The Columbus Crew announced that they have signed defender Julius James to a multi-year contract extension. Per league policy, no financial terms of the deal were disclosed.
James, a 26-year-old from Trinidad and Tobago, was signed by the Crew in the offseason after being waived by DC United. He started the team's first 15 matches before being sidelined with an injury.
“I am extremely happy to have the organization have that much confidence and interest in me that I have been asked to re-sign,” James said.
“I love Columbus, the fans, my teammates and the organization, and I feel it is a blessing that six months ago I was waived by a team and six months later one of the best teams in the league offers me a contract extension.”
James was originally drafted ninth overall by Toronto in the 2008 MLS SuperDraft out of the University of Connecticut. He has also played for Houston in his MLS career.
“We saw something in Julius before we brought him here,” said Crew head coach Robert Warzycha. “I think he’s a well-proven defender in the league and he obviously blended in very well. We’ve had some success with him [in the lineup] so it makes sense to keep him longer.”