The Columbus Crew acquired 34-year-old forward Conor Casey on Tuesday following the expiration of his contract with the Philadelphia Union.

The Crew were in need of a backup forward following the trading of former Union striker Jack McInerney to the Portland Timbers on January 13th and seem to have gotten their man in the form of a certain New Hampshire native. Casey is just the third player to utilize Major League Soccer's new Free Agency rule, fulfilling the age and number of years spent in the league to acquire free agency status.

Casey returned to play in the U.S. following a six year spell in Germany with Borussia Dortmund, Hannover, Karlsruher, and Mainz amassing 43 goals in 127 appearances over several divisions of German soccer.

Since returning to the MLS in 2007 with Toronto FC, Casey has gone on to play for the Colorado Rapids where garnered several personal and team awards having been voted to the MLS Best XI in 2009, winning an MLS Cup in 2010 and being voted MLS Cup MVP the same year. Casey is also the Rapids' all-time leading soccer. Following five years with the Rapids, Casey moved to the Union where he spent three seasons with the Union, two of which were spent primarily as an impact sub. Overall he sits 23rd all-time in the league with 75 goals in 191 matches.

Casey, who stands at 6ft 2in, is a true number nine and is a much more similar player to starter Kei Kamara than previous back up in McInerney, who at 5ft 10in, is much more of a poacher.

Described as surprisingly good on the ball for a big man, Casey is also incredibly physical and a great header of the ball, all attributes that tick all the boxes for what the Crew currently look for in a forward.

Casey will aide Columbus to a march on multiple fronts, having reached the MLS Cup Final last season before falling to the Timbers in the final. While pegged as a likely impact sub for Columbus, questions over a contract dispute between the Crew and star forward Kamara, and Columbus' presence in the 2016-17 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League mean he's likely to see plenty of time on the pitch this upcoming season, though questions will be asked given his age and perceived in ability to go more than 60 minutes in a match.

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