Sounders stay busy, acquire Marshall from Columbus

TUKWILA, Wash. – The Seattle Sounders’ busy offseason continues with the team acquiring defender Chad Marshall from the Columbus Crew in exchange for a 2015 third-round pick and allocation money.

The trade was announced on Thursday.

Marshall spent the past 10 seasons with Columbus and was a two-time MLS defender of the year in 2008 and 2009. He also earned MLS Best XI honors those seasons. He ranks 21st among active players with 253 MLS appearances and has 11 caps for the U.S. national team.

Also, the Portland Timbers selected former Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani in the first stage of the MLS re-entry draft after trading up for the No. 2 pick. Zakuani was the top pick in the 2009 MLS SuperDraft.