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Union loan Zac MacMath to Colorado Rapids

It's no secret that the Union have spent many months trying to get rid of goalkeeper Zac MacMath. They tried repeatedly to trade him, to no avail. They left him unprotected in the expansion draft in the hope that Orlando City or New York City FC would take him, and neither did.

It's no secret that the Union have spent many months trying to get rid of goalkeeper Zac MacMath. They tried repeatedly to trade him, to no avail. They left him unprotected in the expansion draft in the hope that Orlando City or New York City FC would take him, and neither did.

So they were yet again stuck with three starting-caliber goalkeepers, including two - Algerian Raïs Mbolhi and Jamaican Andre Blake - who are starters on their respective national teams.

Finally, on Tuesday, someone stepped up to be a dance partner. And miraculously, the Union ended up with a reasonable deal.

MacMath is headed to the Colorado Rapids on a year-long loan with an option to make the deal permanent. In return, the Union get the lower of the Rapids' two second-round picks in this year's SuperDraft, No. 41 overall. And if a permanent deal is agreed, the Union will also get the Rapids' highest first-round pick in 2016.

(An aside: The SuperDraft takes place next Thursday, and for the second straight year it's being held here in Philadelphia at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The event, which is held in conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention, starts at 12 p.m. It is open to the public and free of charge, though the rest of the convention is not.)

Given how stacked the Western Conference is, I wouldn't expect the Rapids to make the playoffs (and if if I end up being wrong about that, I'll gladly own up). So if there is an actual transfer, that first-round pick could be high.

That's a big if, though, and there's a lot of time between now and when that decision will be made.

Why did it take so long for the Union to find a team to take MacMath off their hands? KYW's Kevin Kinkead provides insight here:

MacMath is on a guaranteed contract this year, which served as a red flag for potential suitors. If he has a good season in Commerce City, then theoretically his value will increase upon completion of the loan. If MacMath doesn't see a lot of playing time, the Union would let the season-long loan expire and not pick up his contract option for 2016.

Major League Soccer's loan system is not as straightforward as what you'd find in the rest of the world because of the single-entity structure, but here's what matters most from the rulebook:

(iv) The player must remain with his new team for the entire MLS Season.

(v) Players may not compete against their former Team during the MLS Season while on loan (includes MLS games and all other competitions).

(vi) Intraleague loans may include an option to make permanent.

That second clause is of particular consequence because the Union open the season against the Rapids at PPL Park on March 7. MacMath won't be able to play in that game. As the Rapids already have two other goalkeepers on their roster in Clint Irwin and John Berner, I'd be surprised if MacMath even travels that weekend.

I also would take this as an indication that the loan structure will survive whatever rule changes come out of the collective bargaining negotiations that are currently ongoing. Or at least this deal will get grandfathered in.

So Mbolhi is now the No. 1 in net. The Union will have to find a backup for when Mbolhi and/or Blake are away on international duty. It's especially worth keeping an eye on July, when Blake will likely be Jamaica's starting goalkeeper at the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

That Mbolhi stands atop the Union's goalkeeping depth chart - and that the Union tried so hard to move a player with a hard-earned reputation as a fan favorite - might not sit well with the River End faithful.

But MacMath also had his share of critics, among Union fans and certainly across MLS.

He will have an opportunity now to prove those critics wrong. Perhaps a fresh start will clear his mind of the pressure he faced in a market renowned for its sometimes-Pavlovian reactions to even the slightest slips by its hockey team's goaltenders.

MacMath was a top prospect when the Union drafted him out of Maryland in 2011. He excelled both in college and in the U.S. youth national team system, but never realized his full potential at PPL Park.

Some of the reasons for that were beyond his control, of course, and some (though not all) of those reasons don't work at PPL Park anymore.

If MacMath does find that aforementioned fresh start in Colorado, more power to him. If he doesn't, being out of contract in 2016 will give him an even better opportunity to finally get to the right place.