By AVI CREDITOR
After weeks of speculation, Caleb Folan is finally a member of the Colorado Rapids.
The Irish international and former Hull City striker agreed to a deal with the defending MLS Cup champions to improve the team's depth at forward, which will continue to grow when Mac Kandji returns from his ACL injury.
While Folan doesn't boast an outrageous strike rate, the 28-year-old is an imposing presence who can provide cover for Conor Casey and Omar Cummings and fits in with the Rapids' physical style of play.
The 6-foot-2 Folan was on trial with the club throughout the preseason and had been rumored to be joining the team for some time.
Here are a few more items from around Major League Soccer:
It didn't take long for Dax McCarty to make an impression with his new team.
The former FC Dallas midfielder will be D.C. United's captain in his first season in the nation's capital, coach Ben Olsen announced on Wednesday.
McCarty succeeds Jaime Moreno as the designated captain, although the armband made its way to a number of players last season while Moreno languished on the bench. Acquired from Portland after the Expansion Draft, McCarty has enjoyed a strong preseason, which also included a standout performance in the United States' draw with Chile in January.
BENITEZ, OLAVE DISCIPLINED
FC Dallas Jair Benitez will have to miss the team's season opener against the Chicago Fire after being fined $500 and suspended for a match for his actions in an altercation with Houston's Geoff Cameron during a preseason game.
Benitez reportedly spit at Cameron during a scuffle between the Texas rivals.
RSL's Jamison Olave, who is nursing a hamstring injury suffered in Tuesday's CONCACAF Champions League victory, was fined $250 for a separate incident. He criticized referees on Twitter after RSL's preseason match with Sporting Kansas City, a game that featured a bench-clearing brawl and had to be abandoned before it could be completed.
LE TOUX FIT FOR OPENER
Philadelphia Union fans can breathe a little easier with the word that Sebastien Le Toux is fit and ready for the club's season opener at Houston this Saturday.
The 2010 MLS All-Star had a precautionary MRI on his left ankle, but the tests came back negative. He initially hurt the ankle in a friendly against Orlando City S.C. and rolled it again on the team's trip to Greece but is set to try and match or surpass his 2010 campaign, in which he scored 14 goals and had 11 assists.
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Do you see Folan making a difference in Colorado? Like the selection of McCarty as DCU captain? Think that Benitez and Olave were rightfully punished? Relieved that Le Toux seems to be fine?
Share your thoughts below.
