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Fire add to midfield depth with Cocis signing

RazvanCocisFKRostov (Getty)

By DAN KARELL

The Chicago Fire added a new piece to their midfield that they hope can bring some more stability to the club.

The Fire announced on Monday that they have signed Romanian international Razvan Cocis from Ukrainian club FC Hozerla Uzhhorod. Per MLS and team policy, terms of the transfer and contract were not disclosed.

“Razvan is an experienced, well-traveled central midfielder,” Fire head coach Frank Yallop said in a statement. “He brings a wealth of international experience and will be a great addition as we enter the second half of the season.”

Cocis has played across Europe and in the Middle East as well during his professional career. He began with FC Universitatea Cluj and has played with FC Sheriff Tiraspol, Lokomotiv Moscow, and Al Nasser in Saudi Arabia. The 31-year-old central midfielder has also earned 50 caps for his country, most recently playing in the World Cup qualifying playoffs against Greece last November.

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What do you think of this signing? Do you see the Fire boosting themselves into playoff contention?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. This is a team that’s had Nowak, Blanco, and now (what’s his name again?). The Fire hasn’t done much to create much buzz over signings over recent years. Magee was a good acquisition and getting back Rolfe was good, but then Rolfe is sent east where he started scoring.

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  2. I guess chicago magic is taking all the good young players in chicago, cause the fire are struggling to bring them up.

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  3. Cocis is a cultured quality midfielder who will undoubtably have a positive impact on the Fire. Just because a lot of you haven’t heard of him, does not make him a bad player. He’s good with both feet, and has vast experience. Can’t get worse for the Fire anyway

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  4. Well Traveled. Is that supposed to be a compliment? If so, the Fire should try to get Adu. He’s got more stamps on his passport than anyone.

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  5. I really don’t like when we sign players like this. We have guys with international experience who are just like this guy if not better.

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  6. Having never heard of this guy and not being a Fire fan, i probably shouldn’t weigh but hey, this is the internet, so i’ll jump with both feet. If MLS has become the last stop for international players who previously plied their trade in the middle east, we may have a problem…

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    • Bingo. This is the exact type of signing that must keep Gulati and Juergen awake at night. Chicago….a massive city with no MLS competition within hundreds of miles…needs a presumably over-the-hill midfielder from po-dunk-town nowhere, Europe.

      Guys like Kaka, Keane, Villa, Martins etc are great for the league. Signings like this….not so much. No excuse for Chicago to not be producing consistently decent players from their academy to make signings like this unnecessary.

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      • I believe they are bringing in a number of young players some of which are from the academy. Specifically, Harry Shipp through their juniors program who is now one of the best players on the team. Add Joya, Ritter, Pineada and Grant Ward and there are a number of young players getting minutes for the Fire. This new guy is not a game changer but more of a piece to the puzzle I believe.

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