CARSON, Calif. — With the transfer window a little more than a month from opening, Chivas USA are preparing to make an impact and add to a club that has shown it can compete with the best in MLS.
The Rojiblancos have made it clear they intend to bring in players during the transfer period, which begins less than a month from now on July 15 and closes on August 15. It is believed that during the window, the first thing that Chivas USA will be seeking is a forward to aid the Goats attack, but head coach Robin Fraser admits that the team is looking for any player that could help.
“We’re quite honestly looking at all positions, and we’re looking for players that we think can help us and help can come in a number of different ways,” Fraser said at training on Thursday. “Whether it’s goal scoring or goal prevention or possession, there’s a lot of different things.
"Soccer isn’t like other sports where you can just one guy, who can dominate. The point is, we just want to make as strong a unit as we can come up with.”
The transfer window opens just weeks after Chivas USA co-owner Jorge Vergara admitted that the Rojiblancos were intending to bring in several players to bolster the squad, including former members of sister club CD Guadalajara. To fuel their transfer desire of bringing in players from abroad, the Rojiblancos are also at the top of MLS’ allocation order, which gives them first choice at any US national team player returning to MLS from service abroad.
The Goats have already passed on one opportunity to use this position when they declined to select Benny Feilhaber, who eventually ended up with the New England Revolution. Following the Feilhaber decision, head officials with Chivas USA admitted that the team decided to pass on the World Cup veteran because of the club’s hope of eventually snagging a forward during the summer window.
One potential transfer target for Chivas USA became available on Thursday as former trialist forward Jason Banton was released from his academy contract at Liverpool. Banton performed well during his week’s trial in April, even scoring in a match with the Chivas USA reserves.
However, the 18-year-old forward was ultimately not signed by Chivas USA, although he was added to the club’s discovery list, which frees the team up to sign him in the future. While Banton performed well, his release from Liverpool — which would mean that he could be brought in on a free transfer — was news to Fraser.
“To be honest, I haven’t thought about Jason since he was last here," Fraser said. "We have a lot of different players that we’re looking at, and it’s something that we can definitely talk about. I did not know that he had been released, so I’ll inquire later.”
Adam Serrano covers Chivas USA for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at adam.m.serrano@gmail.com and on Twitter: @adamserrano
