The Colorado Rapids are close to finalizing a deal to acquire Austrian international Patrick Pentz from French Ligue 1 side Stade de Reims, a league source confirmed Tuesday to The Post.
It had previously been reported Tuesday by the German magazine “Kicker,” that “the deal has been finalized”, however, the source indicated to The Post that a deal had yet to be completed.
Pentz is a 26-year-old who has spent the majority of his time in the Austrian Bundesliga with Vienna-based FK Austria Wien. He has played four times for the Austrian national team. According to Kicker, he is hopeful that a move will help his national team stock.
The source did not say how long the deal could be for, however, Kicker reported it would be a multi-year deal and the offer from Colorado is “expected to be in the mid six-figure range.”
Pentz moved to France last summer and was an early-season starter, however, he eventually lost his spot to Diouf Yehvann, who has played over 1,000 minutes. Pentz, currently the backup, has 630 minutes this season while allowing 14 goals against with a 58.6% save percentage. He has only been on the field for one victory in his seven appearances, and has yet to keep a shut out.
He burst onto the scene with the capital-city club Wien as a teenager, where he made over 130 appearances across eight seasons, keeping 34 clean sheets and achieving a 70% save percentage.
Colorado has a No. 1: William Yarbrough, who is currently second all-time in shutouts in club history with 26 and has over 80 appearances. Even at 33 years old, the three-time capped U.S. Men’s National Team player is still in elite form, as many keepers don’t hit their peak until the latter stages of their career.
Yarbrough has been a leader in the locker room as a team captain, and helped orchestrate the 11 on the field from a tactical and organization point of view.
In the offseason, Colorado did not re-sign veteran backup Clint Irwin, who departed the team with the third-most wins in club history, and has since signed with Minnesota United. Thornton-born Homegrown Abe Rodriguez, 20, is earning backup minutes in Rapids’ pre-season.
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