ADRIAN PAZ WILL NOT RETURN TO RAPIDS IN 1999;
COLORADO TO ANNOUNCE MAJOR INTERNATIONAL ALLOCATION THURSDAY TO FILL FINAL FOREIGN SLOT

DENVER (Wednesday, March 3, 1999) - The Colorado Rapids today announced that midfielder Adrian Paz will not return to the team in 1999 after Paz decided not to honor his contract for the 1999 season.

Paz, who has been holding out in his native Uruguay for the entire pre-season, made the decision not to rejoin Major League Soccer for the 1999 season.

Rapids general manager Dan Counce said that the loss of Paz is unfortunate, but was not the choice of the team.

"Adrian gave two years of great service to the club, but unfortunately felt that his current contract was not enough to satisfy his needs. We knew this result was a possibility, so we were very prepared for Adrian not to return and are very excited about the player we will introduce Thursday," said Counce.

Paz recorded six goals and 24 assists in his two seasons with Colorado since joining the team in a February 1, 1997, trade from the Columbus Crew.

His 24 assists ranks second all-time in Rapids history (Chris Henderson - 31) and his 34 points ranks fifth all-time in the team's three-year history.

Paz has occupied the right wing of the midfield since joining Colorado prior to the 1997 season. While known for his menacing runs down the right flank and is play-making, Paz also scored the lone goal for the Rapids in the 1997 MLS Cup (a 2-1 loss to D.C. United).

The Colorado Rapids have called a 2:00 p.m. press conference on Thursday, March 4 at the Rapids' downtown office (555 17th Street - Suite 3350 in Denver) to announce the allocation of an international player to fill the foreign slot left by the departure of Paz.

The press conference will also be the first live media opportunity for Swedish midfielder Anders Limpar and goalkeeper Ian Feuer.

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