Federico Puppo: Not the player we thought he would be? | Photo credit: zimbio.com
Following Chicago’s decision to part ways with the ineffective Cristian Nazarit, there was little doubt that the Fire would need to sign another striker in order to boost its chances of success in 2012. And when Diego Chaves was next to make his way out of the exit door (mutual consent), the need for another striker had never been so apparent.
On January 11th, the Chicago Fire filled that void by unveiling its second South American signing of that week. Uruguayan striker Federico Puppo joined Dominic Oduro, Orr Barouch and Patrick Nyarko as the club’s main forward options, whilst Rafael Robayo had been signed days earlier to bolster the Fire’s midfield.
A player Chicago had kept an eye on for several seasons, Puppo’s arrival understandably created a significant amount of buzz around the club. Who is Puppo? Would he be better suited for Major League Soccer than Chaves, Puerari or Nazarit were? After originally only seeing glimpses of Federico in preseason play, it was impossible to adequately answer that question, but his track record seemed a good indication of how he would perform with Chicago. And judging by that history, he looked set for a successful season.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case so far for the Fire’s number nine. Continue reading
