Former Sounders FC winger Marco Pappa said Tuesday that he welcomes the recent trade that shipped him to the Colorado Rapids, and he’s thankful to the Sounders for the opportunity to reignite his career in MLS.
Pappa, a 28-year-old Guatemalan international who scored nine goals over 49 regular-season appearances and added two assists in six postseason games for Seattle, made his first public comments since the deal to coloradorapids.com.
“I’m really happy to be here, and be part of Colorado,” Pappa told the site. “It’s a new opportunity for me, a new team, to show my skills again in a different team. Everywhere is different, for sure, so I’m really excited to be with Colorado.
“And for sure, we all in Colorado want to go to the playoff race, so I think that’s our goal in 2016.”
The Sounders traded Pappa for an undisclosed amount of allocation money on Tuesday. Sounders GM and President of Soccer Garth Lagerwey praised Pappa’s contributions over the past two years but conceded that the increase in his salary in 2016 was something the team could not bear financially.
Pappa, meanwhile, joins a Colorado team that finished last in the Western Conference in 2015 under head coach Pablo Mastroeni. The club last reached the postseason in 2013, when they were eliminated by the Sounders in the Western Conference Knockout Round.
Pappa said he’s motivated by a new challenge after two seasons in Seattle, and that he’ll wear the No. 10 jersey with the Rapids.
“I like that responsibility,” he said. “I’ve been around the league for a little while and I know the teams and the players. I know it’s a lot of responsibility to wear the No. 10, but that’s why I came here. It’s big challenge for my career, and a big opportunity.”
Pappa joined the Sounders ahead of the 2014 season via the MLS Allocation process and promptly resuscitated his career after more than year of struggles in Europe. Pappa failed to catch on with Dutch side SC Heerenveen before he opted to return to MLS, and he thanked the club for the opportunity to help him rediscover his form.
“I was coming back from Europe and not having the best time, and then they gave me the opportunity to join a really good team,” Pappa said. “Great players, great human beings there. All I can say is thank you, it was really two special years for me, and I’m sure for my teammates too.
“In 2014, we had the best season Seattle ever had before, and I was part of that. That’s gonna be a good memory for my career, and now I’m looking forward to what’s coming next in my career.”
