TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Signing
The Chicago Fire already have the 2017 MLS Golden Boot winner on their roster, but on Friday they added another striker to the fold.
Chicago claimed former Real Salt Lake striker Yura Movsisyan off waivers after he had spent the last six months on loan with Swedish first-division side Djurgardens IF, appearing in four matches.
The 31-year-old returned to RSL for a second stint prior to the 2016 season but was unable to find the form that helped him contribute to an MLS Cup champion in 2009. He tallied 16 goals and three assists in 57 league matches before being put on waivers prior to the current season.
Movsisyan began his professional career when he was selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 2006 MLS SuperDraft by the Kansas City Wizards. He scored five goals in 28 regular-season appearances before he was traded to RSL in September 2007. In his first stint in Utah, Movsisyan scored 15 goals and tallied three assists in 53 regular-season appearances (36 starts).
Following the 2009 season, Movsisyan departed for Danish Superliga club Randers FC. From 2010-11, he scored 12 goals in 30 appearances, while also adding five goals in five UEFA Europa League appearances, before transferring to the Russian Premier League’s FC Krasnodar on Jan. 3, 2011. In his first season in Russia, Movsisyan scored 14 goals en route to club MVP honors.
The following season he tallied nine goals in 14 matches prior to joining Spartak Moscow in December 2012. Movsisyan scored a hat trick in his debut for Spartak Moscow, a 3-1 victory over Akhmat Grozny on March 10, 2013. Movsisyan scored 25 total goals in 62 matches during his time in Moscow from 2012-16.
At the international level, Movsisyan scored in his debut for the Armenian national team, a 4-0 win over Andorra on Oct. 12, 2010. Movsisyan has since earned 34 caps for his country and scored nine goals, including a fifth-minute strike in a 2-2 draw against Italy in FIFA World Cup qualifying on Oct. 15, 2013.
The Fire have struggled to score outside of the efforts from Nemanja Nikolic and Aleksandar Katai, with only those two scoring more than four goals this season. Movsisyan will look to help the team re-gain some of the form they showed in 2017 as they look towards 2019.
MLS Fantasy Impact: You can add Movsisyan ($7.5) to your team right now! Start playing!
