The San Jose Earthquakes added a veteran goal scorer to their stable of young forwards when they acquired striker Chris Brown from the New England Revolution on Thursday in exchange for a conditional MLS SuperDraft selection.
The 27-year-old Brown, a steady presence up front in his previous five years in MLS, provides 'Quakes head coach Dominic Kinnear a fifth option at the forward position. For the past year, Dwayne DeRosario, Jamil Walker and Brian Ching have shared the role of Landon Donovan's attack partner.
Brown also has the ability to play elsewhere on the field, often used in a wide midfield role with the Kansas City Wizards, where he spent the first 4 1/2 years of his MLS career before being sent to New England late last season. He could provide immediate cover as a handful of injuries to the back line have forced Kinnear to rearrange his lineup early in the season, particularly on the flanks.
"I'm very excited to be going to a team that has just won the championship," Brown said. "I can play a lot of different positions and I am looking to help the team in any way possible by just fitting in with the group."
Brown is in his sixth season in MLS. After beginning his professional career with Kansas City in 1999, he moved to the Revolution, along with striker Dario Fabbro, in a trade near the end of the 2003 season that saw Wolde Harris and Jorge Vasquez go the other way. Brown's trade to San Jose means none of those players are still with the teams involved in the deal.
Brown made an immediate impact with the Revolution, scoring a hat trick in his first start the club, but his season was cut short when he broke his left foot during just his third game with New England.
"I had the privilege of playing with Chris in Kansas City when he first entered the league," said Alexi Lalas, Earthquakes president and general manager. "I am excited about getting a player with his experience and talent on the field and his quality off the field."
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Since 1999, Brown has 18 goals and 11 assists in 126 regular-season games. He helped the Wizards to the MLS Cup Championship in 2000 and has appeared in ten postseason games, scoring one goal and registering two assists. The former University of Portland standout appeared in 90 consecutive league contests for Kansas City from 2000 through last season until just before his trade to the New England.
Chris Brown
Forward/Midfielder
Height: 5-11 Weight: 170
Born: March 10, 1977
Hometown: Portland, OR
Citizenship: American
Last Club: New England Revolution
