:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/52185737/usa-today-8806052.0.jpeg)
As December rolls on, rumors begin to heat up about the new acquisitions Major League Soccer teams will be making in the January transfer window (or prior on free). Without even playing a game yet, Atlanta United FC have stolen many of the headlines, spending 8.5 million to acquire 22-year-old Paraguayan Miguel Almiron, and the expected arrival of 30-year-old Mexican Andres Guardado in January. Although the Vancouver Whitecaps have been silent on anything official, that has not stopped the rumor mill from swirling.
Probably the most obvious of positional needs on the Vancouver Whitecaps (okay there are a few) is striker. With the transfer of Octavio Rivero and release of Blas Perez, the team is left with Masato Kudo and Erik Hurtado as the striking options for 2017. I have been an advocate of Kudo, but even I have to look at that and say YIKES!
One rumored option for the Vancouver Whitecaps is Romell Quioto. Now, that name may or may not sound familiar, but his story will. Quioto plays for Honduran club CD Olimpia and was up in Vancouver in 2015. During the match, he suffered a rib fracture and collapsed lung and had to be hospitalized. While in hospital, he was visited by several Whitecaps players and executives, including club president Bob Lenarduzzi. At the time, it was being reported by Honduran newspaper La Prensa that the Caps were trying to acquire the services of Quioto. We wrote about it here. While it seemed that a signing was in the works, it never materialized.
Flash forward a year and it looks like the rumors of Quioto joining the Whitecaps has heated up again. Quioto has confirmed that he will be moving on from CD Olimpia and that several (Cascadia) MLS teams are seeking his services. However, Cascadia does not appear to be the only option currently available to Quioto, as there is interest from Liga MX side Veracruz in his services.
Hopefully the work done to foster a relationship pays off and the 25-year-old agrees to join the squad. He would certainly be an upgrade, with a reasonable striking rate. However, even with Quioto, I believe the Whitecaps need another option. While I hope that Kudo can find his footing in MLS, I want something a little more certain as a backup, before the Caps start going with Hurtado again.
What are your thoughts? Let us know!