As expected, the Columbus Crew signed two-time National Champion and Soccer America's College Soccer Player of the Year for 2011 Ben Speas as a homegrown player. Speas won the 2010 College Cup with the University of Akron before transferring to UNC and winning it again in 2011. Speas scored the only goal in the 2011 final, winning the MVP award.
"I can’t wait to finally put on the Black & Gold," Speas said. "I've been going to Crew games since I was eight years old and have been able to see most of my coaches play at Crew Stadium, so this is a dream come true."
The homegrown player exemption allows a team to "sign a player to his first professional contract without subjecting him to the MLS SuperDraft if the player has trained for at least one year in the club's youth development program and has met League criteria."
