BOSWELL RETIRES
After 13 years of distinguished service, veteran defender Bobby Boswell has called time on his decorated playing career.
A commanding centre-back who went undrafted after his college career at Florida International, Boswell, now 34, earned a contract, then a starting spot with D.C. United as a rookie in 2005. He went on to help the Black-and-Red win the 2006 and 2007 Supporters’ Shields, earning MLS Defender of the Year and Best XI honours in 2006 in addition to three US international caps.
He was traded to the Houston Dynamo ahead of the 2008 campaign and played a major role in the Orange’s perennial trophy-contending sides until 2014, when he rejoined D.C., returning to the MLS Best XI in 2014.
Boswell was traded to Atlanta United in midseason last year as the expansion side sought roster depth during their busy stretch run, but made only one appearance for the Five Stripes.
A model of consistency throughout his career, Boswell appeared in 26 league games or more in 11 of his 13 seasons. His final career numbers are 19 goals and 13 assists in 366 regular-season appearances. He was also known for his engaging personality and commitment to community service.
LUCK OF THE IRISH
Rundown isn’t sure if it has been mentioned but the US national team did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup. Taking advantage of the empty schedule, the Republic of Ireland FA have announced they will be hosting the USMNT at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin for a friendly on June 2.
Ireland, who also did not qualify for this year’s World Cup, having lost to Denmark in a UEFA playoff series, are currently ranked 32nd in the FIFA Rankings (the US are No. 25). Head coach Martin O’Neill recently signed a new two-year deal to remain Ireland’s manager alongside legendary figure Roy Keane.
The last time the teams played came in 2014, when Ireland beat the USMNT 4-1 in a friendly, also at the Aviva Stadium. Mix Diskerud scored the lone goal in that match for the Americans.
ARMENTEROS LOANED IN BY TIMBERS
Portland Timbers have utilised Targeted Allocation Money to sign forward Samuel Armenteros from Serie A side Benevento Calcio on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
The 27-year-old Swedish national joins Portland six months removed from arguably the best season of his career, when he scored 22 goals in 32 appearances across all 2016-17 competitions in a return to his boyhood club Heracles of the Dutch Eredivisie. That led to a move to newly-promoted Serie A side Benevento, where he scored once in nine appearances in their 2017-18 campaign.
Armenteros also has previous UEFA Europa League experience with Dutch side Feyenoord and Azerbaijan outfit Qarabag, and has earned two caps for Sweden.
“Samuel Armenteros has a proven track record of scoring goals, and we will look for him to help bolster our attacking corps for the 2018 MLS season,” Portland GM Gavin Wilkinson said in a club statement. “It was a priority of ours to bring in another attacker who can help influence games for us. As we looked to strengthen our group this season, we believe that Samuel has the proper mindset and characteristics to have a positive impact with this club.”
The Timbers were in the market for attacking depth after they traded Darren Mattocks to D.C. United this past offseason.
“We are pleased to add another quality attacker to our team,” Gio Savarese added. “Samuel is a player with good technical ability that can bring others into the game and has proved to be a prolific goalscorer. We look forward to building Samuel into the squad during the remainder of preseason, and having yet another solid attacking option to rely on for the upcoming season.”
DALLAS BAG MOSQUERA
The pursuit of Santiago Mosquera has come to a satisfying climax with FC Dallas signing the Colombian striker from Millionarios. Mosquera will occupy a Young Designated Player spot on FC Dallas’ roster pending receipt of his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 Visa
“Mosquera has all the things we were looking for this offseason,” said FC Dallas technical director Fernando Clavijo in a club statement. “He plays specifically how Oscar [Pareja] would like to play. It was not an easy signing because he is a very high-quality player. He will make us better, for sure. He allows us to open up space on the field for Mauro [Diaz] and have a strong offensive lineup.”
A young frontrunner brimming with quickness, finishing instincts and trickery on the ball, Mosquera scored nine goals in the Colombian league last year. While Dallas did not specify the amount of the transfer fee required to bring him to MLS, multiple media reports placed his valuation in the $4 million range.
He joins an FCD side that harbours legitimate trophy ambitions this season but has long been searching for a clinical striker to spearhead their attack, with last year’s showcase signing Cristian Colman struggling in his first season in North America.
Any Other Business…
Toronto FC are looking to secure a loan for defender Auro from Sao Paulo, the Toronto Sun suggests that as part of the deal there will be an option to purchase for $750,000… Veteran defender Sheanon Williams, former US youth international fullback John Requejo Jr., Afonso Pinheiro and Rafael Andrade Santos (the latter two were both 2018 SuperDraft selections) have departed from D.C. United’s training camp, signalling to end to their hopes of earning a contract… Colorado Rapids have loaned defender Mike da Fonte to USL’s Phoenix Rising FC for the coming season.
