This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Lehi •Chris Agorsor has been training with Real Salt Lake for weeks now.
Finally, he's actually part of the team.
The former Philadelphia Union forward has signed a contract with RSL, general manager Garth Lagerwey confirmed Wednesday, potentially providing some reinforcement for the team's attacking corps.
"He has some potential, and we hope he pans out," Lagerwey said. The 21-year-old Agorsor was once one of the nation's top young prospects — the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year in 2007-08, before suffering a devastating knee injury while playing collegiately at Virginia.
He recovered and returned to Virginia, but left after his sophomore season to pursue a career in Europe. He was on trial at Manchester United in England and CD Nacional in Portugal, but never secured a contract until joining Major League Soccer this season and landing in Philadelphia.
The Union cut Agorsor in June, however, before he played any games with the team.
Team officials said he will wear No. 13.
Waiting on a date
No word yet on when RSL and the Vancouver Whitecaps will play their game that was postponed last weekend due to unplayable conditions at Empire Field, and there is no specific timetable for a decision.
Lagerwey said RSL has appealed to the league to pay for its lost per diem and television production costs after its wasted trip to Vancouver.
Its hotel and travel bills already are covered, since all of the teams in Major League Soccer pay an equal portion of those combined costs at the end of the season. Still, the entire trip cost the team about $25,000, Lagerwey said.
Injury report
Forwards Paulo Junior and Cody Arnoux continue to make progress in their recovery from injuries, but don't expect to see either on the field for a few weeks, at least.
"We're being very cautious with both players," Lagerwey said.
The team wants each to play in its next reserve game on Aug. 9 before giving them a shot with the senior team. That means the earliest either would see first-team action would be at Toronto FC on Aug. 13.
Aiming to impress
With the league's summer transfer window open, RSL has continued to host trialists in its ongoing search for new talent.
The latest are Srebrenko Posavec, a 31-year-old attacking midfielder who played most recently for Varazdin in Croatia — he also once played for the Croatian national team — and Angel Castro, a 20-year-old left back from Honduras who last played for CD Olimpia.
That's the team that would have played RSL in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Champions League earlier this year had it beaten Deportivo Saprissa of Costa Rica.
San Jose at RSL
P Saturday
8 p.m.