Photo by ISIPhotos.com
By IVES GALARCEP
The Seattle Sounders are heading into the 2013 MLS season with an available Designated Player spot, and the rumors are sure to fly as links to big-name players emerge.
Add Javier Saviola to that list. The Argentine striker, who counts Barcelona and Real Madrid among his former club, has been linked to a summer move to the Sounders by multiple Argentine journalists via Twitter on Friday.
#RiverPlate Según @juancortese, Javier Saviola continuará su carrera en el Seattle Sounders de Estados Unidos, a partir de julio.
— Pablo Lejder (@pablolejder) February 15, 2013
Saviola is currently playing for Spanish side Malaga, and while there had been reports linking him to a move to Argentine side River Plate, the latest rumblings in Argentina suggest he has MLS in his future. That may just be posturing by agents, but if there is credence to the Saviola rumor, the Sounders could be adding a piece to make them a championship-caliber squad.
Here are some more stories to catch you up on the latest in MLS:
WHITECAPS LINING UP REO-COKER, BUT TIMBERS IN THE WAY
The Vancouver Whitecaps want to sign English-born midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker, and the former Aston Villa player wants to join the Whitecaps, but the Portland Timbers are standing in the way of a deal being done as they hold Reo-Coker’s discovery rights, according to a report by The Vancouver Province.
A trade seems likely between the Cascadia rivals, and if one can get done then the Whitecaps will be adding a serious upgrade in midfield in Reo-Coker. The 28-year-old midfielder, who had been linked by rumors to the New York Red Bulls earlier in the winter, is currently a free agent.
D.C. UNITED HOPEFUL FOR NEW STADIUM IN D.C.
One of the last remaining teams in Major League Soccer without their own soccer stadium, either built or under construction, D.C. United has gone through a lengthy ordeal trying to secure their own home and now it appears they be finally be on the verge of a deal.
“The stars are aligning in a good way for us,” D.C. United managing partner Jason Levein told the Washington Post regarding the team’s plans for a stadium. “We’re working closely with the right people and we feel better about it today than we did three months ago, no question.”
D.C. United is considering a stadium project in Buzzards Point, a swath of unused land in Southwest D.C., not far from Nationals Park. Another development in the Washington Post report was Levein’s revelation that D.C. United will not consider a move to Baltimore, and is focused on keeping the team in Washington.
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What do you think of these developments? Think Saviola would be a great signing for Seattle, or think he’s past his best? See Reo-Coker making the Whitecaps a lock playoff team in the West? Starting to believe D.C. United will finally get a stadium, or have you experienced too many false alarms to believe anything until a stadium is actually built?
Share your thoughts below.