Lucas Herrington's record transfer highlights the Colorado Rapids' and MLS' ultimate dilemma
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- Lucas Herrington is moving from the Colorado Rapids to Hull City for a reported $17 million, the highest outgoing transfer fee in MLS history for a non-attacker, surpassing Djordje Petrovic's $15.7M move to Chelsea and Alphonso Davies's $13.5M sale to Bayern Munich.
- The Colorado Rapids signed Herrington from Brisbane Roar a year ago for roughly $1 million; the 19-year-old featured for Australia at the World Cup before the Premier League move.
- The Rapids sit 11th in the Western Conference, two points outside a playoff place, and have previously cashed in on Djordje Mihailovic, Moïse Bombito, Auston Trusty, and Cole Bassett without sustained results.
- Chicago Fire, Atlanta United, FC Dallas, and the Rapids hold six of MLS's top 10 outgoing transfer fees but made the playoffs a combined eight times in the past five seasons, per the article.
- MLS is approaching a new commissioner and a switch to a European schedule, changes the article flags as potentially making future sales easier.
- Monterrey is cited as the model MLS clubs chase — buying Diego Rossi and Hugo Cuypers from MLS while maintaining team structure in Concacaf Champions Cup play.
Why it matters: For the Rapids and MLS, the test isn't the headline fee — it's whether $17M converts into wins. The Rapids are 11th in the Western Conference despite collecting fees on Mihailovic, Bombito, Trusty, and Bassett in recent years. Across MLS, four clubs (Chicago Fire, Atlanta United, FC Dallas, Colorado) hold six of the top 10 outgoing fees yet made the playoffs only eight times combined in five seasons, per the article.
