Chicago Fire Sign Former Toronto FC Striker Gilberto

Earlier this week, the Chicago Fire announced the signing of former Toronto FC striker Gilberto off waivers. This left many fans north of the border both shocked and displeased. How did entire move come about?

Well, the Brazilian club Gilberto was on loan at was none other than newly promoted Vasco Da Gama. The Brazilian striker started his Vasco career off very well, helping the team win the state championship. However, he did not have as good of a Serie A campaign.

He started off scoring zero goals in 12 appearances and then there were many reports of Gilberto having rifts with the manager and reportedly punch a goalkeeper. Therefore, the board of directors of Vasco had a meeting and decided they have to get rid of the disgruntled striker.

This was a pretty obvious decision, as Gilberto was making $1.2 million dollars and the club was in financial problems. After the loan deal ended, TFC was in a bad situation and had no choice but to waive him. The Fire was first in the waiver rankings so they picked him and his DP contract up after losing out on Didier Drogba.

BAD NEWS FOR TFC

Many TFC fans have been wondering, "What will TFC get in return?" Well, your answer would be not much. The only benefit Toronto gets from this transaction is that if Gilberto is sold for a transfer fee, they would get part of the fee. But right now, Toronto gets essentially nothing, which is a bad piece of business for a team that paid more than $3 million in a transfer fee for him.

IS GILBERTO THE ANSWER FOR CF97????

The Brazilian striker could very well be the answer for the Fire. Chicago's first target was Drogba and even though he would have been great for marketing purposes, he isn't really a game changer on the pitch anymore.

In Gilberto, the Fire is getting a young striker who can be a big part of the team's long term future. He is also very talented, so don't be surprised if he scores more goals than Drogba this season. Many Fire fans may dislike the move, but in all honestly they have gotten a STEAL. Watch out MLS, the Fire may be on the rise.