Columbus Crew SC announced on Friday a couple of additions to its roster for the remainder of the 2020 Major League Soccer season as the Black & Gold acquired center back Grant Lillard and winger Emmanuel Boateng via trades.
Lillard and Boateng were brought through different trades with the Crew sending its third-round pick at the 2021 MLS SuperDraft to Inter Miami in exchange for the 24-year-old defender and shipping center back Axel Sjoberg to D.C. United to get the 26-year-old Ghanaian winger.
Even though these were separate trades, they were clearly connected from a strategic standpoint as the Black & Gold obviously saw the need to add a new piece to its defensive depth after letting Sjoberg go to get Boateng in a deal that was first reported on Wednesday and made an inexpensive move for Lillard.