TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
The Colorado Rapids have acquired goalkeeper Marko Ilić on loan from Belgian Pro League side KV Kortrijk through July 2023 with a purchase option, the club announced Friday.
Ilić, 25, offers immediate competition for the Rapids’ No. 1 spot alongside William Yarbrough, the former US international who’s been the Western Conference club’s starter since the 2020 campaign.
“Marko is an athletic goalkeeper who is not only a good shot-stopper, but also good with his feet, a strong passer who can help us build out from the back,” Pádraig Smith, Colorado’s EVP and general manager, said in a release.
“We’re delighted to reinforce what is already a top goalkeeping group with his addition and look forward to welcoming Marko to the club.”
Before arriving in Colorado, Ilić posted 16 clean sheets in 71 appearances across all competitions for KV Kortrijk, having moved to the Belgian top flight after impressing at Serbian SuperLiga side Voždovac. He’s played once for Serbia, featuring as a second-half substitute in a June 2021 friendly against Jamaica.
Colorado were linked with signing Austrian international goalkeeper Patrick Pentz earlier this offseason, but he instead joined German Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen from French Ligue 1 outfit Stade de Reims.
Ilić could be the Rapids' third new starter in the defensive third after the club acquired both Danish international center back Andreas Maxsø (transfer from Denmark's Brøndby IF) and Australian international left back Alex Gersbach (transfer from France's Grenoble Foot 38) last month.
The Rapids open their 2023 campaign on Feb. 26 at Seattle Sounders FC (8 pm ET | MLS Season Pass, FS1). They missed the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs last year, but earned the West’s top postseason seed in 2021.
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