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Rumors are circulating today that Gaston "La Gata" Fernandez will be signed by the Portland Timbers from Club Estudiantes de La Plata of the Argentine first division. Fernandez, 30, has been plying his trade in Argentina and Mexico since 2002, spending time with River Plate, Monterrey, San Lorenzo, and Tigres before joining Estudiantes in 2010.
At only 5'7", Fernandez is generally thought of as a second-striker, making use of his quickness and skill on the ball to score goals. In his time with Estudiantes he scored 21 goals over the course of 87 games, splitting his time between starting and coming off the bench.
Here's one of his goals:
And another:
Veteran viewers of MLS will have seen Fernandez before as La Gata took part in the now-discontinued North American Superliga Tournament in 2009 with Tigres, beating the Chicago Fire and Chivas USA along the way.
Meanwhile, Merritt Paulson hinted at a few other possible moves that could take place between Christmas and the start of training camp in late January:
Quick Timbers: trying to lock Jan training stint for A Powell; should have '14 loan deal done on another young plr; new player signings soon
— Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) December 23, 2013
What do you think of this potential addition to the Timbers?