OUTGOING: Franco Caraccio from Houston Dynamo

According to Bernardo Fallas at the Houston Chronicle (click here for the original):

Forward Franco Caraccio has played his last game with the Dynamo, coach Dominic Kinnear said this morning following team practice at the Carl Lewis Complex.

If the Dynamo can't trade Caraccio by today, the team will waive the 21-year-old Argentine rookie less than seven months after inking him.

The re-signing of Nate Jaqua earlier this week and the Dynamo’s aim to shop for at least one more forward for the second half of the MLS season made Caraccio expendable. He was made aware of the decision Thursday, Kinnear said.

“We probably need some help at the forward position as we’re pushing midfielders up there, and with the acquisition of Nate… it became a numbers issue as far as players on the roster and salary cap goes,” Kinnear said. “I don’t enjoy moving players, especially when they fit in pretty well in the locker room and I enjoy them, but in this case a decision had to be made.”

The two-time defending MLS champions, who next play at D.C. United Saturday in SuperLiga Group A action, want to snap out of what so far has been a disappointing MLS season that has them at 4-4-8 in the Western Conference. A tepid offensive output – the team is averaging just over a goal per game – is partly to blame for the team’s struggles.

Caraccio, who did not attend practice Friday and was not available for immediate comment, appeared in 10 league games, starting eight times and tallying two goals and one assist while averaging 60 minutes per game.

He played his last game, Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Mexico’s Chivas Guadalajara in SuperLiga Group A action, on borrowed time.

“He played OK,” said Kinnear, adding that Caraccio’s performance against Chivas had little to do with the decision. “I don’t think he had a bad game.”

Caraccio, who was to make $130,500 this year, according to MLS Players Union documents, was signed to a semi-guaranteed contract, the team said, meaning his release effectively opens up salary cap space for the Dynamo.

Expectations were high when Caraccio, a former Argentina under-20 and Arsenal de Sarandi player with unquestioned potential, began the season in the starting lineup as a complement to Brian Ching.

But a quick two-goal start was followed by several unproductive performances. His struggles to adjust to the style and more physically demanding pace of MLS led to his benching. His last MLS start came May 22 in a 2-1 loss at the San Jose Earthquakes.

With Jaqua’s return, Caraccio would have fallen to fifth in Kinnear’s pecking order of forwards behind Ching, Jaqua, Dwayne De Rosario and Brian Mullan.

“It’s been difficult for him,” Kinnear said. “I think expectations were maybe too high. We had a lot of hope in him and we saw a lot of potential in him.

“Unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”

-Courtesy of the Patrician