The Columbus Crew announced today that it has waived defenders Shaun Francis, Aubrey Perry and Korey Veeder. All three had been contributors for the Black & Gold in the Reserve League, but only Francis had seen MLS regular-season action.
“We thank Shaun, Aubrey and Korey for their service to the club and wish them success in the future,” said Crew head coach Robert Warzycha. “It is unusual to have two season-ending injuries in the same season, and that has certainly been a contributing factor in making these moves to become roster and salary-cap compliant. These are good young players and good young men which makes these decisions even more difficult.”
Originally selected by the Crew in the fourth round (No. 63 overall) of the 2010 MLS SuperDraft, Francis was in his third season with the club. He tallied four assists in 28 games, 21 of them starting assignments. A native of Jamaica, his departure opens an international roster spot.
Acquired via weighted lottery on Feb. 15, 2011, Veeder appeared in eight matches during the Crew’s 2011 conquest of the MLS Reserve League East Division title, recording an assist. This season, he appeared in six reserve matches with three starts.
Perry was selected in the second round (No. 26 overall) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of South Florida. He appeared in six reserve matches, with five starts, scoring the lone Crew goal in a 2-1 loss to Montreal on March 24, and started the Black & Gold’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match against Dayton.
