The Crew have sent Romanian attacking midfielder Alex Matan on loan to Romanian club FC Rapid Bucuresti for the remainder of the season, a league source confirmed to The Dispatch.
FC Rapid Bucuresti can purchase Matan from the Crew for an undisclosed fee at the end of the loan agreement. If that purchase option is not triggered, Matan is expected to return to the Crew for preseason camp in 2023.
Matan, 22, was acquired by the Crew before the 2021 season from Romanian club FC Viitroul Constanta for a fee of $1.8 million.
Matan was the club's first signing under the MLS U-22 initiative, which allows clubs to spend as much as they want to on a transfer fee to acquire a player, so long as that player's salary does not surpass the maximum budget charge of $612,500. A U-22 player's budget charge on the salary cap is also less than his salary.
Matan was sign by the Crew as a project, but a player that was expected to contribute immediately as the No. 2 attacking midfielder behind Lucas Zelarayan. Matan made 28 appearances with nine starts and played 792 minutes in his first season with the Crew. He created dangerous chances at times but didn't score or register an assist.
This season, Matan has been relegated to the bench and has mostly been playing with reserve team Crew 2 in the new MLS Next Pro league. He has played only 28 minutes in six games and hasn't made an appearance since stoppage time against Real Salt Lake on June 25.
When asked in June what Matan had to do to earn playing time, coach Caleb Porter said his decisions on who plays are based on what he sees in training, indicating Matan was not performing at a level that made Porter feel confident he would help the team in games.
With Crew 2, Matan has played 229 minutes in four starts and has no goals with three assists.
Matan's strength as a player is his dribbling ability in the attacking third, but has struggled at times with his decision making. Listed at 5-foot-6 and 135 pounds and without breakaway speed, Matan's size has been an impediment to his ability to go up against physical defenders.
The transfer window closes on Aug. 4. With the move, the Crew have an open roster spot and an international roster spot to sign an additional player if they choose.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew loaning Alex Matan to Romanian club Rapid Bucuresti
