CARSON, Calif. – According to Philadelphia Union head coach Peter Nowak, veteran center back Danny Califf is set to be dealt to Chivas USA. But the deal is far from done, counter Chivas USA head coach Robin Fraser and general manager Jose Domene.
Fraser told reporters on Wednesday that the club is in the “thick of a discussion” regarding Califf and expects a resolution before the weekend, but countered that a move for the center back could still go either way.
“It’s certainly a strange situation, but we are trying to get resolution,” Fraser said. “Certainly every move that we make is with the thought to make the team better and we’re attempting to get resolution as quickly as possible.”
Domene was quick to affirm Fraser’s sentiment regarding Nowak’s comments, "It's definitely been different because that's not the way we do things here."
Rumors of a deal sending Califf to Chivas USA first surfaced last weekend as Nowak and Union sporting director Diego Gutiérrez each made comments suggesting a potential deal. However, the speculation reached a fever pitch on Wednesday when Nowak told reporters that his club had accepted a deal for “a player and something else” in his weekly press conference.
One such deal tossed about throughout the weekend was a move that would send Chivas USA forward Juan Pablo Ángel to PPL Park in exchange for Califf, but Domene was quick to debunk such speculation.
“Juan was never talked about,” the GM said. “Not that I know of, not for us, not from us to them or them to us."
Adam Serrano covers Chivas USA for MLSsoccer.com. He can be reached at adam.m.serrano@gmail.com.
