SANDY -- Real Salt Lake general manager Garth Lagerwey announced Wednesday that the club has purchased the contract of Costa Rican forward ÃÅlvaro SaborÃo, upon expiration of his loan from Swiss club FC Sion. The transaction ensures that 2009 MLS Cup champion Real Salt Lake retains rights to its leading 2010 scorer through the end of the 2014 season.
Due to fees associated with Saborio's acquisition, he becomes RSL's first-ever "designated player" under Major League Soccer's roster and salary compliance guidelines."First and foremost, I must express the deepest gratitude to Real Salt Lake ownership for stepping up and making the moves necessary to keep this team together," said Lagerwey, who saw RSL finish with a club-record 56 points in 2010, finishing second in the MLS Supporters Shield race. "We are delighted that ÃÅlvaro has made a long-term commitment to Real Salt Lake, and we hope this signing contributes to our future success. Our attendance has steadily increased since we moved into Rio Tinto Stadium and that increased fan support is one of the primary reasons we as an organization were able to make this happen."
Three weeks ago, Saborio was named the MLS's 2010 newcomer of the year, as voted on by his fellow players, coaches, general managers, and media. The 28-year-old SaborÃo beat out two New York Red Bull players -- MF Joel Lindpere and FW Thierry Henry -- to become the fourth player to earn the award since the League first introduced the honor in 2007.
"I am very pleased for my client to plan his long-term future in Utah," said Horacio Patanian, Saborio's representative.
SaborÃo resoundingly answered the question of who would pick up departed striker Yura Movsisyan's scoring slack in 2010, leading Real Salt Lake in scoring in both league play (12 goals) and during its maiden appearance in the CONCACAF Champions League (6 goals).
While Saborio's scoring total was prolific, his goals were also clutch, as the Costa Rican international tallied five match-winners and ended the regular season with a flourish, his double in stoppage time on the season's final weekend at Colorado single-handedly allowing RSL to capture the Rocky Mountain Cup for a fourth consecutive season via the 2-2 draw, extending the club's team-record 14-match undefeated run in MLS play.
Considered one of the CONCACAF region's top forwards, the 28-year-old SaborÃo joined RSL last March with a wealth of club experience both in his native Costa Rica and in Europe.
SaborÃo would make the jump to European football after signing with FC Sion, where he scored 36 goals in 87 appearances from 2006-09.
SaborÃo has been equally impressive for his country, representing Costa Rica on the senior level 57 times and scoring 22 goals. SaborÃo helped Costa Rica qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup Finals in Germany, where he made a pair of appearances off the bench in group play.
The worldly SaborÃo saw no problem communicating with his RSL teammates, as "Sabo" speaks five languages fluently - English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and Mekatelyu - a Limonese Creole dialect spoken in Costa Rica.
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