who had already used their discovery options for 2004 -- had to obtain a discovery option from the Dallas Burn. In exchange, the Burn received the Fire's natural third-round selection in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft.
The 5-foot-9-inch, 155-pound striker is expected to join the Fire following Costa Rica's World Cup qualifiers against Guatemala and Canada on Sept. 4 and 8. At that time, he will be available for selection by Fire head coach Dave Sarachan, pending medical and visa approval and receipt of his international transfer certificate from Herediano.
The Fire may not be done on the transfer market after the signing of Herron, Wilt said on a conference call Tuesday in advance of the Fire's match against D.C. United this Saturday, naming two other players the Fire are interested in acquiring.
Wilt said the club has an allocation available which could be used to obtain either Mexican striker Alejandro Nava or Honduras national team central defender Samuel Caballero, who most recently played for Udinese of the Italian First Division. The allocation was awarded to the club after the transfer of former Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra to Fulham of the English Premier League.
In the only other transfer news on MLS' trade- and discovery-deadline day, the Los Angeles Galaxy sent Project-40 defender Ricky Lewis to the Colorado Rapids in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft. The Houston, Texas native has made 13 appearances for the Galaxy this season, including eight as a starter. He has two assists on the year.
"On behalf of the club, we wish Ricky well and look forward to his continued contributions to the league," said Galaxy President and General Manager Doug Hamilton. "This is a move that provides us immediate flexibility as we continue to build our team for the playoff run. We anticipate adding a player following the A-League playoffs."
Lewis, who has been a regular with the U.S. U-23 national team, began his MLS career in 2003, when the Galaxy selected him in the second round of the 2003 SuperDraft. He made 13 appearances in his rookie season -- seven as a starter -- but did not score any points.
The 22-year-old had a solid college career at Clemson University, where he was named to the ACC All-Tournament team in 2001. In his final season with the Tigers, Lewis played in 21 matches and notched 14 points, good for fifth best on the team.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to approval by Major League Soccer or its clubs.
