Dave Kasper Q&A

When did you become aware of Hamdi Salihi?

Salihi has been on our radar since the time we started scouting Branko [Boskovic], they were playing together at Rapid Vienna and he caught our eye. He’s an exciting striker who knows how to score goals. We are thrilled that we reached an agreement with him because we were competing against other European teams in the transfer window. We are excited that this day has come.

Did Branko Boskovic help with recruiting?

We had a very good upper line of communication with the player and with the club. I know Branko was talking to him, telling him how things are run here, how pleased he is with our club and living and working in Washington, D.C. So I think all those factors came into play for the player.

What are you expecting Hamdi to add to the lineup?

He’s a guy that gets in great spots inside the 18 [yard box] and scores every type of goal possible. He scored one of the best goals I’ve ever seen, a bicycle kick against Montenegro in recent Euro Cup qualifying. He knows where to be inside the box and he finds ways to score goals.

Should supporters expect additional moves before the season starts?

We are still working on a couple of moves, a couple of additional player signings. We want to add quality depth into every spot, so that we are two deep in every position with quality players. We feel that this group is a lot further ahead in terms of overall quality, balance and depth in the squad than what we had at this time last year. It’s likely that we’ll have additional trialists in Phoenix. We are waiting on confirmation on those players. We do anticipate that there will be additional signings before March 10.