Star trio loses second piece this week leaving fans scrambling for answers

With the Christian Ramirez trade to LA Galaxy, Columbus has now lost two key pieces instrumental in their success the last two seasons.

And then there was one. With fans still reeling a bit from the Cucho Hernandez move to Real Betis on February 3, another blow was dealt just two days later as the Christian Ramirez to LA Galaxy trade was announced. This leaves Diego Rossi as the lone piece remaining of the star trio that guided Columbus to a MLS Cup title in 2023, a Leagues Cup title and a CONCACAF Champions Cup Runner-up in 2024. These moves have left fans wondering what is the plan for the upcoming season and who will be able to fill the void of the 47 goal contributions Cucho and Ramirez were responsible for in 2024 (regular season). Columbus just lost 37% of their team goals from last season in one week with no rumors of a contingency plan in sight. These adjacent moves have the feel of letting some air out a balloon, leaving fans in shock as the 2025 season rapidly approaches.

In a vacuum the Ramirez trade to the LA Galaxy isn’t a bad one. While the numbers may not be overly impressive with the Crew garnering a return of $500k in GAM (General Allocation Money) with $250k of that guaranteed, it seemed to be a win-win for the club and player. Ramirez gets to return home to Southern California and Columbus gets at least something in return for a 33 year old poaching striker. I want to be clear and state that by all accounts Ramirez was a great teammate and his knack for timely goals will surely be missed. Problem here is this move came within days of the Cucho news, and in tandem these moves have left Crew fans a bit deflated.