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Colorado Rapids Sign Academy Player Shane O'Neill To Homegrown Contract

The Colorado Rapids have signed academy midfielder/forward Shane O'Neill to a homegrown contract.

By UZ
COMMERCE CITY, CO - MAY 28: Gray skies loom over the stadium as Sporting KC face the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on May 28, 2011 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
COMMERCE CITY, CO - MAY 28: Gray skies loom over the stadium as Sporting KC face the Colorado Rapids at Dick's Sporting Goods Park on May 28, 2011 in Commerce City, Colorado. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)
Getty Images

Prior to 2010, the Colorado Rapids had never signed a player to a homegrown contract, the type of contract that MLS allows teams to give to players from their academies and local high schools in order to keep them from going to the MLS Superdraft. They changed that in 2010 when they picked up Davy Armstrong as their first ever homegrown signing, and we can now put that number up to two.

On Tuesday, the Rapids announced that they had signed midfielder/forward Shane O'Neill to a homegrown contract out of the Rapids Academy. The Irish-American originally lived in Boulder and went to Fairview High School before joining the Academy, most recently playing for the U-18 side. He had scored 10 goals for the U-18 team so far this year before being given a full time contract with the first team.

His signing with an MLS side will exempt him from a former commitment to the University of Virginia's soccer program.

For more on the Colorado Rapids, head over to Burgundy Wave.