COLUMBUS – Columbus Crew SC today announced that Federico Higuain has signed a new Designated Player contract with the club. The pact is the largest contract ever signed in Black and Gold history. Per club and MLS policy, additional details of the deal were not disclosed.
Earlier in the offseason, Crew SC announced that it had picked-up the option on Higuain’s existing contract for the 2015 season. The signing extends the tenure of one of the most decorated players in Black & Gold history. Over his two-and-a-half seasons with the club, the Argentine has led the team in both goals (27) and assists (23), capturing the Black and Gold’s Barbasol Most Valuable Player award in each of his two full seasons in 2013 and 2014.
“Federico has proven to be one of the top talents in Major League Soccer and a key contributor to the attacking, possession-based brand of soccer that we are trying to play at the club,” said Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter. “This new contract demonstrates both Mr. (Anthony) Precourt’s vision to create an attractive, winning team and Federico’s commitment to play in Columbus for the foreseeable future.”
Higuain, 30, became the Black and Gold’s third-ever Designated Player upon his arrival in Columbus midway through the 2012 campaign. Since his signing on July 27, 2012, Higuain ranks fifth in all of MLS in goals and is one of just eight players to notch double-digit tallies in both the 2013 and the 2014 season. Over that same span, the Argentine’s 12 converted penalty kicks are the most in MLS by a wide margin, exceeding a group of four players in second place with seven.
Demonstrating his exceptional dual-threat, playmaking ability, Higuain’s 247 career chances created since he entered the League are 17 ahead of Real Salt Lake’s Javier Morales for the most in all of MLS, with no other player in the top eight of that category having recorded more goals than Higuain’s 27.
Only two players have notched at least 20 goals with at least 200 chances created since August of 2012: Higuain and Landon Donovan.
In 2014, Higuain tied for the club lead in goals (11) and assists (seven), while leading outright in shots (73) and shots on goal (25). He joined winger Ethan Finlay as one of just four League-wide duos to meet the threshold of 11 goals and seven assists each. His 88 chances created ranked fourth in the League and he was one of three Black and Gold players in the top nine of passes completed, joining Tony Tchani and Wil Trapp.
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