TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
Columbus Crew have signed homegrown goalkeeper Stanislav "Stas" Lapkes to a three-year contract through 2027 with options for 2028-29, the club announced Wednesday.
From 2023-24, Lapkes made 35 appearances for Crew 2 (all starts) in MLS NEXT Pro, helping them to back-to-back Eastern Conference Final appearances. The 18-year-old was also selected to participate in Goalie Wars at the 2024 MLS All-Star Skills Challenge presented by AT&T.
As a member of the Crew Academy since 2019, Lapkes helped their Under-17s reach the 2022 MLS NEXT Cup final. He was named Best Goalkeeper of the U-17 MLS NEXT Cup Playoffs and was selected to participate in the 2022 MLS NEXT All-Star Game presented by Allstate.
"Stas is a talented young player who has consistently sought to improve at every level of our development pathway, and his energy and positive attitude are a good fit with our group of goalkeepers," said general manager Issa Tall.
"It’s also a credit to Stas and our club to welcome another Crew academy player to the first team. Our entire organization is dedicated to identifying top talent and developing players, and we look forward to continuing our work with Stas as he takes this important next step in his professional journey."
Lapkes is the 23rd homegrown player in Columbus history, joining midfielders Taha Habroune, Cole Mrowka and Sean Zawadzki on the current roster.     
"It’s a big honor and a blessing to sign a homegrown contract with Columbus Crew," said Lapkes. “It has been an amazing journey with the club, through the academy to Crew 2.
"I’d like to thank my family and also all the coaches and staff members who helped me along the way to achieve a first-team contract. I am excited for what the future holds for me here in Columbus."
Columbus open their 2025 season on Feb. 22 at home against Chicago Fire FC (7:30 pm ET | MLS Season Pass).
READ MORE: MLS Transfer Tracker presented by Avant
