Koke Learns Hard Way That MLS Is No Retirement League - Dynamo Theory
At least Koke didn't need to long to realize he wasn't cut out for MLS. The Spanish playmaker's MLS career lasted just seven matches, which might not be a record, but is definitely among the shortest stints for a player with his resume. Dynamo Theory, SB Nation's Houston Dynamo blog, has a, well, theory as to why Koke came and went so quickly:
At some point players of Koke's ilk will come to realize that just because the world typically makes fun of MLS, that doesn't mean you can roll in out of fitness and expect to no only start regularly, but dominate. Koke did neither, instead hoping he could coast his way to some easy money if a league he no doubt thought would be of the cupcake variety. Clearly if he did talk to Carlos Ruiz or Freddy Adu in Greece about MLS, either they were giving him vastly incorrect information, or more likely, he wasn't listening.
Speculation now is that Koke will go back to Aris, with whom he was playing immediately prior to the Dynamo. The MLS league office has already been asked to void his contract, which would give the Dynamo some significant cap room they could use to find a replacement.
But “replacing” Koke shouldn’t be all that hard, as he started just two games and scored just one goal for the Dynamo. More relevantly, the question should be how much should fans trust the Dynamo front office to find a useful player on the international market. For all the Dynamo’s success through the years, the reality is that most of their quality players have come through the draft or from elsewhere in MLS.
Koke is just the most recent of a series of busts that include players like Luis Landin and Franco Caraccio. They Dynamo’s biggest need is probably more of a playmaking midfielder. Might someone like Jose Torres fit the bill?
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