Dec 31 The Colorado Rapids Trade For Chidozie Awaziem & Ian Murphy From Cincinnati | OneFootball

The Colorado Rapids and FC Cincinnati kicked of their 2025 off-season with a blockbuster MLS trade. FC Cincinnati sent centerbacks Chidozie Awaziem and Ian Murphy to the Colorado Rapids for $1m in GAM, $200k in conditional GAM, and Cincy retains a sell on % on both players if they are sold outside of MLS.

The 28 year old Awaziem arrived to Cincinnati last summer from Boavista in Portugal. Awaziem made 14 appearances for Cincy in 2024 recording 3 assists as the club made a run into the Conference Quarterfinals. Previous to his time in MLS, Awaziem was a Nigerian international defender who played for the likes of FC Porto, Boavista, FC Nantes, and many other clubs in top leagues globally. The Rapids also acquired centerback Ian Murphy who had previously won a Supporters Shield with FC Cincinnati. The 24 year old American has over 100 appearances and over 7,000 minutes played for Cincinnati.

The Rapids needed a revamp at centerback after last season in which they ended up transferring Moise Bombito and losing Lalas Abubakar. Bringing into an experienced centerback like Awaziem and an up and coming defender like Ian Murphy is huge for a Rapids team trying to get back to the playoffs in 2025.