As the Vancouver Whitecaps arrive at the midpoint of their preseason, fans were once again brought face to face with the realities of a salary capped league on Thursday when fan favourite midfielder Gershon Koffie was shipped off to the New England Revolution for an undisclosed sum.

It was a somewhat muted reaction from Caps supporters, perhaps tempered by persistent rumours over the off-season that the Ghanaian was on his way overseas. He’s certainly made no secret over the years of his desire to test himself in Europe. There was also a sense that something had to give with Vancouver’s roster. The math didn’t appear to add up, and the club looked to be transitioning to a more attacking mentality that would, depending on the formation, leave Koffie struggling to find minutes alongside Russell Teibert, Ben McKendry and Deybi Flores.

Koffie’s on-field contributions, it must be said, should not be too difficult to replace. Despite 135 appearances with the Whitecaps, he notched only nine goals, and often struggled to find consistency. His exceptional ball-recovery skills were often required to compensate for being dispossessed. Koffie will turn 25 this season, and the upside that earned him a big raise prior to the 2013 season never quite materialized. With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, a cap crunch, a salary that isn’t very good value for money, and younger players with higher ceilings behind him on the roster, it was probably the perfect time to move him, especially with a percentage of any future transfers being retained by the club.

Off the field, however, Koffie was second to none. Always smiling, the guy never met an autograph- or photo-seeker he didn’t like. He went out of his way to show up at supporters events, and usually acknowledged the fans after the game. His was the type of personality that has at times been lacking from the Whitecaps since they joined MLS, and he was one of the last links to that pre-MLS era.

It really is a shame. Koffie is only the most recent in a line of useful but expendable fan favourites that the club has dispensed with. Eric Hassli, Davide Chiumiento, Alain Rochat, Andy O’Brien. Some of these players are the type who could become fixtures at a club. Not necessarily superstars, but the type of recognizable face and community presence that builds loyalty in a fan base. But the labyrinth of MLS roster rules forces their ouster from clubs before their usefulness is spent. Compare that to the hockey club across the street, where Canucks fans frequently get to watch favourite players play out their entire careers in blue and green, and it’s somewhat frustrating. So farewell Gershon Koffie, we had some good times. May you find that upside we all hoped you would, and make Vancouver regret losing the soccer player as much as we regret losing the man.