 and potentially push for a starting spot. 

There may have been more debate about the other re-signings. Quinton is a former draft pick by the Crew and played significant minutes early in 2023. However, he quickly fell out of favor with Nancy and hasn’t played for the first team since May 31. Bezbatchenko picking up his option for 2024 indicates the club has belief that Quinton can continue to develop into the player the Black & Gold needs at center back.

The decision to pick up the option for Molino likely raised eyebrows for Columbus fans. The attacking midfielder, who joined as a free agent in the 2021 offseason, came to the Crew with high expectations but has failed to live up to them. Since joining the Black & Gold, Molino has spent more time recovering from injuries than on the field. He then struggled to make an impact at the end of the 2023 regular season. However, Molino has been a favorite off the bench in late-game situations by Nancy and played well in the postseason, providing an assist in extra time of the Eastern Conference semifinal and playing the pass to Cucho Hernandez, which set up the winner for Columbus in the Eastern Conference Final.

Molino’s contract isn’t cheap, indicating that Nancy, Bezbatchenko and Tall believe in the player and want him around for as long as possible, no matter the difficulties he has had with the Crew.

Declined options

Inevitably, this is the most challenging part of the end-of-season roster decisions. Everyone knows these decisions are coming, and some have to be made, but they are never fun decisions to make, especially after such a successful season.

The Black & Gold declined contract options for goalkeeper Brady Scott, defenders Jimmy Medranda and Jake Morris and midfielder Isaiah Parente. These decisions, while hard, all seem to make sense for Columbus.

Medranda featured just 10 times for the Crew in 2023, all off the bench, and had one memorable goal. The defender, who is 29 and eligible for free agency, will look for more first-team opportunities than will be available for him with the Black & Gold. Additionally, the MLS veteran will demand a higher salary than a player like Sands, who can play in the same position.

Scott, Parente and Morris are all players who spent the vast majority of time with the club playing for Crew 2 in MLS NEXT Pro. Scott will look for a club for the fourth time in his career. Columbus wants to clear the pathway for Academy products (Nathan Salerno is another name to keep in mind) in goal.

Parente, who featured often for Crew 2 but made only seven appearances for the first time this year, doesn’t have the player profile for Nancy’s system, making it hard for him to see playing time with the Crew. With that said, Parente is likely to be signed rather quickly through the MLS Re-Entry process.

Morris will also be eligible to be re-signed through the MLS Re-Entry process. Jake, the brother of two-time Black & Gold champion Aidan Morris, was loaned out to USL Championship side Loudoun United in the summer transfer window, a likely sign of this decision. Morris is another player who doesn’t fit well in Nancy’s system and would have difficulty beating out other players for playing time.

Out of contract

This was the biggest talking point for Columbus fans regarding the end-of-season roster decisions.

Wing back Julian Gressel, for whom the club paid $550,000 this past summer, is out of contract and entering free agency. This decision comes after Gressel lost his starting spot to Farsi in the postseason. Nancy spoke of looking for a different profile at wing back than Gressel, whose strength is his service into the penalty box where the Crew isn’t the biggest, and given his likely salary demands, this was not the best option.

At times, Gressel’s play was exposed in Nancy’s system, specifically his lack of pace, 1 v. 1 defending and ability to cover space in behind were exploited by opponents in his short time with the Black & Gold. The two-time MLS Cup champion will be a prized jewel of the MLS free agency this offseason, thanks to his experience and ability.

Retired

Undoubtedly, one of the feel-good stories coming out of Columbus winning the MLS Cup for the third time is Josh Williams ending his playing career on top. Williams announced in November his intentions to retire.

Williams, a fan favorite and 13-year veteran of the league, spent most of his career with the Crew. Originally from Copley, Ohio, and a graduate of Cleveland State University, Williams has often spoken about his affinity for the Black & Gold, including being a fan of the team growing up. The Columbus supporters reciprocated rthat same affinity throughout his time on the roster.

Williams did not have an impact on the field for the Black & Gold in 2023, playing no games while battling an injury. However, many players have spoken about his leadership for the younger and newer members of the club. Williams’ impact is more than the two MLS Cups he helped win in Columbus, but it seems fitting that he can go out as a Massive champion.