Portland Timbers 2012 Player Rankings #27: Mike Fucito

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but in April of this past season, the Portland Timbers acquired its first ever MLS player formerly of the Seattle Sounders. Even better (or worse, depending on your perspective) Mike Fucito wasn't just a run of the mill player, but a fan favorite. While he never seemed to make a huge impact regularly, he had a habit of coming up big in important fringe games, like the U.S. Open Cup.

I'll be the first to admit it though: I like Fucito. His energy levels when he comes on as a sub emanate a hardworking mentality that you don't often see from most players. On more than one occasion, I would say he was able to run a defensive backline ragged in the lagging minutes of a game. Unfortunately, he was just never able to convert that hard working ethic or his few goal scoring opportunities into actual goals.

The end result of the Fucito trade was that the Timbers acquired yet another forward who just was never able to make a profound impact on the field.

Should he be kept for 2013?

Unfortunately, probably not. I have no doubt that Fucito could be of use somewhere in the league. He's not a terrible MLS player. However, he's also not really needed on the Portland Timbers. Between Kris Boyd, Danny Mwanga, Sebastian Rincon, Bright Dike, and Jose Adolfo Valencia I'm having trouble figuring out where he fits in with the squad in 2013. If the Timbers can get a bit of allocation money or a draft pick for him, I think both parties would come out better on the other side for it.