Real Salt Lake is set to trade forward Cristian “Chicho” Arango to the San Jose Earthquakes.
The move was first reported Friday by GiveMeSport.com.
Arango was RSL’s leading scorer last season, tying the club’s single-season record. But the 29-year-old Colombian’s performances dropped off dramatically late in the season following a four-game suspension for an undisclosed violation of the league’s anti-harassment policy.
RSL will reportedly receive $1.5 million in General Allocation Money and an open international spot in exchange for the star striker.
Arango came to Salt Lake last season from Liga MX for a club record $6 million.
Last season was a tale of two halves for Arango. The striker tied Salt Lake’s single-season goal record on July 6. At the time, those 17 goals led Major League Soccer.
“Chicho was that guy for us for the first seven months of the season,” RSL coach Pablo Mastroeni said last month.
Then came the striker’s four-game suspension. He went scoreless in his final eight games of the year after returning.
Arango’s poor performances appeared to be the result of both mental and tactical issues.
“When you are going through a really hard time in life, you essentially go into self-preservation mode. And when you’re in that mode, you cannot give. You’re taking, right?” Mastroeni said at the end of last season. “We had conversations ad nauseam — ad nauseam — and I left every conversation thinking to myself, ‘I don’t know if I reached him.’ And if I did, I don’t know the depth of what he’s going through.”
Arango was also hurt by the departure of winger Andres Gomez, who was sold in August to Rennes in France.
“I think the effect that it had on Chicho was big,” Mastroeni said. “Losing one of those guys I think is fine. But now there’s a big load on Chicho to really make up those numbers. ... Down the stretch, we just weren’t making enough plays. A lot of that pressure falls with a guy like Chicho. He’s got to carry that burden and it just wasn’t clicking for him.”
Also on Friday, RSL announced it had sold midfielder Matt Crooks to Hull City of the English Championship. Crooks scored three goals and had five assists during his lone season in Major League Soccer. The terms of the sale were not disclosed.
“During this past season with Real Salt Lake, Matt truly embraced our club,” RSL Chief Soccer Officer Kurt Schmid in a news release. “Helping Matt return to the comforts of home is the right thing for all parties, and we wish him nothing but the best of luck in his career. Matt and his family will always be welcome at Real Salt Lake.”
RSL is set to begin preseason next week.
The team opens Concacaf Champions Cup play on Feb. 19.
