The Kansas City Wizards announced at a press conference on Thursday that the club has signed Argentinean attacking midfielder Carlos Marinelli. The 25-year-old brings abundant high-level experience to Kansas City, having spent time with first division clubs in his homeland, England, Italy and Portugal.
"During the off-season, (head coach) Curt (Onalfo) and I identified different areas of the team that we wanted to focus on improving, one of which was adding a creative midfielder," Kansas City Wizards technical director Peter Vermes said. "We wanted a playmaker who added something distinctively different to the squad. Carlos is a perfect fit for that piece of the puzzle. As with any player, patience is the key when allowing them to get used to the players on our team, the climate in which we play and the style of play of the Kansas City Wizards and MLS."
Marinelli began his career as a teenager at Boca Juniors, the powerhouse club in Buenos Aires where Diego Maradona was also groomed. Marinelli joined Middlesbrough of the English Premier League and made his debut at the age of 17. He remained under contract with Boro through the 2003-'04 season, though he spent a short spell on loan with Torino in Italy's top flight.
Marinelli then returned to Boca Juniors and Racing in Argentina before a second spell with Torino in 2004-05. Most recently, Marinelli was a member of Sporting Braga in the Portuguese first division.
"I'm very happy to be here," Marinelli said through a translator. "I'm excited that the coaching staff has confidence in me and is giving me this great opportunity. I'm always looking to win and I hope to use my experience to help this team become the premier club in the U.S."
With his crafty playmaking skills, Onalfo is banking on just that.
"He's an extremely talented midfielder, and he's the type of player we've been looking for," Kansas City Wizards head coach Curt Onalfo said. "Because of injuries and other circumstances, Carlos has not played a soccer game in some time. Right now, we're focused on getting him physically fit."
An injury forced Marinelli to return to Buenos Aires last August after only two matches played for Braga. However, the Wizards are banking on Marinelli to return to full fitness so that he can use his vision and passing ability to help create scoring chances for the Kansas City front line.
"There's no question, Carlos is going to help us," midfielder Kerry Zavagnin said. "He's going to help us possess the ball in midfield and be the key guy in the attack.
"He's definitely a technically gifted player with the ability to get everyone involved. He's a guy you look for on your team and, specifically, the guy we've been looking for to solidify our midfield."
Jonathan Nierman is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
