Robin Fraser has done a lot to turn around Chivas USA since taking over before the 2011 season, but he made what is undoubtedly his biggest move yet on Wednesday, securing Miller Bolanos on loan with what they termed "an option," presumably to buy. The Ecuadorian will join a Chivas club that has not made the playoffs since 2009 and has never won a playoff series, but it's tough to imagine them not at least finding their way into the postseason with the sensational Bolanos joining what was already a solid midfield.
"He is a versatile player that was sought out by other international clubs. He really wanted to play here and we got it done," said Jose Domene, Chivas USA General Manager. "He will be a great addition to Chivas USA because he is a different type of player that is not afraid to take on people. Miller has a great shot and can play as a winger, attacking mid and second forward."
The 21-year-old Bolanos joins Chivas from LSU Quito, where he won Copa Sudamericana in 2009 and the Ecuadorian Serie A title in 2010. Capable of playing as a winger, a central attacking midfielder or as a supporting striker, Bolanos offers the Goats the fantastic skill and passing that allowed him to be a game-changing playmakers. To compare him to Javier Morales or David Ferreira, only younger, would not be a stretch.
It is not as if Bolanos will be all alone either. He joins a midfield that already had Oswaldo Minda, Nick LaBrocca, Marcos Mondaini, Laurent Courtois, Blair Gavin, Michael Lahoud, Ryan Smith, Jorge Villafaña and Ben Zemanski, although a couple of those players can also play along the back line. Fraser still has some work to do at the back and he's dependent on a 36-year-old Juan Pablo Angel up top, but Bolanos makes his midfield one of the better ones in MLS and there is no doubt that the club is miles ahead of where it was when Frasier took over a year ago.