COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Columbus Crew announced today that it has acquired forward Alejandro Moreno from the Houston Dynamo in exchange for forward Joseph Ngwenya. Moreno, a member of Houston's 2006 MLS Cup-championship team, has scored 23 goals in 126 games (85 starts) over five-plus MLS seasons.
"Alejandro is a forward who holds the ball well and adds a physical presence up front," said Head Coach Sigi Schmid. "He works very hard and helps address our needs up front. At the same time, it's disappointing losing Joseph, who provided our fans with some exciting moments over the last year. But you've got to give up quality to get quality and we wish him nothing but the best with Houston."
A 27-year-old native of Venezuela who holds a green card - meaning that he will not be classified as a senior international - Moreno has yet to score in four games this season, two of them starting assignments. He has led the league in fouls suffered in each of the last two seasons and started all 30 games in which he appeared for the MLS champs last year, scoring three goals (including two game-winners) and adding six assists.
Moreno enjoyed the finest season of his MLS career with San Jose in 2005, scoring a career-high eight goals and registering four assists in a career-high 31 games and 2,167 minutes. He spent the 2002-04 seasons with the Los Angeles Galaxy, where he scored 12 goals in 61 games, following a stellar four-year career at UNC-Greensboro.
Ngwenya came to the Crew on May 12, 2006, in a trade with Los Angeles, where he spent the first two years of his MLS career, and tallied five goals and three assists in 25 games in Black & Gold.
"Since his arrival, Joseph Ngwenya has been a tremendous professional and we have enjoyed having him as a member of the Crew family," said Crew General Manager Mark McCullers. "However, our offense has underperformed to date and we believe that Alejandro's skill set will help provide a spark."
The Crew returns to action on Saturday (May 12), when it plays host to Chivas USA at Crew Stadium at 7:30 p.m.
Founded by American sports pioneer Lamar Hunt, the Columbus Crew is Ohio's Major League Soccer club, anchoring a diverse sports and entertainment enterprise. One of the league's Charter Members and the U.S. Open Cup champion in 2002, it recently opened its 12th season overall and ninth in first-of-its-kind Columbus Crew Stadium.
TRANSACTION: Columbus Crew - Acquired F Alejandro Moreno from Houston, in exchange for F Joseph Ngwenya.
