Rapids ink veteran defender Gibbs
Florida native returns to MLS after European club stint
"Any time you can add a defender with experience at a high level it is a positive," Rapids coach Fernando Clavijo said in a statement. "Cory is a solid player and can play both centrally and wide on the backline and will add leadership to the team."
Gibbs, who was last on the books of English Premiership side Charlton Athletic, but never played because of injury, signed with MLS on Aug. 8 and the Los Angeles Galaxy had first dibs. But Los Angeles passed on Gibbs, and he was immediately swiped up by the Rapids, who were No. 2 on the allocation list.
Clavijo said Gibbs passed his physical examination and could feature for the Rapids as soon as Saturday, when they play host to the Kansas City Wizards at Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
Born in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Gibbs, 28, is making his second stint in MLS, having played 21 games for FC Dallas in 2004 before being transferred to Feyenoord of the Dutch Eredivisie, where he scored one goal in 15 appearances.
Before coming to MLS, Gibbs, who made four NCAA tournament appearances at Brown University, played for FC St. Pauli of the German Bundesliga. There he played in 60 games over the course of three seasons and became the youngest U.S. player to score in the Bundesliga when he struck against FC Cologne.
The 6-foot-1 center back has 19 caps with the U.S. national team was called in for a March 26, 2008 friendly against Poland, but did not appear in the match. Gibbs was named to the U.S. roster for the 2006 FIFA World Cup, but was injured in a tune-up game against Morocco and replaced.
The Rapids are currently sixth in the Western Conference, just three points in front of an improved San Jose Earthquakes squad. Colorado is winless in its last four league games and has lost back-to-back games, including a 1-0 result against Toronto FC, which gave TFC its second road win of the year.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
