Brian West, who recently completed his sophomore season at Virginia, has announced that he will sign a professional contract with MLS through Project-40 and will give up his final two years of eligibility. “I enjoyed my time at Virginia and had two great years playing in the program,” said the All-ACC forward. “Now I have a chance to follow my dreams of playing professionally and becoming the best player I can be.” West will be assigned to the Columbus Crew and will join the team’s training camp at the end of the week. He is the third Cavalier to sign with Project-40 this year, joining junior midfielder/forward Ben Olsen (D.C. United) and junior defender Scott Vermillion (expected to be assigned to Kansas City). “Brian has put a lot of thought into his decision to sign with Project-40,” said UVa coach George Gelnovatch. “He talked about it with me and with the people at Major League Soccer and decided it was in his best interest to become a professional. I am confident that he will continue to pursue his education, and if he does that this will be a good move for him.”