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Gallardo ready to return to River Plate?

Marcelo Gallardo (AP) 

                                                 Photo by ISIphotos.com

There is lucky, and then there is D.C. United lucky.

D.C. was prepared to head into the 2009 season with the injury-prone Marcelo Gallardo and his bloated and roster-sinking salary, but now it appears that United might catch the mother of all breaks.

Gallardo has found interest in his services from his former club River Plate, a rich club in just enough trouble to think that a desperate grab for Gallardo is a good idea. Now reports are suggesting that Gallardo is a physical away from rejoining his old club, which just might kick off a party hosted by D.C. general manager Dave Kasper and head coach Tom Soehn.

So why in the world would Gallardo walk away from a guaranteed $1.9 million salary in 2009 with D.C.? There is something to be said for happiness, and Gallardo clearly wasn't happy in D.C., and there is also the strong possibility that Gallardo will be returning home with some 'walk away' money from D.C.

Regardless of how D.C. escapes one of the worst contracts in league history, if the four-time MLS champions find away to dump Gallardo there will be even more reason for optimism in the nation's capital.

As soon as a credible source or news outlet confirms the move as complete, we will bring you the story.

What do you think of this development? Are you glad to see Gallardo leaving? Sad to see him go? Would you like to see Christian Gomez return to D.C. after his one-year exile in Colorado? Do you want D.C. to go in another direction?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Wait Gallardo…wasn’t he that player that had skill and finesse and every time he put a nice move on an MLS defender they just threw him to the ground. He was the guy that frustrated Landon Donavon and Landon started kicking him.

    So the MLS apparently has players that are good enough to leave and play on some of the best teams in the world but those same players seem to get frustrated in the MLS. HMMMMM

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  2. I think both the expectations and treatment of Gallardo by DC fans has been pretty pathetic.

    The moment he was signed, the first comments from DC fans were: he’s not Veron; he was an afterthought once Veron turned us down; and he’s not Gomez. In the end, he was never truly accepted by the community.

    Then, once the team started playing, we learned that Gallardo was a completely different type of player than Gomez. It was always going to take some time for everyone else to adjust their game to fit his. I suspect if you watch Scholettos first few months with Columbus, he experienced a similar challenge.

    Once May came around everyone was pretty much clicking. The team was winning and had climbed from last place to first. Then the injuries started to take a toll.

    We like to focus on Gallardo because of his salary, but Olsen, Emilio, Fred, Moreno, McTavish, Peralta, Martinez, and Mediate all were out for extended periods of time. It wasn’t just one player. The injuries dragged on, while the schedule picked up steam. CONCACAF Champions Cup, MLS matches, SuperLiga, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions League… it’s amazing that DC United was even fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the season.

    But we hold Gallardo responsible for this. It’s crap. He was a fantastic player to watch. But he was in a bad situation and no one, NO ONE could carry DC United through that mess by themselves… no matter how much money they’re making.

    And that’s not Gallardo’s fault.

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  3. Ives,

    I wish for DC to be one of the first relegated teams in league history, whenever that happens, Could be 40 years. I still hope DC is one of the first.

    🙂

    Catch some more lucky breaks you fairy Scum.

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  4. With Gallardo gone, give Fred the attacking midfield role or bring back Gomez for that spot. Save the DP position for a summer signing (winter transfer window is almost closed) to fill needed holes.

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  5. Judging Gallardo’s potential impact in the league based on one injury plagued season is just foolish. He was class and might still be.

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  6. Has anyone figured out why he was signed in the first place?

    He obviously wasn’t going to put butts in the seats based on his fame. I’m pretty sure not one in twenty MLS fans would be able to name a person on PSG’s (or whereever he came from) roster, much less one that had been relaged to the bench.

    This strikes me as another idiotic Claudio Reyna, John O’Brian, Fredy Lungberg signing that assumed that attendance would jump a quarter to a third based on this guy’s presence.

    Not that he isn’t a good player but to think he would be – 1. Healthy, 2. Motivated, 3. Adaptable to the MLS style – enough to play so well that thousands more people show up is just ridiculous.

    Still, he was better than Davino. Did anyone ever get a number on how many thousands of Mexicans showed up in Dallas just because he was on the field?

    I’m guessing zero.

    When 2/3’s of the DP’s fail to produce on the field and all the one’s not named Beckham add nothing to the bottom line, it’s time for the league to rethink the idea that foreign “stars” will somehow make non-soccer fans show up at MLS. If you don’t watch the game to begin with, are they really “stars” here?

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  7. Are D.C. fans really deluded enough to say that Gallardo was a good signing? Was he really “dominating” MLS before the injuries? Heck no. He had some flashes, and some good games, but was he anywhere close to playing to his contract? Not even close.

    And you can’t discount the injuries because that was the concern when he was signed. He was crap at PSG before he came here. He will probably do well at River because Argentina’s league is well suited for him. In MLS, he was a flashy player who could have a good game or two, but would never stay healthy taking the beating defenders give outing in this league.

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  8. Thank God he is gone. As a DC United season ticket holder, let me tell you he his game and Gomez’s game are worlds apart.

    When Gallardo received the ball (when he wasn’t nursing an injury), he showed confidence, played good balls, but never showed any sign of creativity or passion.

    Give us Gomez back, It was one of the only mistakes I’ve seen our front office make (last year was a debacle of an experiment).

