May 3, 2007 GUEVARA MAY BE OUT OF LEAGUE Midfielder rejected trade to Toronto
By Andrea Canales, LASoccerNews.com
Chivas USA coach Preki pulled the trigger on an attempted deal to send Amado Guevara away from Chivas USA. Andrea Canales, LASoccerNews.com
Last season, when New York demanded that Amado Guevara leave his home country of Honduras to join the team for preseason training, Guevara was petulant, and hinted that he might not return to Major League Soccer.
A year later, it seems he has made good on his threat.
Gerry Dobson of sportnet.ca, a Canadian sports web site, confirmed the news that LASoccerNews broke yesterday, that a deal had been struck to send Guevara to Toronto.
Chivas teammates had already said their farewells.
“He’s been traded to Toronto,” said Chivas USA midfielder Jesse Marsch yesterday. “It’s sad to see him go. He came and packed up his stuff. That’s the tough part of the business.”
In exchange for the midfielder, Chivas USA got a more defensive-minded player.
“We picked up Paulo Nagamura from Toronto and a draft pick,” explained Marsch.
Marsch was surprised to learn today that Guevara has refused the trade.
The report from Canada stated that a deal for Nagamura is still in place, however. Now, though, it is Chivas USA giving up a draft pick to get the player.
Today, Preki admitted that the plan to offload Guevara was set in motion.
"We were working on a trade with Amado, but it didn't come through," acknowledged Preki. "As of now, he's on the roster, but he's suspended this weekend. We told him straight up yesterday that the trade was in place and I told him that at this point in time, we're going in a different direction. He went home and I haven't heard from him. I haven't tried to get in touch with him. The trade did not go through."
The deal stalled because Guevara did not want to go to Toronto, but a return to Chivas USA appears unlikely.
"We felt like as a group and as an organization, [moving on without Guevara] was the best thing for us at the moment, " stated Preki.
What is yet to be determined is if Guevara's contract allows him to opt out and go play in Honduras. It may be that the league will make some exception or work out a deal if no team wants to force Guevara to play out his contract.
Though Guevara may still be on the books of Chivas USA, it appears a formality, as he was not at the team's practice today. Club officials confirmed that there are no plans to include him in the future.
