By:Aaron Campbell (Twitter:@AaCamp81)
Photo: Paul Frederiksen-USA TODAY Sports
“Vancouver Whitecaps FC announced on Wednesday that the club has acquired striker Fabián Espíndola from D.C. United in exchange for general allocation money – pending receipt of his international transfer certificate, medical, Canadian work permit.”
With this announcement today from the Vancouver Whitecaps organization the question was answered to what the Whitecaps were planning to do when Octavio Rivero was sold to Chilean club Colo-Colo a few weeks back. The problem is I don’t think he is the correct answer for the question that has been asked by many supporters.
We know that the Whitecaps front office isn’t going the Toronto FC route and try to buy themselves a MLS championship. They aren’t going out and spending $5-$8 million dollars on a designated player striker. That being said Espindola is a band aid that is a little moist so it won’t hurt as bad when it needs to be ripped off at the end of the season.
Will he be a reliable fit to possibly start or back up the surging Masato Kudo? Sure he is.
Could he possibly workout and make a difference in games in the 2nd half of the season? Maybe.
Is this all a smokescreen to get the supporters to stop asking when the big money striker will be coming to Vancouver? Damn right it is!
The problem this season isn’t scoring goals, it is keeping them goals out of the back of the next. With the recent signings of David Edgar and Marcel de Jong the team could be just strong enough to limp into the playoffs as a 5th or 6th seed and hope they can catch magic in the playoffs like the Portland Timbers did last season.
With his resume in hand and being put other there over and over again by the Whitecaps front office..
Fabián Espíndola – Whitecaps FC striker:(Courtesy of Whitecaps.com)
-73 goals, 42 assists in 252 appearances during his 10 MLS seasons in all competitions
-19 appearances in both the MLS Cup Playoffs and CONCACAF Champions League
-Ranks seventh overall in active goal scorers in MLS regular season play with 64
-Won the 2009 MLS Cup and reached the 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League Final with Real Salt Lake, hoisted the 2013 MLS Supporters’ Shield with New York Red Bulls.
It is looking like Carl Robinson got the player he wanted and really in the short term he can’t be any worse then Barry Robson and Mustapha Jarju. Plus with Kekuta Manneh successfully having surgery and out the next 8-10 week added depth could not hurt this team.
Let’s just hope Espindola doesn’t going to taking any minutes anyway from the new Canadian Messi Alphonso Davies….