    DC United plays as a team and doesn’t need a DP to win another championship. Give us a bunch of hard working team players and we will get the cup back to DC.

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  9. More and More, the DP rule or the David Beckham rule is proving to be a failure for this league. As much marketing as these guys provide, ONE person cannot raise the level of play for the whole team, including Chicago. Once Blanco leaves after this season what are they going to do?

    in any case, get some good cheap young players from the CONCACAF or even South America. Groom them, raise the level of play here. Trade them a high price to Europe. and maybe, just maybe, the rest of the footballing world will take us seriously.

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  10. People are forgetting that Gallardo is leaving on his OWN initiative. DCU and its fans are not pushing him out. We want him to have some professional courtesy and return to play a full season, giving his all. His action of staying in Arg. and not returning speaks volumes of his character.

    Imagine you hire the top employee in your company, guy gets hurts while you are still paying his salary, which is like 4x of the next salary, he gets healthy enough to return to work but bolts for the next paycheck. What would you say now???

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  11. Yeah I thought he was pretty good when healthy, although it seemed like he struggled to integrate himself with the rest of the team/DC’s way of playing. I think he would’ve come on at the end of the season had he not dealt with injury. But no way was he worth the salary he was making (esp. when you look at GBS’s salary). Gomez is NOT the answer either. He was mediocre his last season in DC too. I’d take him as part time starter for something low like, 150k(too high?)/yr only. Can’t tie up so much money in ancient players. I don’t like Veron’s age either, but he looked pretty solid today in the Libertadores…

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  12. No way, Denilson is still by far the worst signing ever. The guy wasn’t even a lock for the starting XI by the end of the season on a horrible team.

    When healthy, Gallardo was a no brainer inclusion in the starting lineup.

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  13. Gallardo could play…he was just injured…soccer players get injured…I think he should’ve been given another year but oh well we’ll see if he stays injured in Argentina

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  14. When Gallardo was at Monaco, he was a beast! He never returned to that form (ask PSG!)…I say if you can get Gomez for a steal, then grab him. I am more interested in turning the reigns of the midfield over to Fred! He should be the playmaker. Adios Gallardo…We hardly knew ya’!

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  15. I thought he played well when he started. He had a few goals, a few assists, but never really got settled due to injury, a new country and no doubt the plastic pitches and inconsistent level of play aroudn him.

    I think he would have been better this year…..btu I’m sure all would be happier with a parting of the ways.

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  16. All of the Gallardo bashing is plain silly. The guy has one of the highest pedigrees of anybody in the league, and was a class player when he was on the pitch. If he could have gotten, and stayed, healthy (very unlikely) then I see no reason why he couldn’t have had a season similar to GBS last year.

    He isn’t the first gift foreigner whose body hasn’t been able to hold up.

    Gomez is not a replacement for Gallardo. At a reduced salary he could help alot, but he’s 34 now, not 31.

    I still want Veron.

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  17. I guess it’s good news on the business “risk” front, but “IF” he’s healthy enough to play for River, wouldn’t that be a crazy-good player for MLS? When he was healthy last year, he looked really good. Funny how everyone turned on him, but there would still be a chance that he would dominate MLS and lead DCU to glory if he was here in 09…

    ===================================

    word. think ives is being a bit silly here

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  18. Honestly, I want Gallardo to stay in DC. I don’t feel any other feasible “replacement” at the moment could help us as much as Gallardo would.

    Except Baré, but he’s not eligible for transfer until the summer window.

    …Where’s Kevin Ara when you need him?

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  19. this works out for everybody. gallardo goes back to river where he is needed and dc united gets a second chance at the dp. gallardo is an amazing talent but the injuries obviously took their toll.

    btw erick, ortega is currently on loan to second division side independiente rivadavia and we couldnt even get him to come back to river. thats a whole another story. but it would be amazing to see ortega in the mls (for the red bulls, of course)

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  20. he wasn’t bad at all WHEN he played. unfortunetly he was injured quite often. i got tired of watching him drop passes on a dime only to watch dc players screw them up.but either way good for united i guess.

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  21. Yeah, I never thought Gallardo was terrible. When healthy he was fine, maybe not worth all of that, but there have definitely been worse deals. What about Denilson?

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  22. I think River should pay a tranfer fee for the “Munequita” 1 mil sounds good or swap el burrito Ortega in a trade and pay him 325,000 a season. What do you guys think?

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  23. Thank god!!! DC really lost their identity and sold out to the idea that just because where your born you are a better player. If it wasn’t for denilson he would definetly be the worst dP.

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  24. I guess it’s good news on the business “risk” front, but “IF” he’s healthy enough to play for River, wouldn’t that be a crazy-good player for MLS? When he was healthy last year, he looked really good. Funny how everyone turned on him, but there would still be a chance that he would dominate MLS and lead DCU to glory if he was here in 09…

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  25. The should go after former captain and defensive stalwart Ryan Nelsen and offer him a DP contract. I also would not mind if they went a Roberto Carlos type left back. Defense should be their #1 priority.

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  26. It’s a miracle and DC needed one. If DC can get Gomez at a significantly reduced price, he might provide the attacking midfielder role they need. Maybe we could just skip back in time, erase last year and get Perkins, Boswell, and a healthy Olsen back and life would be good again!

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