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MLS Ticker: TFC closes in on Laba; Fire interested Mila; and more

Ryan Nelsen

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By DAN KARELL

Not completely satisfied with his current roster, Toronto FC manager Ryan Nelsen is still looking to bring in a couple of players before the May 6 transfer deadline.

Though moves for Bolton midfielder Kevin Davies and midfielder Maximiliano Urruti of Newell’s Old Boys in Argentina fell through in the last two days, Nelsen is closing in on another Argentine player.

Matias Laba, a midfielder for Argentinos Juniors and a former member of Argentina’s U-20 National Team, is expected to complete a transfer to TFC by Sunday, with an official announcement to come later this week. The 21-year-old has made 19 starts for his Buenos Aires-based club this season.

It had been previously reported that Nelsen was close to a deal with Urruti and Newell’s Old Boys, but that was before manager Gerardo Martino decided the midfielder was too important to lose in the middle of their season. On Wednesday, Davies reportedly hit a contract snag, causing his proposed move to Toronto to disintegrate.

Here are some more stories from around the league to get you caught up:

FIRE INTERESTED IN POLAND INTERNATIONAL MILA

Chicago Fire manager Frank Klopas is ready to use any geographical advantages he can to bring in some new talent. In the case of Poland international midfielder Sebastian Mila, the large Polish population in the Windy City could work perfectly.

“It’s like Warsaw here, you’ve got a million Polish people,” Klopas said. “It’s like home.”

Though Klopas made clear that there was no offer on the table for the 30-year-old, the Fire manager confirmed that there was clear interest on both sides.

“If you’re saying we’re signing the guy tomorrow, no,” Klopas said. “Is a deal on the table? No. Does the guy want to come to the US? Yes.”

Mila currently plays for Slask Wroclaw in Poland’s top division, the Ekstraklasa. This season, Mila has made 30 starts for his side in all competitions including the early rounds of the Champions League, scoring nine goals.

PORTLAND TO PLAY MONARCAS IN JULY

The Portland Timbers announced on Tuesday that they would be hosting a friendly match on July 3 at JELD-WEN Field against Liga MX side Monarcas Morelia.

The match is the inaugural version of “Copa Verde,” a promotional campaign to help local outreach programs through “Somos Timbers,” a platform to help Hispanic youth development, education, and health in the Portland area. Each year the Timbers will invite a new Mexican club to take part in Copa Verde.

Monarcas currently sit in fifth-place in the Liga MX standings, with 24 points from 15 games, and have not lost a match since the middle of February.

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What do you make of these reports? Do you see TFC bringing in more than just Laba? Do you think Klopas should sign Mila before July? Do you like the new Portland initiative?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. LEWANDOWSKI to FIRE? Hell pay him 5 million a year and he would. He’s not on high wages at Dortmund. He will be in 2months if he signs with Munich

    Reply
  2. TFC has a pretty solid squad but some loans may go back. I think some more good depth would be great but we don’t need much in the way of starters after Laba comes in, Dunfield is back from injury and Koef comes back.

    Left back is a little weak but Morgan may get out of his funk.

    Reply
    • TFC could still use upgrades on the wings.
      Wide runs and service in has not been good enough so far this year.

      Ephraim has been ok, but not great, and there is a good chance he goes back to England when his loan is up in June/July anyway.
      Bostock is much more sutied to play a more central role as an AM.
      Lambe is not shown he is good enough to be an every day starter.

      We need at least one, maybe two more wingers capable of starting.

      Reply
  3. There are more Mexicans than Poles in the city, but bring Lewandowski to Chicago as a DP and the Poles will fill toyota Park. If he can score 4 vs Real Madrid, then he can score 10 vs Columbus Crew. He could have scored 4 just on the chances Sherjill MacDonald wasted in the 2nd half vs Columbus on Saturday.

    Seriously, there were a lot of Polish “Ultras” in Section 8 in the days of Pobrozny, Kosecki and especially Nowak. And there are a lot of Poles all over Chicagoland, but especially along Archer Avenue on the SW Side (near Bridgeview) and in the NW Side and NW suburbs.

    Reply
    • “but bring Lewandowski to Chicago as a DP and the Poles will fill toyota Park. If he can score 4 vs Real Madrid, then he can score 10 vs Columbus Crew.”

      haha.

      Make it happen, Fire.

      Reply
  4. “It’s like Warsaw here, you’ve got a million Polish people,” Klopas said. “It’s like home.”

    It’s really not. It’s more like Mexico.

    Whether Polish, Mexican or American decent, the Fire need to bring in talent, regardless of nationality. The team is painful to watch and Klopas should have been fired years ago for his boneheaded front office moves.

    Bring in talent…talent brings in attendance.

    Reply
    • In this case, the guy has offensive capability that our team is sorely lacking. And I don’t think there is any “personal connection” between Mila and the Fire, except that former Fire forward Jerzy Podbrozny has said he’s made a few calls to Chicago on Mila’s behalf.

      Reply

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