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Today has been an interesting day to follow Twitter. It started with Ben Olsen making uncharacteristically frank comments on the radio this morning:
"I can’t give you too many specifics, but I think a forward may be coming our way in the next day." -@dcunited head coach Ben Olsen.
— Tim Horsey (@TimHorsey) July 16, 2015
Which then escalated into rumors that a trade would be coming, because that is D.C. United's preferred method of in-season acquisitions. Then came the rumor, which has been bubbling for awhile, that it would be in exchange for Alvaro Saborio:
Sources tell our @SoccerByIves that @RealSaltLake is set to trade @al_saborio to @dcunited http://t.co/34I0tyvOhE pic.twitter.com/14D9M8zTjQ
— Goal USA (@GoalUSA) July 16, 2015
Finally, sources in the RSL camp seem to have confirmed the rumored trade, and throw in the fact that it was in exchange for D.C. United midfield Luis Silva.
Club sources confirm @SoccerByIves report that RSL will trade Alvaro Saborio to D.C. United in exchange for midfielder Luis Silva.
— Chris Kamrani (@chriskamrani) July 16, 2015
After getting Silva from Toronto FC in 2013, he had a great year, a breakout year. But his injuries this season have left him basically unable to play; he has scored one goal this year and has less than 400 minutes. Saborio, on the other hand, is currently at the Gold Cup and had been suspended from Real Salt Lake for an incident on an airplane. Both players are in the last year of their current deals.
Obivously, Saborio and Fabian Espindola worked well together in Salt Lake City, and Saborio has been much less injury prone over the course of his career than Luis Silva. If Silva is healthy and on form, he can be great, but Olsen already has enough players whose fitness he cannot rely upon on his roster. Saborio is also a more physical presence up top, one that D.C. United hasn't really had, especially with the loss of Eddie Johnson.
This is a move for this year, to try and do more in the playoffs in this season. Saborio is 33, and if he sticks around after this season it would probably be only for another year. This is a very Ben Olsen move, and his trades have usually paid off.
UPDATE: The move has been officially confirmed by United.