Born in Cologne
©IMAGO
Jasper Pfundsend is leaving the Colorado Rapids after just one season and moving to MLS newcomer San Diego FC. The club from California will be the 30th club to compete in the North American league for the first time next year.
The Cologne native made the jump to the MLS in 2022 after his time at the University of Pittsburgh, where he initially played for Real Salt Lake City before moving to the Colorado Rapids at the beginning of this year. After a muscle injury at the start of the season, he only played 381 minutes in 22 appearances for the club from near Denver.
The signing of the German midfielder was part of the MLS Expansion Draft, which allows new clubs to fill their squads with players from other clubs who have not been protected by them. In addition to Töpferend, San Diego also chose midfielder Heine Gikling Bruseth (20) from Orlando City and defender Hamady Diop (22) from Charlotte FC.
The new trio increases San Diego FC’s squad size to eleven players. The top transfer so far is Hirving Lozano, who comes from PSV Eindhoven for 12 million euros. Ex-Bundesliga professional Marcus Ingvartsen (28) will also join the team. Hosei Kijima (22; St. Louis CITY) and Thiago Andrade (24; New York City), who were also selected in the MLS Expansion Draft, were sold directly to DC United and Toronto FC.
“We are thrilled to be able to add three more exciting players to our team as we continue to build our squad for the first season. We believe the players we have selected all fit our identity and style of play,” said Athletic Director Tyler Heaps. “We are also confident that the sales we have made will give us the resources we need to take further steps within the league in the coming days.”