The Colorado Rapids issued a heartfelt goodbye to a pillar of the club on Thursday.
The team formally announced it declined midfielder and team captain Jack Price’s contract option for the 2024 MLS season. The decision makes Price a free agent, with a return to his roots in the English Football League probable.
On Thursday, team president Pádraig Smith issued a statement calling Price the “heartbeat of our team.”
“We’re incredibly grateful to Jack for everything he brought to our club over the last six years,” Smith said. “He was a selfless leader both on and off the pitch, quickly becoming the heartbeat of our team and a vital contributor to the success we saw during his time here. We wish him nothing but the best as he enters the next chapter of his career.”
Price, 30, announced on social media Sunday, the day after the regular season ended, that he will not be returning. Price has dealt with significant injuries in the last two seasons and rarely saw the pitch because of it. He suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon four days into the 2023 campaign, ending what ended up being his final season in Colorado.
Price took to Instagram to express gratitude for his time as a Burgundy Boy: “6 years has flown by!! Best decision I ever made coming to Colorado. Met some unbelievable people and a lot of them now friends for life!!”
Affectionally known as “Shropshire Pirlo” by fans, Price was instrumental in helping Colorado reach postseason appearances in 2020 and ’21, the latter of which saw the Rapids top the Western Conference standings. In 2019, he became the first Rapids player since 2010 to record double-digit assists in a single season. His 35 assists are second-most in club history, and he played over 10,000 minutes for the Rapids.
The team posted a heartfelt video detailing his leadership qualities and time with the club since arriving at Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2018.
The Rapids still have to decide on options on eight other players, including goalkeeper William Yarbrough, Calvin Harris, Andrew Gutman, Danny Wilson and Steven Beitashour, as well as Homegrown Players Oli Larraz, Sebastian Anderson and Abraham Rodriguez.
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