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Artie’s going home, gang.
After 60 appearances for the Chicago Fire over two seasons, Arturo Alvarez was traded today to the Houston Dynamo during MLS’ very brief (four hour!) trading window. The 32-year-old winger now returns to his hometown for what seems likely to be the twilight of his playing career.
In return, the Fire received Houston’s second-round ‘natural’ draft pick in the 2019 MLS Superdraft.
Hot (Time) Take
This looks like a handshake deal where everyone gets what they want. Artie Alvarez gets to finish his career in his hometown (which didn’t have a team when he was drafted by San Jose in 2003), and the Fire get to make that happen without cutting the guy loose.
For me, I’ll always remember how hard Alvarez played on an absolutely abject 2016 Fire side. Putting up 5 goals and 9 assists with a team that starved for creativity was a real accomplishment.