Grimandi has been able to strike a deal with the MLS which means he is returning to France without ever having played a proper match over in the States.

Raipds coach Tim Hankinson has said "That's a player that we had built plans around and he had committed to us, so from that standpoint it's very disappointing.".

Rapids general manager Dan Counce said that Grimandi has cited "family and personal reasons" as the main factors behind his decision.

Perhaps we'll never know the details, or whether there's anything to the rumours that the France/US tiff over Iraq was a factor. The Grimster has still not updated his diary since back when he was happy to have signed for his new club. It'll be interesting to see if he stays in the game now. Before moving to America he was toying with the idea of signing for another English club.

Rapids are giving a trial to former Derby and Wednesday midfielder Daryl Powell as Gilles's replacement.