With their season opener just around the corner, Columbus Crew SC signed two more players on Friday.
Crew SC signed midfielder Marshall Hollingsworth, the 41st overall 2016 SuperDraft pick, and goalkeeper Matt Pacifici, a trialist.
“We are pleased to be able to offer contracts to both Marshall and Matt,” coach Gregg Berhalter said in a statement. “Both of them showed their potential throughout our preseason this year. We look forward to working with them, monitoring their development and helping them grow as professionals during their rookie seasons.”
Both players have seen minutes during this offseason. During the Desert Diamond Cup in Tucson, Arizona, Pacifici held Real Salt Lake scoreless over 28 minutes while Hollingsworth made two separate appearances for Crew SC throughout the tournament.
Hollingsworth is a Wheaton grad, having made 92 appearances for the school over his four seasons with the Thunder, making 85 starts. Pacifici comes from a college career at Davidson, where he notched 1.45 goals-against average with a 28-31-10 record and 11 clean sheets.
Crew SC will start their season on Sunday in Providence Park against the Portland Timbers in a rematch of last year's MLS Cup final. That match will air live on ESPN.
