Coffee with the Caps, Friday December 13

Morning Caps fans, here’s hoping you stay away from broken mirrors, black cats and other bad omens on this Friday the 13th.

Let’s hope the bad juju doesn’t make its way to Vancouver, what with the Caps reportedly nearing the finish line in securing the signature of Lucas Cavallini for a reported $5 million fee.

The noteworthy thing here is, of course, that the Caps are actually splashing the cash but its worth noting the reported price tag is ... actually a pretty good deal for the Caps, especially when you compare it with the reported $9 million Sporting Kansas City just ponied up to land Chivas striker Alan Pulido.

Make no mistake, Pulido is a legit forward who will instantly make one of the more anemic attacks in MLS lack season better. But his goals/90 is not radically different than Cavallini—Pulido has played many more minutes in Liga MX but he has only scored .2 goals per 90 more than Cavallini, a relative newcomer.

Add in the bonus of Cavallini being a year younger and not costing the Caps an international roster spot (plus the intangible benefits of being a major signing for a club which has had a dearth of them) and $5 million is more than reasonable. There isn’t really any reason to expect this deal not to get done aside from the fact that the Caps can’t have nice things, so hopefully you all are crossing (at least until its formally announced) your fingers, your toes, your legs, you arms ... well you get the picture.

In the mean time, media reports out of Honduras are suggesting that Michaell Chirinos, despite a strong showing in limited minutes with the Caps, is likely to be back at his parent club, Olimpia, next season. This confirms what has been rumbling for awhile and, while it isn’t a shock, is a real disappointment for those who believe Chirinos deserved a longer look.

It also represents the third winger (in addition to Lass and PC) to depart the club this offseason, leaving MDS with limited resources to deploy his favored 4-3-3 formation. As Between the Sticks theorizes here, the lack of natural wingers on the roster could be signalling that MDS and Co. are set to move to a different formation next season in a better attempt to maximize the presence of Cavallini and Yordy Reyna, who seems set to remain in Vancouver despite significant speculation to the contrary.

(Of course right after I type that, there are rumors linking the Caps to Portuguese winger Antonio Xavier, who will be out of contract in two months. The Tondela man has scored one goal in 11 appearances ... not great)

What are your thoughts on these developments? With the impending (hopefully) arrival of Cavallini, does a two-striker formation make the most sense? Or should the 4-3-3 be given another shot, with a more robust midfield?

In the meantime, here are a few links...

Best of the Rest

Orlando City formally announced the capture of Oscar Pareja as manager earlier this week and he wasted no time in locking up three quality, young players from Latin America

Our southern neighbors will have a new format to look forward to in the U.S. Open Cup. Hopefully the Voyageurs Cup is next...

A good look at how the New England Revolution have incrementally become more relevant in the last couple of years—a potential model for the Caps in some ways?

Another honor for Phonzie, who has impressed both domestically and in Europe this season

Michael Bradley has re-uped with Toronto FC on a TAM deal