Aaronson, a bright prospect who could grow into a regular feature for the U.S. Men’s National Team, wanted to move on from Frankfurt and had options in England at the EFL Championship level. The Rapids had their eyes on him passively, but it got real when Aaronson expressed interest in Colorado as a home and a place to nurture his talent.

Medford native Paxten Aaronson is making a surprising move back to MLS, joining the Colorado Rapids from Germany’s Eintracht Frankfurt. Multiple sources with knowledge of the deal told The Inquirer that Colorado agreed to a transfer fee of just over $8 million,