Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Greensboro Adds 3

Greensboro added three names to their short roster Wednesday: one new and two familiar.
Abran Aponte and Gregorio Capitan signed one year contracts and agreed to return to Greensboro. Aponte has been with the club since last season, when the then 22 year old midfielder played two games. Although the young Argentinian didn't see the field often last season, he shows flair and promise.
Capitan
Unlike Aponte, Gregorio Capitan last played for the Vipers in season 28. Then, at age 18, Capitan appeared in 35 games as a starting forward. Unfortunately, as detailed in our last post, the Argentinian striker struggled, only netting 10 goals. Greensboro management decided to allow Capitan to develop elsewhere and Capitan signed a three year deal with FCDD. After earning a starting role on the bottom tier Dynamo squad, Capitan finally broke through as a 21 year old. Capitan netted a personal best 18 goals last year and decided the time was right to re-enter the transfer market as a young, skilled forward. Lacking depth at forward, Greensboro FC management submitted a bid and won the services of Capitan for at least one more year. Although Capitan will once again be coming off the bench, time will tell if the second time is a charm for Greensboro and Capitan.

Altidore
Greensboro waited until the end of the day to make their biggest splash. With Aponte and Capitan added to provide depth, Greensboro focused on bigger targets. With several of the most sought after stars signing mega-deals, (see: Fabio Minelli and Javeon Cristemas)  Greensboro narrowed their focus to a few realistic targets. At the top of their list was Keshon Altidore. The 32 year old American winger spent his last 9 seasons in the dessert with the Green Snakes, but Arizona decided to part ways. To Greensboro, Altidore was a clear under appreciated star. Greensboro saw a versatile and skilled athlete that put the ball in the back of the net -- A lot -- Altidore scored double digit goals in 8 of his 9 years in Arizona. Altidore's skill and affordability made him extremely attractive to Greensboro. Owner/manager Chris Fields stated that "Altidore is one of those guys that might not be young, sexy and glamorous, but this guy flat out gets it done." With the finances and the skills both checked out, Greensboro cashed in. Altidore and the Vipers agreed to a two year deal for $655,000/year.
Altidore's addition makes Greensboro's midfield a formidable group of both youthful and experienced players. Fields stated that Altidore's versatility gives him some flexibility with the team's formation. "Altidore can play a variety of positions. He played some outside defender for Arizona and could do the same for us. Obviously he has a lot of experience in the midfield. We also like him as a winger or an attacking mid. We'll definitely give him the opportunity to make plays all over the field."

Greensboro is still looking to add one more player, most likely a defender.

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