Chivas USA sign Swiss international Raphaël Wicky

Chivas USA scored something big today with the formal announcement of Raphaël Wicky. The Swiss international has been sidelined of late due to injury (he had surgery in early December), but he is still a very solid defensive midfielder. He played an important role in Switzerland's 2006 World Cup run and at 30 years of age, should have a number of quality years ahead of him.

Wicky fits in well with the technical style of Chivas and should be right at home with Jonathan Bornstein and Claudio Suarez in the back. The only downside I see to the deal (provided that he continues to fully recover from his surgery) is the duration. It is just one year with a one-year option. If Wicky plays as solid as he should, look for Chivas to exercise their option but still trade him away for some transfer money. Also, he might be called in to Euro 2008, so he could be gone for a month mid-season.

Overall, this is one of the best non-South American signings for the MLS this season.