Moreno Apparently Not The One... Already...

This picture totally works for this post too...

News coming out of Colombia today is saying that Jose Moreno, despite be announced as the New England Revolution's "new #9" last week will not be joining the Revs. In an article posted on the Colombian league's website Jose Moreno states that he was in discussions with the team but decided he wanted to stay with Once Caldas  despite a better financial situation in MLS.

Someone(s) screwed up big time somewhere.



We have heard in the past from the Revs that they will not announce an international signing unless there is some combination of 2 of the 3 following conditions: a signed contract, an international transfer certificate (ITC), a visa.  I believe that league policies dictate that a contract must be signed before a public announcement is made as well.  Well in the Revs press release about the signing it was mentioned that he needed his visa and ITC.

"Moreno will be formally added to the team’s roster upon receipt of his U.S. P-1 Visa and his International Transfer Certificate." 2/2/12

It's hard to believe that there was not in fact a contract signed.  Standard operating procedure is for the Revs not to talk about anything until it's a done deal and even I don't believe that the Revs could screw that up.  We have asked the Revs PR staff for comment but have not received a response as of the time of publishing. The team has stated on their Facebook page that they are looking into this and confirming again that he signed his contract last week.

"Regarding Jose Moreno: While we're looking into the report out of Colombia, Jose signed all of his documents, including his contract, last week." 2/7/12

So what the hell is going on here?

The most basic explanation is that Moreno decided for one reason or another that he wants out. The fact that the article is posted on a league site gives one the thought that this is supported by either his team or the league... you don't just publish stories contradicting a signing.  Is it an elaborate play to get the loan deal dropped by all involved? Possibly, and it is already creating a PR disaster and further tarnishing the image of this club, especially when it comes to the signing of international players.

On the Revolution end of things this very much seems to be a case of 'meet the new boss, same as the old boss', but now we have 'accountibility'.  Mr Burns, in his role as GM is now solely responsible for signing players and making deals happen.  Blame can be spread to the player and his club, but it is absolutely insulting to the players and the supporters of this team for them to try to sign a player who wasn't committed to being part of this team.  This especially true considering it has been noted that there is a history of the player being... well flaky... and obviously a journeyman.

We are a month out and potentially again without a starting quality striker (and if Moreno is pulling this I don't want him here) and the Revs are faced with yet more controversy that they can't afford.


Oh ya in other news...Danleigh Borman... not signing with the Revs LINK