Saturday, April 16, 2011

Houston Dynamo Sign Spanish Forward Koke


Following the Houston Dynamo's 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps this past Sunday, I caught a bit of Glenn Davis' post-match radio show in which he made some comments indicating he was pretty certain there would be some Dynamo roster changes before the close of the MLS transfer window. Apparently, Davis made a few other comments earlier this week that got the folks at Dynamo Theory and SBNation to start snooping around. They discovered that the Dynamo were on the verge of signing Spanish forward Sergio Contreras Pardo, a/k/a Koke. Koke, 27, has most recently played at Aris in Greece, the same team that saw Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson play there on loans in recent years. Before playing at Aris, Koke played at Olympique de Marseille and Málaga CF.

This may not be a splash signing with the fans, after all Koke doesn't have the same name recognition as a Beckham, Henry, or Marquez, but it often seems that some of these lesser known players from Europe have a bigger impact on their team's winning column in MLS. While the details of Koke's contract with the Dynamo are unknown, he is not a designated player. This means that while the Dynamo are taking a gamble that Koke can adjust to MLS play, the risk if he doesn't adjust is not as great. The fact that Koke is not a DP also means that Dynamo might be in a better position to sign a DP for the opening of their new stadium next season.

The Dynamo host New England on Sunday evening, but it's doubtful that Dynamo fans will get an opportunity to see Koke in a Dynamo kit. As of Friday, Koke still needed to get his visa. Odds are, Koke will be suited up with the Dynamo for next week's match against Chicago.





No comments: