Eight trialists to follow in preseason

• by Paul Kennedy  @pkedit, Feb 10, 2014

[MLS SPOTLIGHT] They are the longshot of the longshots, trialists and guest players brought into MLS preseason camp. Some might get 30 minutes and are quickly gone. Others survive for weeks without any guarantee that they'll make the opening day roster. Some are free agents from abroad; others are MLS vets looking for one last chance. For a look at eight trialists who are making a name for themselves in preseason.

SAMUEL GALINDO (Colorado). The Rapids have no formal relationship with Arsenal -- both clubs are owned by Stan Kroenke -- but the 21-year-old Galindo is a case of a Gunner without a permanent home who could find one in Colorado. The Bolivian midfielder scored in the Rapids' 3-0 win over Houston Baptist University and remained with the club along with six other non-roster players as it prepares to head to Las Vegas. The left-footed Galindo signed with Arsenal in 2010 but lacks a work visa necessary to play for the Gunners. He's been loaned out to clubs in Spain (Salamanca, Gimnastic de Tarragona and Lugo) as well as back in Bolivia (Jorge Wilstermann).

DAN GARGAN & JAMES RILEY (LA Galaxy). The Galaxy is looking for backup help at outside back, where A.J. DeLaGarza and Todd Dunivant are penciled in as starters, and it brought in a pair of 31-year-old MLS vets Gargan and Riley, who both saw action in Saturday's 2-1 win over Armenia's FC Shirak. Both have played for five MLS clubs in nine-year careers: 231 games for Riley (most recently with D.C. United) and 131 for Gargan (most recently with San Jose).

DAIGO KOBAYASHI (Vancouver). Kobayashi is a case of a player whose option was not picked up after the 2013 season who is back with his old club. The 30-year-old Japanese midfielder played 30 games for the 'Caps in 2013 but was considered a disappointment, given his salary of almost $240,000. He was most used on the right side in 2013 but his best shot at making the team under new coach Carl Robinson is as a playmaker.

ISSEY NAKAJIMA-FARRAN (Toronto FC). While all the attention was on its new signings, including Michael Bradley, Canadian trialist Nakajima-Farran impressed on the wings in Toronto's opening preseason match, a 1-0 win over D.C. United. The well-traveled Nakajima-Farran, 29, has played for clubs in Singapore, Denmark, Australia and Cyprus.

KEVIN PARSEMAIN (Seattle). With four games in five days in Arizona, Seattle needed a lot of bodies, and of the trialists, the best was the 25-year-old Martinique international Parsemain, who scored two goals, including a golazo against Vancouver on Sunday. “He got all of it,” Sounders coach Sigi Schmid told SoundersFC.com.



SITO SEOANE (Houston). It is rare for JC players to make the jump to MLS, but Seoane has a chance. The Spaniard is coming off a tremendous 2013 season, scoring five goals in four playoff games to lead the Austin Aztex to the PDL title and 30 goals and 14 assists at San Jacinto College. Seoane scored in the Dynamo's 3-1 win over San Jose in Saturday.

GRANT WARD (Chicago). Frank Yallop got great work out of Tottenham fringe player Simon Dawkins when he coached San Jose, and he's tapped his connections at Spurs to bring in the 19-year-old Ward, an academy player who came on in midfield and scored the insurance goal in the Fire's 2-0 win over D.C. United.