The Columbus Crew will transfer star midfielder Max Arfsten to England's Middlesbrough FC, a source confirmed July 31.

Middlesbrough has agreed to pay up to a $7.5 million transfer fee, while the Crew retains a clause giving them an undisclosed fee if Arfsten is sold by his new team.

im ignorant. is Middlesbrough a higher level or lower level of soccer?

Middlesbrough probably a small step up from Columbus.

You think so? If they do well enough, they could move up to the Premier legue. That's seems like a pretty big deal for Max. That being said, I'm by no means a soccer expert.

The TOP MLS clubs are considered comparable to the mid to upper levels of the Championship League. Middlesbrough is squarely in the middle of this year’s L
league standings. Columbus Crew isn’t currently a TOP MLS club, so it’s definitely a step up for Max.

Middlesbrough isn’t in line for automatic promotion tp the Premier League, and they’d need to out-perform in the playoffs to be considered.

Regardless of Middlesborough's status, a move to the Championship league is huge for Max and his development. He'll consistently be playing with and against better players than he was in MLS.

Also, hopefully, a recruiting boost for UCD.

It's definitely a step up. There are some strong teams in the Championship League. Most were relegated from Premier so too weak for English Premier League but tough in the CL. Most recently West Ham United, Burnley, Wolverhampton. West Brom and Stoke City are fairly decent.

Wrexham is in the Championship League so he might get to meet Ryan Reynolds :smile:

It would be amazing if Max were ever to play for Wrexham and he showed up in one of the Welcome to Wrexham series episodes. My wife and I love that series and are currently watching season 5.

For those who may not know about the series, all of the seasons currently stream on HULU and we would highly recommend it. The series not only follows the current ups and downs of the Wrexham club, which is the oldest football club in Wales formed in 1864, it also captures the importance of the team to the the people of the community throughout the history of the town along with heartfelt personal stories of the fans and players. It is an excellent series that has created a worldwide fan base for the Wrexham Football Club and it has put Wrexham on the map and has helped revive the economy of the town.