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Who will win the Ahn Jung-hwan sweepstakes? That is the Question of the Day.
As time goes on, it looks more likely that "Asia's Beckham" will be "crossing east" to MLS. He certainly has enough potential suitors.
According to this Sports Illustrated article and Goal.com the Korean attacking midfielder/striker is wanted by the New England Revolution, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA and Red Bull New York.
Here is an excerpt:
Four MLS teams reportedly interested in Korea's Ahn
Ahn Jung-Hwan, the South Korean star whose superlative World Cup performance in 2002 captured attention around the world, is apparently looking at a move to Major League Soccer.
According to reports out of South Korea, the teams that are interested in his services are the Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, the New England Revolution and Red Bull New York.
Ahn seemed on the cusp of superstardom after helping South Korea advance to the semifinals of the 2002 World Cup, but his contract with Italian club Perugia soon ended. Since then, he has been a somewhat inconsistent performer.
Of all the teams seeking to sign Ahn, Chivas USA is based in Los Angeles, which has the largest Korean population of any U.S. city
So let's figure this out together...
Where will Ahn go?
While LA has a large Korean Population Chivas USA can not pay a DP salary. Second largest Korean Population, New York...
But wait, why do they (Goal and Sports Illustrated) assume that whoever is going to sign him is only interested in bringing Korean fans to the stadium?
Perhaps anemic clubs like the Colorado Rapids or New England Revolution want to sign him to flat out turn their draws into wins?
EDITORS NOTE: Special thanks to ChivasASN and sarssipius for becoming the 199th and 200th subscribers to our MLSR Twitter Feed.
Chivas for sure.
what.....not Toronto?
Surprising not to see Seattle interested of all cities. I know they don't have a DP but you would think Joe Roth could pull some strings.
Ahn will be playing for the Red Bulls. Just wait and see.... He's the creative attacking mid we neeeeeed.
How come is this guy a potential Designated Player?
He has not played at a good level in awhile now.
I say give that money to a player we know is going to come ready to make a difference.
Palermo, Montero, Helguera... those kind of players are the kind of DP MLS needs.
Saludos.
He's a potential DP because of his salary demands.
It would be a smart move for chivas usa to sign this korean player not only becuase of his skills but California has a large korean population wich if they do sign him might boost chivas usa attendance.
This might happen, but i won't believe it until i see it.
They might try to replace kjestian with this guy>
Ahn may no longer have the quality we all hope would come with any DP, but as MLSR mentioned, he's a potential DP because of his salary demands. He merits such a salary because of his popularity. While this may not be what many of us want to hear as justification for signing a DP, it would put more fans in the seats, which is good for the league, which is in our best interests.
Experience
Someone should tell him to avoid colorado and new england like the plague.
He should go to NJ although I'd love for a Korean to go to ChivasUSA bwaaahahhaaa, that'd be great. Koreans aren't very fond of Mexicans.
Soccer is universal, and the love of the game won't stop Koreans going to see Jung-hwan if he sign for a Mexican-American soccer club.
"Someone should tell him to avoid colorado and new england like the plague."
This person speaks the truth. NE and Colorado are where good international players go to die.
I truly believe this is part of the remake of Chivas USA. They tried Mexicans, didn't work, tried Americans, didn't work. POHANG STEELERS USA HERE WE COME!
I don't see him going to Boston or Denver. He makes sense for several reasons at RBNY and Chivas. He's a needed attaching mid. and he can draw some asses to seats. Both teams need him and I think one will get him for a lower paid DP somewhere between .5 and .75 million.
Bring soccer to Wisconsin!
Anonymous.
MLSR. I find it hilarious that you think an MLS team will drop DP money on this guy.
The guy is a world cup star with a mass following in Asia. Shirt sales.......
These media reports are ridiculous. Any intelligent person would know that only 1 MLS club can negotiate with a player due to the discovery rules/process.
Therefore, all of these teams are NOT able to sign him. Only one.
i would hella get an Ahn jersey. You can count on that regardless of team.