Photo by ISIphotos.com
One of Major League Soccer's biggest free agents will be leaving MLS this winter, but he may not be gone for good.
Chicago Fire star Cuauhtemoc Blanco has signed a contract with Mexican second division club Veracruz for the 2010 season, but will have an opt-out clause in his contract that will allow him to return to the Fire after the 2010 World Cup, multiple reports out of Mexico have revealed.
Blanco is currently finishing out the final year of his Fire contract and had long been considered a safe bet to return to Mexico after this season. He made some bland mid-season remarks about wanting to return to the Fire, but sources in Chicago have told SBI for some time that Blanco intended to return to his native Mexico in 2010. He will rejoin Veracruz, which he played for in 2004, in January.
With Blanco enjoying a revived role with the Mexican national team, he is expected to play in Mexico heading into next summer's World Cup. After the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Blanco will have the ability to either stay in Mexico, or re-sign with the Fire. He will clearly have the leverage in that situation though, and these MLS playoffs could be the final games Blanco plays in MLS.
The Fire begins its MLS playoffs on Sunday vs. New England.
What do you think of this development? Did you see it coming? Think the Fire are ready to go through some serious rebuilding? Do you see Blanco coming back to Chicago next summer?
Share your thoughts below.