Rumors have been swirling that the Colorado Rapids have an agreement with Liga MX side Leon that will send Mexican international Luis Montes to the Mile High City.
Montes, a 5-foot-5 No. 10, is a left-footed 31-year-old who’s had success on the club level and the international level. He’s spent his entire club career in Mexican leagues. He started with the Indios de Cuidad Juarez, moved on to Pachuca and then joined Leon where he’s been since 2013.
Montes has 19 caps on the international level and has three goals in his career with El Tri.
Montes is exactly what the Rapids need. He’s a spark plug on offense who can create instant offense and thrives on putting his teammates in position to score. The Rapids currently have players who can put the ball in the back of the net in Shkëlzen Gashi, Alan Gordon, Kevin Doyle and Dominique Badji, but what they lack is someone to create the attack and get the ball to them in dangerous positions. Montes would complement the core group of players that the Rapids have now and elevate them instantly within the MLS.
On the business side, the signing would rejuvenate a hispanic fanbase that has been slow to adopt the Rapids as their team despite a large population in the Denver metro area. Bringing in a recognizable Mexican international would go a long way in generating excitement within that community and ultimately could expand the team’s growing fanbase.
Burgundy Wave has reported that a verbal agreement between the Rapids and Leon has already taken place. They report that the deal included the specification that Montes be named a franchise player. That means he won’t count against the Rapids’ salary cap. It also means that he’ll join Gashi and Tim Howard as the team’s designated players. In order to accommodate this move the Rapids would have to release Argentinian international Juan Ramirez, who is currently on loan in Argentina. The Rapids have seemingly been willing to do this for some time now, and if Montes is on the table, it makes perfect sense.
The secondary transfer window opens on July 10, so that’s the earliest that the Rapids could make the move. The team has six league matches and one U.S. Open Cup match before the July 10 date, so if they can grab some points here and there, they just may be catapulted into contention with the arrival of Montes.
