I'm late to the party on this subject I guess. I just heard the news that Perlaza has been traded to Philadelphia for Danny Mwanga and some considerations. I hope Perlaza finds a slot where he can thrive; it hasn't worked well here. And I am always in favor of homecomings, though there's that wise adage that one can never go home. I think Danny Mwanga's youth and pedigree here are more likely to be a fit with the Timbers.
From the stands, there's always a little special electricity when someone from the home town comes on the pitch, an Alex Nimo or Byron Alverez. That should be a plus too.
The other element I find myself wondering about is how this plays for Diego Chara. Chara came up from the same club, Deportes Tolima, and early newspaper accounts talked about how having another Columbian teammate made it easier for Perlaza around. It may well be that taking Perlaza out of the mix on the front line frees Chara's attention some. I'm sure he wanted Perlaza to succeed. I've always thought he was a very bright playmaker. I can hear all the voices saying 'hey, these guys are professionals'. That being said, the human relationships may only affect the play in miniscule ways but it is miniscule differences that sometimes send a ball into the net or not.
Will be interesting to see what happens. Welcome back to Portland, Danny.
