Robinson spins deal with D.C. United
ARGENTINE FORWARD: Espindola, with 64 goals in 212 MLS games, brings known quantity to Whitecaps Marc Weber
The Whitecaps made a move for the present Wednesday, but with an eye on the future. Fabian Espindola, an Argentine forward and veteran of 10 MLS seasons, is Vancouver bound with allocation money heading D.C. United’s way.
Espindola, 31, has 64 goals and 36 assists in 212 career MLS games. He was D.C.’s co-leading scorer this year with four goals in 15 appearances.
The Caps (8-8-5) needed a forward to replace Octavio Rivero, who was struggling to score before being transferred to Colo-Colo in Chile earlier this month.
Espindola’s career scoring record — based on goals per 90 minutes — is about 25 per cent better than Rivero’s was in his time with Vancouver.
Espindola’s also a mean piece of business. He’s no fun to play against as the Caps have found out on a few occasions, including April when Espindola scored twice in D.C.’s 4-0 demolition of the Caps at RFK Stadium.
The fact he knows the league so well — he spent six seasons with Real Salt Lake before stops in New York and D.C. — means he’s far more likely to settle in than a newcomer would at mid-season.
He’s also joining a team heavy on Latin American players, including countryman Matias Laba, and he has appeared in 19 MLS playoff games.
There are a few reasons, then, to fancy this deal in the short term, although we don’t know yet what it cost the Caps in terms of allocation.
But the big-picture view of this trade also makes a lot of sense, which is why it’s such a shrewd move.
Espindola’s designated player deal is up at the end of this season, so he’s a six-month rental at worst.
The Caps will be free to pursue another DP forward in the January transfer window, which is a better time to add players in MLS. They can settle in during pre-season.
Espindola’s best years might be behind him. He scored at least nine goals for four straight seasons from 2011-14.
His 0.38 goals per 90 minutes this season, though, are bang on his career average. He just hasn’t played as much. He’s also a good setup man, so the challenge for coach Carl Robinson is how to piece together his lineup.
Espindola’s particularly good at playing off a central striker. Given how effective Masato Kudo has looked coming back from a broken jaw, it’s easy to see both on the field together.
With Kekuta Manneh out for two months with a broken foot, perhaps Espindola will see time on the left — if Robinson sticks with the single-striker system he has generally preferred in Vancouver.
We could also see more 4-4-2.
The trade also means Robinson doesn’t have to lean too heavily on 35-year-old Blas Perez, nor Erik Hurtado, who is scoreless in 14 MLS appearances this season.
Defending has been the Caps’ biggest problem this season and Robinson took steps to address that with the additions of David Edgar and Marcel de Jong last week.
But the Caps also had to fill their vacant DP slot and bolster the forward ranks if they were going to have any shot at the MLS Cup this season.
Some fans were hoping for a more splashy striker signing this summer. In Espindola, though, the club has added a known quantity and a useful player, one who shouldn’t need time to get comfortable.
They’ve also ensured they’ll have flexibility in January. It’s not a risky play, but it’s a sensible one. We’ll wait and see how big the reward is.