Ljungberg Waves Goodbye to Seattle, Says Hello to Chicago

BY SHAWN FRANCIS

It looks like the Freddie Ljungberg saga in Seattle has come to an unexpected conclusion as the Swedish MF has just been announced as Chicago’s newest Designated Player. Seemingly having been on the outs at Seattle for most of the summer, the veteran of many battles for Arsenal & West Ham United in addition to his season-plus in Seattle had been rumored to land at Red Bull New York as recently as 2 weeks ago.

While Chicago certainly gets credit for being brave enough to make bold changes to the team in an effort to remain in the playoff hunt, one has to wonder if the triple-gamble of signing a pair of talented but temperamental & injury-prone (not to mention expensive) foreign midfielders and placing them in the middle of the field in the middle of the season is the best move.

It’s one hell of a gamble but not necessarily a safe bet. There are only two things that are certain about this move. One is that the Fire brain-trust of Frank Klopas and Carlos de los Cobos are showing the fans that they would rather take a risk than settle for mediocrity. The other certainty? That they will either look like geniuses or suckers when this is all over.