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MLS transfer market: A look at some league newcomers

By TRAVIS CLARK

With the MLS transfer window opening recently, a lot of moves have already been made as squads look for reinforcements to boost their playoff chances. Sometimes this means taking a risk on an overseas player who may struggle to adapt to the different demands of MLS.

New signings mean new players to get acquainted to around the league, and we'll take a look at a number of new faces after the jump.

Ernst Öbster joins New York as they desperately try to save face this season. He comes over from sister club Red Bull Salzburg, and brings a decent European resume with him, having a handful of UEFA Cup qualification appearances. Hard to imagine what kind of a difference he'll bring to a club that has been awful this season. Öbster traveled with the club to Trinidad and Tobago for their CONCACAF Champions League match last night and made his debut.

The Colorado Rapids have made a couple of moves in recent days, adding Argentine forward Facundo Diz and Scottish winger Jamie Smith. Diz will look to complement Conor Casey and Omar Cummings in the attack, while Smith has been brought in to play on the wings.  "Smith has been brought in predominantly as a wide player," Coach Gary Smith told the team blog. "He is versatile enough to play on both flanks as well as an attacking midfielder player." The Scotsman began his club career at Celtic, and comes over from Aberdeen FC in the SPL. He has two career international appearances. Out of favor Rapid Terry Cooke was waived to make room for Smith.

Kansas City has been lacking in the goal scoring department and they'll be hoping that the signing of Hungarian striker Zoltan Hercegfalvi alleviates their struggles. His name is certainly difficult to pronounce, so he'll simply go by "Zoltan" while in a Wizards uniform. He comes to Kansas City after a stint with Budapest Honvéd FC. It probably isn't a coincidence that Technical Director Peter Vermes is of Hungarian descent, speaks Hungarian and spent time playing in the Hungarian First Division.

An older acquisition for Toronto FC becomes like a new signing as Amadou Sanyang will now be eligible to play when he turns 18 on Saturday. The Gambian midfielder was originally signed in March but couldn't appear until he hit his 18th birthday due to league rules. He'll travel with the team to New England this weekend as they fight for their first postseason appearance.

D.C. United is another active club in the transfer market, and has already made a couple of well-publicized moves. The brought in acclaimed midfielder Danny Szetela. A more under-the-radar move was the signing of former LA Galaxy player Ely Allen. With another roster space to work with, they are looking to add some defensive depth, and have taken a look at a few trialists over the last week or two.

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What club has made the best moves so far this summer? What new acquisition will make the biggest impact? What team needs to make a move?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Pablo Campos, Rachid El Khalifi, and probably Nelson Gonzalez from Quilmes Atletico Club all could give RSL the same type of bump they got by adding 3 players midseason last year. while the names may not be as big as some, they may just be the surprise of 2009

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  2. Cooke will most definately be a BIG pickup for anyone that gets him. For some reason or another Gary Smith wasn’t playing him, but not because of lacking the skills. I live in Denver and have seen many Rapids games. Cooke adds very much to the attack when he is on the field. I hope he stays in MLS, I love watching him play and his passion for the game. We called him a poor man’s Beckham here in Colorado (well, minus all the drama).

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  3. Can’t believe Ives overlooked the big signing of Leo Krupnick of the Red Bulls. Now that’s an impact player!!

    LOL!!!!

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  4. sorry ELAC, the two i mentioned are headed to the quakes, not chivas….i realize now that i failed to mention that in my post

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  5. Smith doesn’t seem to favor Cooke, but the fans don’t know why. The move is not a surprise as Cooke has found it hard to get off the bench this season. To be fair he’s probably not a 90 minute player anymore, but he can still be a super sub.

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  6. No disrespect because it’s good to have some information. But I’m hoping for more from Ives and crew.

    There are a ton of players either just in or just about to sign in MLS. We need breakdowns on all of these guys — stats, interviews with former teams/opponents/owners and journalists from where they played previously, a look at how they are expected to fit in.

    I know there is a lot going on in terms of transfers in Europe, and MLS games, and Yanks Abroad and all that. But I’m holding out hope for a more thorough coverage of MLS on what has traditionally been the best MLS site in the nation, SBI.

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  7. ramon sanchez (captain of salvadoran nat’l team) and andre luiz moreira a 34 yr-old out of brasil, with playing experience in ligue un as well as most recently playing in the top mexican league should bolster a central midfield that has been horrendous thus far

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  8. Chivas USA will not acquire ANYBODY.

    This team is B-R-O-K-E.

    We have 2 out of 3 owners who don’t give a sh*t.

    They know it.

    The fans know it.

    Vegetable Lasagna knows it.

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  9. I wouldn’t mind the Fire adding to their depth. If Mapp doesn’t do anything in the next couple games I say trade him for some allocation money and go grab a new player from outside the league. Can’t hurt us, Mapp doesn’t really do anything now.

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  10. Shevchenko to MLS. Great. Just what we need: Another aging over the hill player looking for a final pay day. When will people learn?

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  11. I’d like to hear more about Cooke. I haven’t paid too much attention to him this season, but in past seasons he was really fun to watch. Has he been out of form recently? Does the coach just not like him? Any Rapids fans around to shed some light would be great.

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  12. Andre Luiz is supposed to be suiting up for the Quakes at some point as well. He should make a nice pairing with Sanchez.

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  13. Seattle is also adding Costa Rican Left back Leonardo Gonzalez. This deal was done a while back but with the black hole that is Left Back in Seattle I think Leo can make a big impact.

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  14. All signs point to Chivas USA making a move for a striker. They desperately need it with basically all their most threatening forwards gone or injured.

    Reply

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