After two frustrating seasons, the Galaxy have traded Kévin Cabral to the Colorado Rapids.

Cabral, 23, joined the Galaxy as a young Designated Player ahead of the 2021 season. He managed just eight goals and five assists in 65 games across all competitions. Last season, he scored just one goal with three assists in 33 games.

Cabral joined the Galaxy from French Ligue 2 club Valenciennes, where he scored 13 goals with 10 assists in 70 appearances from 2017-21.

The Galaxy will receive $1 million in General Allocation Money in the deal – $600,000 in 2023 and $400,000 in 2024. The Galaxy will also receive a percentage of a transfer fee if Cabral is sold outside of Major League Soccer. Cabral will also occupy a Designated Player slot on the Rapids.

The move frees up a Designated Roster slot for the Galaxy. Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Douglas Costa currently hold the other two slots.

Cabral was signed to a five-year contract on April 8, 2021, after the Galaxy had paid a reported $5.9 million transfer fee. However, his play never lived up to the contract and he became a target of jeers from Galaxy fans while earning a salary of $1,650,000 million last season.

In an end-of-the season conversation, Galaxy coach Greg Vanney said “we will consider all of our options to get him to where we need him to be. We’ve invested in the young man …”

“You see him get into some really, really good positions, now we have to start to see the production when we get into those positions,” Vanney said in November. “He knows this and he accepts this. Some of that is mental, it’s confidence. And some of it I think is physical and technical. But I do think it is mental for him and we’re trying to find the best solutions and working with him on that and trying to find the best ways for him to continue to take steps forward.”

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Filling that third DP slot will likely be done during the Primary Transfer Window. Last week, MLS fined the Galaxy $1 million and levied a $1 million loss of future General Allocation Money, along with a ban on signing any player from outside the U.S. and Canada who requires an International Transfer Certificate, during the Secondary Transfer Window in the summer. President Chris Klein was also suspended during the Primary Transfer Window.

“Kévin (Cabral) is a dynamic and explosive attacking threat with experience both in MLS and in Europe,” Colorado Executive VP & General Manager Pádraig Smith said. “He’s an exciting player with all the necessary qualities to be an impact player in MLS, and yet at 23, still has room for continued development.”