Mired on a club that has struggled since its inception in 2005, Carey Talley felt his future with Real Salt Lake was suddenly uncertain and prepared for life outside of Utah.
"I kind of got a feeling in the locker room when I was in Salt Lake that maybe something was in the works," Talley said. "I kind of prepared myself for it in the days before it did happen."
His premonition became reality on May 9 when Chivas USA acquired Talley from Real Salt Lake in exchange for supplemental draft picks. The move was not necessarily made with the present in mind as Talley is battling a quadriceps strain, but more so for the grueling SuperLiga-laden summer and beyond.
Chivas USA coach Preki, who played alongside Talley with the Kansas City Wizards for two seasons, said his former teammate was a valuable addition to the Red-and-White.
"We feel Carey Talley is a good player," Preki said. "He's been in this league a long time. He's been on championship teams and knows how to win. In the last couple of years I've felt he's been the best player in Salt Lake."
Talley had been with RSL since 2006. He pieced together a pair of solid campaigns for the club. In 2006, he had two goals and eight assists in 2,618 minutes while last season he scored three goals in 2,195 minutes.
This season, Talley played 307 minutes over four games with RSL and scored a goal, off a corner kick against D.C. United. But his days with the fourth-year club were numbered.
Despite the unsettling nature of a trade, though, Talley said his family dealt with it well.
"I told my wife that I had a feeling," Talley said. "We handled it a lot better than if it was just sprung on us out of the blue so we kind of felt it coming."
Chivas USA is Talley's fifth team. After playing four seasons with D.C. United, Talley moved to Kansas City and Dallas before joining RSL. With Chivas USA, Talley said he could offer exactly what he gave his previous employers.
"I definitely believe that I read the game well and am a technical player. That's what has kept me in the league this whole time, my technical ability and ability to tackle and read the game," Talley said. "I'm going to bring that and the bite that I've had my whole career. I'll definitely bring that aspect of my game here and I think it will fit in well because they get after it in training each day."
Despite Chivas USA's depleted roster -- Talley was one of nine players unavailable for Saturday's match against D.C. United -- the veteran midfielder said he wanted to recover from his quadriceps strain before suiting up for the Red-and-White.
"It's going to take some healing. I have had this quad strain for (two) weeks," Talley said. "I've been a good healer in the past. I do want to make sure that I'm fit when I come back and make my debut for Chivas because I don't want to let anyone down if I'm hobbling out there."
Talley might make his Chivas USA debut this month, whether it is Saturday in Colorado or on May 31 against Columbus at The Home Depot Center. Though the club has just two wins this season, Talley said he has seen the caliber of players and coaches in his brief time with Chivas USA.
And that has made the move to the West Coast even smoother.
"I'm happy to come to this team. There are some things going on with this club. Preki definitely has a great system he's put into this team and got them to a level where he wanted them last year and he's tried to continue that," he said. "I wanted to come, I want to fit in and I want to play and be a big contributor to this team. That basically is up to me, in practice every day."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
