Pieces in motion

I wrote about Francisco Mendoza and Jared Borgetti and their significance and potential impact on Chivas USA for SI.com this morning.

Borgetti seems poised for a move stateside and I wanted to explore that, Chivas' relationship with their MLS franchise and how Mendoza's move to Mexico could affect not just himself and his former club but all of MLS.

Jared to Chivas USA?

Guadalajara daily Mural said that part of the reasoning behind Chivas' signing of Jared Borgetti is to ship him to Chivas USA in June. Mural ran a quote from a "source close to the club" talking about the possibility of Borgetti joining Chivas USA.

"He would be the star of the team in Los Angeles," the source told Mural. "But first, they think that he can help Chivas win Copa Libertadores. That's Jorge's objective, to win the cup no matter what. If things work out, then he would become the star of and would play for a couple of seasons with Chivas USA."

Borgetti to Guadalajara

Jared Borgetti joined Chivas de Guadalajara as the club's fifth and final reinforcement ahead of the Clausura 2009 season. Borgetti joins Amaury Ponce, Carlos Ochoa, Aaron Galindo and Francisco Mendoza as the club's newest additiosn, which isn't a bad score for them.

Not sure how much Borgetti has in the tank but the club is willing to gamble on the one-time national team star.

Borgetti's former clubs include Santos, Dorados, Cruz Azul and Monterrey, and he's had varied levels of success at each stop. He probably will score a few goals for Chivas but I don't think he has the ability to play 90 minutes effectively every week. However, Borgetti doesn't exactly run a lot and defend a lot so he could probably get away with more playing time than someone else with as much mileage on them.

This move also rasies eyebrows for the potential it has in paving the way for Borgetti to join MLS. It seems if any team is close to having Borgetti join their ranks it would be Chivas USA, mostly because Guadalajara took Mendoza and gave nothing in return. I think Chivas owes their northern brethren some sort of kick back, and this may be it. I don't know if it would be the greatest move for Chivas USA but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Another big name

Here's another name to possibly throw in the mix to join an MLS team.

Jared Borgetti is out of contract with Monterrey and has been told by the club that he will not be brought back for the Clausura 2009 season.

Borgetti of course has long been linked to MLS, but there wasn't really much to that before since he was under contract and that would require a transfer fee. Now that his options are limited he might be willing to give MLS a more serious look.

Now, that's not exactly the best way to get a player - wait for his opportunities at home to dry up and consider MLS as a last resort. While I don't think it's quite that dire for Borgetti, I do feel he can still score goals and can still be an asset for an MLS team. Should he get designated player money? No, absolutely not. But would he be worth whatever money you can get him for under the cap? Probably.

Anyway, expect Borgetti's name to come up a bit during this offseason.