2515_isi_phillipsdemar_usmntbb10112013172 Bill Barrett/isiphotos.com
Major League Soccer

Western Conf. Teams Add Three Key Foreign Players

MLS may not have a collective bargaining agreement but that isn't stopping clubs like San Jose, Colorado, and Salt Lake from securing foreign internationals to fill key positions.
BY Brooke Tunstall Posted
February 05, 2015
10:24 AM
WITH A SHINY NEW STADIUM to fill and a return to the playoffs expected by fans who still remember the team’s MLS Cup runs of the previous decade, the San Jose Earthquakes made a designated player signing last weekend, inking Swiss international Innocent Emeghara. A 25-year-old forward, the Nigeria native Emeghara moved to Switzerland at age 13 and soon thereafter joined the youth system of FC Zurich.

Between 2010 and 2012 he scored 14 times for Grasshoppers in the Swiss Super League, the country’s top flight, then began an odyssey that took him to Lorient in the French Ligue 1 and then a pair of Serie A teams—Siena and Livorno. He scored 11 goals in two seasons in Italy before making the unusual choice of playing in Azerbaijan, of all places, where he scored five goals in eight games for Qarabag.

How long Emeghara stays in San Jose likely depends on how well he meshes with U.S. international Chris Wondolowski, the former Major League Soccer MVP and two-time Golden Boot winner. Wondolowski has done his best playing with bigger forwards like Alan Gordon, Steven Lenhart, and Ryan Johnson. Of that big trio only Lenhart remains and the five-foot-seven Emeghara certainly doesn’t meet the description of a Bruise Brother so it will be interesting to see how new coach Dominic Kinnear uses them.

“It is always good to sign a forward who has the potential to run away from the defense, but who is also clever enough to join in the play," Kinnear said. "He is good signing for the league and our team. He will be a threat to score every time he steps on the field. I would like to thank ownership, (general manager) John Doyle, and my staff for being very thorough as we looked for a new addition to the team."

The Earthquakes, which won the Supporters’ Shield for the league’s best regular season record in 2012 but missed the playoffs last year, open 18,000-seat Avaya Stadium next month.

Emeghara wasn't the only international signing made by a Western Conference team last week. Over the weekend Colorado finalized a long-rumored loan for Argentine Lucas Pittinari while Real Salt Lake added Jamaican left back Demar Phillips.

A 23-year-old holding midfielder, Pittinari comes to Colorado from Argentine club Belgrano, where he played 67 times and helped the club gain promotion to the Primera Division in 2011. According to Argentine publication Dia a Dia, Pittinari was encouraged to come to Colorado by Rapids director of soccer Claudio Lopez, a former Argentine international.

On the other side of the Rockies, new RSL technical director Craig Waibel was thrilled to add Phillips. "We have a good left back coming who I think will be one of the better ones in MLS if we can get him signed,” Waibel told American Soccer Now last month at the MLS Combine in Florida.

At the time, Waibel was optimistic a deal would be signed but added, “there’s still a lot of red tape we have to work through.” Because the team had its eye on Phillips, RSL felt comfortable trading out of the first round of the draft instead of looking to add a left back to replace longtime stalwart Chris Wingert, who was plucked by New York City FC in December’s expansion draft.

Phillips, 31, has played 62 times for the Reggae Boyz. Earlier in his career he was on the books of Stoke City for parts of two seasons but found playing time tough to come by and moved to Norwegian club Aalesunds in 2009. He made more than 130 appearances for that club and helped it win a pair of Norwegian Cup titles in addition to competing in the early rounds of the UEFA Cup.

Brooke Tunstall is an American Soccer Now contributing editor and ASN 100 panelist. You can follow him on Twitter.

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