Hugo Rodallega, then of Wigan Athletic, vies with Norwich City’s John Ruddy during an English Premier League match between Norwich City and Wigan Athletic in 2012. (Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images)
The Rapids have said repeatedly this offseason that they will add a second designated player for 2015. But that pursuit has apparently hit a snag, according to .
Rapids president Tim Hinchey declined to comment late Tuesday on the reported snag.
The to add an attacking player as the club’s second DP, and , but “swung and missed” on him. Torres ultimately landed in Houston.
Kiszla reported last week that Fulham’s 29-year-old Colombian-born striker Hugo Rodallega was another potential Rapids target. On Tuesday, Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni told me he visited Fulham this winter where he “did more scouting” and took in a match. However, he did not specify if Rodallega was his intended target. The other striker mentioned in Kiszla’s report was 25-year-old Marco Fabian of Mexico.
At last Wednesday’s MLS All-Star Game announcement, Rapids Sporting Director Padraig Smith told me “at the moment we’ve got a few different options” as potential DPs. However, a self-imposed Feb. 1 deadline was not part of Smith’s thinking.
“There’s no real timeline,” Smith said. “It’s more important to get the right player.”
Mastroeni told me on Tuesday that he’s been involved in all conversations about the Rapids DP pursuit, “talking about the type of players who can benefit the whole group.” He said it’s important to him that the player brought in represents the Rapids’ “growing brand.”
“It s not just the on-the-field stuff, which I feel is the most important, but also what kind of person is he out of the field,” Mastroeni said. “Does he have that kind of ability to attract people that would like to come in and watch soccer for the first time? So there s a lot of different components that go into it, but first and foremost is to help the team on the field.”
