Galaxy Gets Myers; Welton to Miami
The Galaxy shook up its struggling offense Tuesday, acquiring midfielder Roy Myers from the New York/New Jersey MetroStars in a Major League Soccer trade that ultimately sent forward Welton to the Miami Fusion.
Team executives see Myers, a veteran from Costa Rica, as a better fit for an attack that is being reconfigured to suit Carlos Hermosillo, the powerful striker who returns from the Mexican first division next week.
“Myers is very strong with the ball,” General Manager Sergio del Prado said. “He can create and he can cover the whole field.”
The trade also speaks volumes about this season. In 1998, Welton ranked third in Major League Soccer with a career-high 17 goals and 11 assists, helping the Galaxy to score a record 85 goals.
Less than a year later, the lanky Brazilian has been unable to find the back of the net. Meanwhile, opponents are laying back against the Galaxy’s high-speed attack and the team, with only seven goals in 11 games, is on pace to set a record for the lowest-scoring season in MLS history. “We need to make adjustments off their adjustments,” Del Prado said. “If we get wide-open games, that’s great. If teams sit back, we have to be able to win some ugly games.”
That means more of the stocky Hermosillo and a decidedly rougher brand of soccer.
At 6 feet 1, Myers fits the bill, Del Prado said. The 30-year-old player also has 13 years of experience with first-division teams in Uruguay, Mexico and his native Costa Rica.
“He’s a little more physical than what we have right now,” Del Prado said. “And with Welton, the feeling was that once [Hermosillo] gets here next week, we can’t have three strikers.”
Tuesday’s trade also resulted in the MetroStars sending Welton, Eric Wynalda (whose rights were obtained from San Jose) and defender Arley Palacios to the Miami Fusion in exchange for Miami’s “marquee” allocation, a slot that can be filled with an international-caliber player. German World Cup star Lothar Matthaeus was rumored to be that player but has reportedly decided to remain in Germany one more season.
Myers is scheduled to practice Thursday and could play Sunday at the Rose Bowl. The team also hopes to sign Harut Karapetyan.
