The Colorado Rapids have acquired midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye and a 2022 first-round SuperDraft pick from Los Angeles FC in exchange for $1 million in General Allocation Money (GAM) and a 2022 international roster slot, the club announced today. LAFC would also receive additional GAM if Kaye reaches certain performance incentives. Kaye will join the club following his run with the Canada Men’s National Team at the Concacaf Gold Cup.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Mark-Anthony to the club and reinforce our midfield with a player of his quality,” said Pádraig Smith, Rapids Executive VP & General Manager. “He’s been one of the best central midfielders in the league over the last several years and has played a critical role in the success of the teams he’s been a part of. We look forward to seeing him integrate with our group as we enter the second half of the season and continue our push for a playoff spot.”
Kaye has spent his entire four-year MLS career with LAFC, playing a key role in the club’s 2019 Supporters’ Shield title and run to the 2020 Concacaf Champions League Final. The 26-year-old has been one of the top central midfielders in MLS since entering the league in 2018, scoring nine goals and adding 18 assists in 77 appearances, 71 of them starts, and was a 2019 MLS All-Star selection.
A native of Toronto, Canada, Kaye has also played an important role in the rise of the Canada MNT. Kaye has started 17 of his 23 caps and scored two goals and added six assists since making his senior international debut in May 2017, helping Canada to a 16-5-2 (W-L-D) record with him in the lineup. Kaye has played in five of Canada’s last six FIFA World Cup Qualifiers, leading them to the Final Round of qualifying for the first time since 1997, and has appeared in four Gold Cup matches to help Canada reach the tournament’s semifinals. Kaye was named Canada Soccer Player of the Month in July 2019 and was a finalist for the federation’s 2019 Male Player of the Year.
Prior to joining LAFC, Kaye spent two years with Louisville City FC in the United Soccer League, reaching the Eastern Conference Final in 2016 before winning the 2017 USL Cup with the club the following year. As a youth player, Kaye spent two years at York University in Toronto before joining the Toronto FC Academy in 2013.
Off the pitch, Kaye is a vocal advocate for equality and social justice. Kaye was elected to the MLS Players Association executive board and is a member of Black Players for Change, an independent organization of over 170 players, coaches and staff from around MLS that works to bridge the racial equality gap that exists in society, alongside Rapids teammates Lalas Abubakar, Kellyn Acosta, Jonathan Lewis, Auston Trusty and Collen Warner.
TRANSACTION: Colorado Rapids acquire midfielder Mark-Anthony Kaye from Los Angeles FC, as well as LAFC’s natural first-round selection in the 2022 MLS SuperDraft, in exchange for $1 million GAM and a 2022 international roster slot, as well as conditional, performance-based GAM.
Mark-Anthony Kaye
Position: Midfielder
Height: 6-1
Weight: 170
Birthdate: Dec. 2, 1994
Birthplace: Toronto, Canada
Nationality: Canada
