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D.C. United made its first major move of the summer this morning by acquiring Honduran midfielder/defender Ivan Guerrero from the San Jose for a partial allocation, the club announced on its team blog this morning.
The acquisition is a bold one for a D.C. club that could certainly use the spark that Guerrero can provide. Equally capable of playing on the left flank as well as at left back, Guerrero’s speed and versatility will be a very good addition to a D.C. squad that has struggled in recent weeks. He won’t come cheap though. He is set to earn $147,000 this season, a price tag that helped lead the Chicago Fire to include him in the waiver draft last winter, and probably helped lead to his departure from San Jose, which added Darren Huckerby on the left flank last week.
Guerrero’s arrival should help D.C. shift Colombian defender Gonzalo Martinez into a central defense role after spending time at left back. D.C.’s defense has struggled badly in recent weeks and Martinez should help stabilize the middle.
D.C. fans will remember Guerrero for his man of the match peformance in helping the Chicago Fire eliminate D.C. United from the first round of the MLS playoffs in 2005. Guerrero scored a pair of goals and assisted on a third to lead the Fire to a 4-0 win at RFK Stadium.
What do you think of the trade? Did D.C. United just get a steal? Will Guerrero be enough to help turn things around in D.C.?
Share your thoughts below.