Vancouver Whitecaps Make Mustapha Jarju Team’s Second Designated Player

No one is going to accuse the Whitecaps of making this kind of signing for scoring publicity points with fans, something that actually pleases 86 Forever. SB Nation’s Whitecaps blog notes that in a season that has gone off the rails, this is a reason to believe better days are ahead:

“Mustapha is a proven goalscorer at the club level in Europe,” said Whitecaps FC president Bob Lenarduzzi. “He has pace and the ability to find the back of the net with regularity, as he did during his successful spell in Belgium. Mustapha will be a great addition to our strike force.”

Jarju enjoyed a bit of a breakout season last year, scoring 18 league goals, the fourth-highest total in the league. He also had eight assists in league play. In the playoffs, he stepped up his game, scoring four goals in six games. He also scored three goals in two Belgian Cup games. In three years with the Mons, he scored 43 goals in 118 appearances. On the international level, he has made nine appearances and scored two goals. He is also the team’s alternate captain, a role he served at both the U17 and U20 levels.

First, Udoh let it slip that a MLS team was getting ready to announce the first ever African DP. Then he said he captained his national team. Finally, he added that he captained his country at the U17 level and that he scored 20 goals in European competition last season.

While hardly a household name, the move would make some sense, at least from a speculative standpoint. If Utaka is, indeed, on the outs in Denmark, MLS would seem a reasonable landing spot. He has national team experience -- seven caps and three goals -- but not so much that the bigger European leagues would be willing to overlook a potentially questionable work ethic.