Six years after leaving for Europe, Yura Movsisyan is set for a return to Rio Tinto Stadium.
According to reports from the Salt Lake Tribune, Real Salt Lake has agreed on a deal for the return the 28-year-old striker, who featured for the club from 2007-09. Movsisyan’s return would come after a six-year stint in Denmark and, most recently, Russia.
Originally drafted by the then-Kansas City Wizards in 2006, Movsisyan scored 15 goals in 53 appearances for RSL.
Following the club’s 2009 MLS Cup-winning campaign, Movsisyan departed RSL for Randers FC before joining Krasnador in 2011. Most recently, the Armenian striker featured for Spartak Moscow, netting 25 times in 62 games.
Upon his departure for Europe, Real Salt Lake extended an offer to Movsisyan, allowing the club to retain the player’s rights should he return to the league. Movsisyan’s agent, Patrick McCabe,says that discussions between RSL and Movsisyan’s current club remain ongoing, according to the Tribune, while adding, “But not anything final”.
What do you think of the reported move? How would Movsisyan fit in with the current RSL team? What would you expect in the striker’s first year back?
Share your thoughts below.
I wonder how much RSL is paying him since he seems to be coming off of a very healthy contract and since he left MLS he has cost teams over $10 Million in transfer fees with two transfers. Maybe he had enough of living in Russia and he was ready to get back to the USA.
From Wikepedia:
“Movsisyan completed a move to Spartak Moscow on 8 December 2012 for a reported €7.5 million and signed a contract for 4.5 years with a salary of €1.5 million a year…”
And 25 goals in 62 games is a pretty good rate for a stgriker. I wonder if they had to pay DP or TAM for him. At 28, and with that many goals you figure he could have gotten a pretty good contract if he had stayed in Russia or gone to another comparable European league.
I like this
Movsisyan would shoe in perfectly as the central striker. With the service and distribution of Javi Morales, Juan Manuel Martinez (El Burrito) and of course Kyle Beckerman. I can’t wait for the season to start.
assuming kyle beckerman decides to make a forward/penetrating pass in 2016….
Good (re)signing.
Way back when, I had hoped he would have chosen to represent the US after being developed in this country, but I’m glad to see him come back to MLS. Always a good player with a good attitude.
This would be a great pick-up for them but you gotta think this means someone like Sandoval or Garcia is on the way out.
Unfortunately it seems like Jaime might be the one on the way out. Mostly due to Cassar’s inability to play him correctly for most of this season, and also due to Cassar’s deluded and insane preference to Sandoval.