The MLS international transfer window has been open barely a week, but the Los Angeles Galaxy have been busy both internationally as well as domestically.
Abel Xavier officially became eligible to play for the Galaxy on June 15 and made his debut two days later against Real Salt Lake. This week, the Galaxy added another senior international in Honduran forward Carlos Pavon, as well as trading for one-time U.S. international Chris Klein.
Pavon had been linked with the Galaxy for several weeks, and the move was officially announced on Wednesday following Honduras' elimination from the CONCACAF Gold Cup. While Pavon won't be eligible to play for the Galaxy until his work visa clears, he's a player that the Galaxy are very excited to have.
"Carlos is a proven goal scorer. Everywhere he's gone he's scored," said Galaxy head coach Frank Yallop. "He's been on our radar for a while. It's been a long time coming, but we're really happy to have him now."
Those feelings translated to the players as well, who got their first chance to train with the Honduran this week in practice.
"He's very talented, I can tell you that right off the bat," said Santino Quaranta on Pavon. "He's very smart, he hits a great ball and he is a finisher. He has a soccer brain and that's all you can ask for in a teammate."
A day after signing Pavon, the Galaxy traded Nathan Sturgis and Robbie Findley to Real Salt Lake in exchange for Chris Klein. In Klein, the Galaxy get yet another veteran professional to add to a squad that seems to be changing with every passing week. Everyone in the Los Angeles camp is happy to have Klein on the team.
"Chris is a player that coach Yallop has been interested in for a while," said Galaxy president and general manager Alexi Lalas. "We had the opportunity to bring in another veteran player of quality and we jumped at it."
While Pavon won't be eligible for Saturday's game against Columbus, Klein is available for selection and is expected to get some minutes just days after touching down in the Southland. For Klein, it's an opportunity and challenge he's excited to begin.
"When I heard about the opportunity to come to an organization like the Los Angeles Galaxy and everything that they've stood for in the past and everything that they stand for going forward, I was excited," Klein said. "It's a tremendous opportunity for me professionally and most importantly I know the expectations here and am happy to be able to contribute toward reaching those."
The Galaxy roster is far from being finalized. David Beckham is expected to arrive in mid-July, and Lalas has hinted that he will still be looking to negotiate a few more trades and upgrade at certain positions should the opportunities present themselves.
Greg Daurio is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
