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Chicago Fire And Nery Castillo: A Match Made In Heaven?
Jul 18, 2010 9:25:00 PM
By Isaac Heath
If you have watched the Chicago Fire play at all this season you know that they struggle mightily on the offensive end. On Saturday after yet another loss, the Fire announced the arrival of new signing Nery Castillo via loan in hopes of bucking the trend.
I wrote a piece for Goal.com in the offseason on five possible transfers (a few were just wishful thinking) for the Fire in the offseason. One of the five I listed was a possible return for Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the aging midfielder who thrived in Chicago.
Castillo is an upgrade.
If you have been to Toyota Park before then you know that a large portion of the crowd is Mexican-American, so the addition of Mexican international Castillo could prove a stroke of genius.
That is not to say this will definitely work out for the Fire. After all, Castillo has hardly played these last few years after bursting onto the scene in the 2007 Copa America, in which he scored four goals. He has the talent to succeed, but needless to say there are plenty of questions surrounding his form.
The Fire has already been burned by one younger star in Collins John. True, the former Fulham man has fought injuries and there is still time left in the season, but thus far John has been somewhat of a bust. Carlos de los Cobos cannot afford for Castillo to have a similar fate.
All pessimism aside, this deal seems to be just what Chicago needed. Frankly, if it weren’t for the excellent play of midfielder Marco Pappa, the Fire would nearly be out of playoff contention. Pappa leads the team in scoring, and with McBride not being what he used to be, the team desperately needed an offensive spark up top.
In theory, the quickness and creativity of Castillo should prove a great complement to the more holding forwards McBride and John. With the added speed, the Fire now have a through-ball threat besides Pappa and Patrick Nyarko on the wings.
However, the main reason I feel this may work well is because Castillo needs the Fire as much as the Fire need him. Just a few years ago the now 26-year-old was pretty much a lock to start for El Tri up top in South Africa. Instead, he fell off the map due to his failure to fit in at Shakhtar Donetsk and ended up spending more time on the bench on loan spells to Manchester City and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
He is coming into a great situation in Chicago with a team that boasts a Mexican coach and a large Hispanic following, so he should have no problem adjusting to life in the Windy City. The only question is how quickly he will adjust on the field.
De los Cobos told Chicago-Fire.com that was not in the least bit worried about Castillo finding his form and that talent, personality and speed should be enough to ensure he fits in well.
In many ways, Castillo has to work out, because if he does not Frank Klopas will have an awfully difficult time justifying the continuation of De los Cobos.
Follow Isaac Heath on Twitter @isaacGheath
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
I wrote a piece for Goal.com in the offseason on five possible transfers (a few were just wishful thinking) for the Fire in the offseason. One of the five I listed was a possible return for Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the aging midfielder who thrived in Chicago.
Castillo is an upgrade.
If you have been to Toyota Park before then you know that a large portion of the crowd is Mexican-American, so the addition of Mexican international Castillo could prove a stroke of genius.
That is not to say this will definitely work out for the Fire. After all, Castillo has hardly played these last few years after bursting onto the scene in the 2007 Copa America, in which he scored four goals. He has the talent to succeed, but needless to say there are plenty of questions surrounding his form.
The Fire has already been burned by one younger star in Collins John. True, the former Fulham man has fought injuries and there is still time left in the season, but thus far John has been somewhat of a bust. Carlos de los Cobos cannot afford for Castillo to have a similar fate.
All pessimism aside, this deal seems to be just what Chicago needed. Frankly, if it weren’t for the excellent play of midfielder Marco Pappa, the Fire would nearly be out of playoff contention. Pappa leads the team in scoring, and with McBride not being what he used to be, the team desperately needed an offensive spark up top.
In theory, the quickness and creativity of Castillo should prove a great complement to the more holding forwards McBride and John. With the added speed, the Fire now have a through-ball threat besides Pappa and Patrick Nyarko on the wings.
However, the main reason I feel this may work well is because Castillo needs the Fire as much as the Fire need him. Just a few years ago the now 26-year-old was pretty much a lock to start for El Tri up top in South Africa. Instead, he fell off the map due to his failure to fit in at Shakhtar Donetsk and ended up spending more time on the bench on loan spells to Manchester City and Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
He is coming into a great situation in Chicago with a team that boasts a Mexican coach and a large Hispanic following, so he should have no problem adjusting to life in the Windy City. The only question is how quickly he will adjust on the field.
De los Cobos told Chicago-Fire.com that was not in the least bit worried about Castillo finding his form and that talent, personality and speed should be enough to ensure he fits in well.
In many ways, Castillo has to work out, because if he does not Frank Klopas will have an awfully difficult time justifying the continuation of De los Cobos.
Follow Isaac Heath on Twitter @isaacGheath
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page and join Goal.com USA's Facebook fan page!
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