News: Montreal sign first Designated Player in Marco Di Vaio

The Impact officially announced the long-rumored signing of prolific Italian Serie A striker Marco Di Vaio, who has just concluded a 10-goal season for Bologna FC in Italy. It was his fourth consecutive season of double-digit goals for the top-flight Italian club.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/24/montreal-sign-first-designated-player-marco-di-vaio

Another over 30 year old DP...

And then some: he turns 36 on July 15.

Yeah, but that's in Canadian years ... what is it in US years?

Interested to see how long his contract will be.

He loses a year according to today's exchange - 35 years young.

Methinks someone is leaving Italy to escape the calcioscommesse match-fixing scandal that's currently being investigated and is about to hit very soon. His former team is one of the many teams being investigated for fixing matches for illegal gambling rings.

So, yeah, there's some ammo for when the Impact comes to your town.

Yeah, one who just got done scoring 10g in 30m for a Serie A club.

I'm just glad he's not eligible for the Impact on Saturday.

Wait, seriously? Again, already?

Interesting to see a team in a French part of a country sign Italians rather than frenchmen

Anelka laughed at 'em sooooooooo

Montreal has a pretty big Italian population. It's a very cosmopolitan city.

The first season where there isn't someone fixing matches for illegal gambling rings in Italy, I'll let you know.

How do they fix matches? Are they bribing players, refs, or both?

Players, coaches, refs, groundskeepers...ticket booth operators. Who aren't they bribing?

Fixers buy the players, and the players get the results to happen. There have also been instances of teams buying their salvation (like AlbinoLeffe buying a 1-0 victory over Siena to ensure they stay in Serie B).

If you're interested in some light reading, this post below will offer insight into what matches are being investigated, and all 26 teams who are involved and being investigated.
http://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...ndal-latest-news.1926604/page-6#post-25716792

Saputo are pretty big in the Italian community. I believe there are close to 300,000 people of Italian descent living in Montreal which is the third largest behind "Canadian" and French. Their management is also filled with Italians so it's easy for someone who speaks the language fluently like Joey Saputo or Nick DeSantis to go down to Italy and lure players to play for them. Both those guys are first generation Canadian so their Italian roots still run strong.

montreal has a LOT of italians and portugeuese immigrants, you are as likely to hear Italian spoken as French - this will be a very popular move i think with the locals

Well, hopefully it works out, but the older talent thing is annoying, it feels like they hold teams hostage with their salaries. Like, are the Galaxy regretting resigning Beckham yet, should have let him walk.

sell a lot ot tickets and merchandise though

I can't wait for the day our immigrant populations (of both the US and Canada) embrace a native-born (US or Canadian) player in MLS. Until then, soccer will just be a nostalgia exercise for them to take their minds off the steel cage of North American capitalism.

Scoring 10 goals in Serie A at 36 with Serie A quality service is one thing. To be 36 and get the service you get at the Impact and MLS is another thing. I hope he works out but really at 36 how long will he and can he last. 2 seasons at the most...

Which also means playing against MLS defenses as opposed to Serie A defenses .... yeah ?

I guess so.. But easier said than done... By that line of thinking Keane should have like 20 goals so far this season... And Keane is younger and better than Di Vaio... Am just saying he got way better service in Boglonia... Gaston Ramirez is a monster on that team... We will see.... Like I said hope for the best... And I think he will do well.. But he is only a bandaid... I wish more MLS teams went YOUNGER... But hey you get what you can get right?

I like Di Vaio and will be happy to go see a game against him, even at his advanced age.

The old thing is annoying from a fan POV of course. By the time you embrace the player, he's almost ready to retire.

From team management it's not that bad of an idea necessarily. Beckham did help deliver a title last year. Blanco and Schelotto are two examples of the best case scenario when signing old. It'll be interesting to see Di Vaio. Initially I can see him having an positive impact ... although for an expansion club I would have gone younger just to be able to build around the guy for a couple of years.