In today's Expansion Draft, the Colorado Rapids lost Tony Cascio and Danny Mwanga to Orlando City SC. Cascio was Orlando's second round pick, while the Florida club chose Mwanga with their eighth round selection.
As a consequence of Cascio's departure, the Rapids were able to add Marc Burch to their Protected List.
Cascio was originally selected by the Rapids with the 14th overall selection (first round) of the 2012 MLS SuperDraft on January 12, 2012.
He made his debut in a 2-0 home win over Columbus Crew on March 10, 2012, and would net his first goal for the club eight days later in a 2-1 victory at Philadelphia Union. He may be best remembered for his last-gasp game-winning goal at Montreal Impact on June 29, 2013, which struck the back of the net in the sixth minute of stoppage time and snapped a three-game losing streak for the Rapids.
The versatile midfielder then spent the 2014 season on loan at Houston Dynamo, though his time there was hampered by an ACL injury.
He returned to the Rapids at the end of the campaign
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Mwanga was acquired by the Rapids from the Portland Timbers on February 28, 2013. He made five starts in 13 appearances in his first season. His playing time was restricted to six appearances in 2014 (two starts), with him closing out the season on loan at New York Cosmos.
Elsewhere in the Expansion Draft, former Rapids player Mehdi Ballouchy was taken by New York City FC from Vancouver Whitecaps with their sixth round pick. Ballouchy spent three years with the Rapids, from 2007-2010.
