The Chicago Fire announced today that they have signed 25 year-old Uruguayan forward Diego Cháves. From the Chicago Fire press release:
The 25-year-old striker leaves the Primera Division Uruguay to join the Men in Red and will be added to the club’s roster upon the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC). Per league and team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Diego is a dynamic forward who can score goals and create offensively,” said Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas. “His size, ability and strike rate in Uruguay should assist in his transition to MLS. Diego will join the group in Florida and begin to prepare with the team for the upcoming season.”
There is not a whole lot out there on Cháves but it looks like we will get a good idea of the quality of the Uruguayan league and the Montevideo Wanderers. Cháves played for the Montevideo side between 2004-2009 and scored 27 goals in 93 games. New Chicago Fire player Gastón Puerari was a teammate with Cháves at the Wanderers in 2009. Hopefully that previous connection will help Cháves integrate into the Chicago Fire faster as pre-season games have already started.