January 18, 2008

From out of nowhere: Cardozo to Chivas USA???????

This is something I could have never expected. Jose Saturnino Cardozo, formerly of Toluca and the Paraguayan NT, is said to be "in advanced negotiations" with Chivas USA to return to the field.

For those of you who haven't watched the Mexican League over the last 10 years, let me provide a little background on Cardozo. The guy was a goal-scoring machine. When I first started watching the Mexican League, he was by far the best striker in the league, probably in the hemisphere.

In the 2002 Apertura, he set a record which will probably never be matched, scoring 29 goals in 19 matches during the regular season and another 6 in the playoffs to lead Toluca to the title. 35 goals in 25 games. It was unreal watching this guy that season.

He went on to score another 22 goals in the Clausura and ended up staying at Toluca for 10 years total. He also defended the Azul for Cruz Azul in their famous run to the finals of the Copa Libertadores.

After leaving Toluca, he returned to Paraguay to play for Olimpia before retiring and staying on to coach at Olimpia.

Also a member of the 1998 and 2002 Paraguay World Cup teams, he's the all-time leading scorer for his national team.

But here's the thing: He'll be 36 in March. How much does he have left in him?

Still, for me, it'd be a dream move. You've got a fellow oldtimer in Claudio Suarez on the team, and he could be a great 3rd striker for subs and when Razov and Galindo need some time off.

Besides, there's no way he'd be any worse than Thiago Martins...

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