Dynamo Should Sign Bravo as DP

• Houston Chronicle, Thursday, March 27, 2008 4:30 PM

The Houston Chronicle's Bernardo Fallas thinks the time is right for the Dynamo to add a designated player. With Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jaqua now gone, the team is still missing a forward. And since the Dynamo's new owners want to reach the city's Hispanic community, Fallas thinks they should aim for a player with Cuauhtemoc Blanco-like impact. His suggestion: Chivas Guadalajara forward Omar Bravo.

Bravo, a prolific goal-scorer for both Chivas and the national team, is enormously popular among Mexican fans. At 28, he still has several years ahead of him. Best of all, says Fallas, Bravo's current contract expires in June, and negotiations between he and his club over an extension have stalled, with Bravo wanting a hefty $1.5 million a year.

Fallas concedes that the idea seems far-fetched, especially since Bravo has spent his entire career with Chivas, and Houston doesn't even have the required $400,000 left in its salary cap to add a designated player. Nevertheless, Fallas says that Houston or another MLS club shouldn't overlook the fact that Bravo is a marketable goal-scorer in his prime who wouldn't require a transfer fee.

Read the whole story at Houston Chronicle »