Colorado Rapids Trade Midfielder Wells Thompson To Chicago Fire

On Sunday night, Colorado Rapids defender Luis Zapata congratulated midfielder Wells Thompson on his new team over Twitter. Quickly, speculation started that Thompson had been traded, and eventually it was all but confirmed that he was a member of the Chicago Fire. Thompson put out a Facebook post showing his new Fire jersey early on Monday, but nothing was made official until later in the day, as it appeared MLS was taking their time getting the paperwork done.

Eventually, Chris Bianchi finally got confirmation that Wells was headed to Chicago in exchange for a conditional draft pick:

'Tis official official: #Rapids complete trade of Wells Thompson to #Fire for conditional draft pick.

— Chris Bianchi (@chrisdbianchi) September 11, 2012

Thompson, originally brought to the team by Gary Smith at the start of 2010, had 75 appearances for the Rapids during his career and was a member of the squad that won the 2010 MLS Cup. He scored five goals and helped on four assists during his time with Colorado, but reportedly had asked to leave after being left out of Oscar Pareja's starting plans for most of the 2012 season.

No word has been released on what the conditions for the eventual draft pick will be -- this will be the second time this season that the Rapids traded a player for a conditional pick, after sending Macoumba Kandji to the Houston Dynamo for one during the preseason.

For more on the Wells Thompson trade, head over to Rapids blog Burgundy Wave and Fire blog Hot Time In Old Town. You can also check out SB Nation's dedicated soccer hub for more on MLS.