Columbus Crew have announced that it has signed midfielder Alex Grendi to a developmental contract. Per club and league policy, no further terms of the deal were disclosed.

Grendi was selected by the Crew in the third round (No. 45 overall) of the 2009 MLS SuperDraft and has trained with the Black & Gold throughout the duration of its preseason camp. He has appeared in six of the club's eight preseason matches and picked up a pair of assists.

"Alex wasn't much of a known quantity going into the (MLS Player) Combine (in January), but he showed well there and has proven during the preseason that he can make a contribution," said technical director Brian Bliss. "He's making steady progress and adds depth at a couple of different positions in our attack."

A 21-year old native of Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y., Grendi notched eight goals and 20 assists in 65 career games at the University of Pennsylvania. He finished his four-year collegiate career third on Penn's all-time assists list, and was twice named the team's Offensive MVP. He was also selected to the All-Ivy League First Team and the NSCAA All-Northeast third team in his senior season, and was also an All-Ivy selection as a sophomore in 2006.