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Union sign new Designated Player Maidana

CristianMaidanaAtlante1 (Mexsport)

By DAN KARELL

The Philadelphia Union went into the offseason searching for a new playmaker and they may have just found one.

With preseason just a few weeks away, the Union announced the signing of their newest Designated Player, Argentine midfielder Cristian “Chaco” Maidana on a free transfer. Maidana will join the squad pending the receipt of his international transfer certificate (ITC) and his P-1 visa.

“I was able to see Cristian play several times and I came away extremely impressed with his technical skills, creativity and one vs. one ability,” said John Hackworth, head coach of the Union in a statement. “After having met him personally, I felt even more confident that he was the type of person and player who can benefit our club on and off the field. We are excited that Cristian is a member of the Union.”

The 26-year-old playmaker most recently spent a half-season with Argentinos Juniors in his native country, though he had a more successful run in 2012-2013 with Atlante. While the team struggled to win games, Maidana played 23 times, scoring three times and wearing the famous No. 10 shirt for the club.

Prior to his time in Liga MX, Maidana bounced around from country to country, looking for a club he could thrive at. He spent two seasons with Chilean side Rangers and helped them earn promotion into the first division. In 2008, Spartak Moscow acquired him from his boyhood club Banfield, though he failed to settle in Russia and was sent on loan to Spanish club Recreativo Huelva (2009) and Argentine side Huracan (2011).

The Union have reportedly been after a number of midfielders this offseason, including U.S. Men’s National Team midfielder Maurice Edu and French midfielder Vincent Nogueira. The signing of Maidana is the first signing for the Union since acquiring Corben Bone in stage one of the MLS Re-Entry Draft.

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What do you think of this news? Excited that the Union added a new DP? Have high hopes for Maidana? Where do you see him fitting into the Union lineup?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is an incredibly questionable signing by the Union. Doesn’t make any sense to sign a DP that won’t even sell a jersey. They could do a lot better as far as quality and fan appeal. Whoever the agent for these Argentinian’s is must have some dirt on somebody, or be overly persuasive to get the Union and Timbers to bite on such mediocrity. Unreal.

    Hopefully the Union do much better in the draft today than in signing free agents. C’mon now. DOOP!

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  2. Scoring in Mexico or Argentina is a lot harder than scoring in MLS
    Donovan and Keane are MLS stars and they got absolutely destroyed by Monterrey in CCL.

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      • When Gomez was at LA, he was a young & naive player who had a high work rate; ran around the field like a headless chicken. He was pretty raw back then but with his work rate you knew if he improved his technique he could finish off those chances.

        Specific case in mind was that friendly against Real Madrid where Gomez should have scored a handful of goals had he had the technique he has today. I think LA lost 0-2 that day but the game was much closer than the scoreline.

        4 years later at Puebla, he overcame his weaknesses and now is a pretty good player.

      • Gomez was not yet a complete player when he went to Mexico. Lucky for him coaches in Mexico looked at his potential instead of just his stats.
        Sound familiar?

  3. So the Union go and sign a 26 year old who is likely to now spend his prime in MLS instead of the washed up version of a guy who built a reputation in Europe primarily for the name recognition. How can they be so arrogant?

    I’m sure Hack & Sack will pull another great move like signing an over the hill Kleberson soon enough. In the mean time, sorry mom, sorry dad, sorry Jermaine Defoe!

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  4. We were scratching our heads when CP signed Valeri. Had a couple of nice highlight reels but his stats didn’t jump off the page. Certainly not an international star or a “big name” before we signed him. Just give it a chance.

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    • I think you’re on the money here. Granted, as a Union fan I will fully admit that I have more faith in the moves the Timbers make than I do the ones the Union do, but even then, the people here seem to be jumping to conclusions without much evidence.

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  5. hahahaha
    Maidana must have the same agent as Onyewu.
    Argentina is now officially out of good players. Last one out please turn off the light.

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  6. Philly needs Joey Barton. Still be an average to bottom table team but least they’d A: gain a real central midfielder B: a general/enforcer C: a Captain D: fight E: entertainment value. He’d fit Philly and their fans extremely well.

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  7. Ramires has 1 goal in 20 appearances for Chelsea. He must suck too… Let’s learn another way to evaluate midfielders then looking up their strike rate.

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  8. Whoa, let’s back away from the ledge, folks. I’m guessing no one here has even seen him play, so let’s not make judgements just because he didn’t score a lot of goals last year. Lots of great playmakers aren’t big goal scorers. Luka Modric never scores. Argentinian players in their primes have generally fared pretty well in MLS. Let’s actually see the guy play before we condemn the move.

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    • Your argument turned into utter rubbish when you brought Luka Modric’s name into it.
      Granted Luka isn’t the most prolific goal scorer as an AM but go look at his statistics and clubs and amount of goals per season and compare with this Maidana lad and see the error of your ways. One has had seasons where he has scored more than 3 goals and the other hasn’t.

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      • Are you stupid or just lazy? I don’t like calling people names, but I’ve got to think you’re stupid, because in the time you spent running your mouth pretending you had knowledge you didn’t and bashing me, you could have looked up Luka’s statistics. This year: 0 La Liga goals. Last year: 3, 2011/12: 4 EPL goals, 2010/11: 3. Come on. Don’t be a tool. Just look up the stats before insulting people.

  9. The Union are a joke. This “DP” signing proves it further. He only scored 3 goals in 23 games in a league that is on no one’s radar but he did wear “the famous No. 10 shirt for the club.” I guess that’s all it takes to be a DP in Philly.

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  10. Not a lot to go on but sounds exciting. The Union midfield was woeful last year outside of Le Toux so it’s hard to see this not being an upgrade. It’s one move and hopefully there are a few more.

    Reply

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