News out of Kenya this morning is that 25 year old international defensive midfielder Crispin "Alphie" Olando is joining the Whitecaps for six months.
According to an <a href="http://www.futaa.com/football/article/olando-set-for-mls-stint" target="_blank"><b>article on FUTAA.com</b></a>, your number one news source for football in Kenya, Olando flew out of Nairobi on Thursday to complete the deal with Vancouver.
But before you get too excited that we have another Gershon Koffie heading our way, not only is it still unknown whether the deal is for a MLS contract or a six month evaluation with the Reserves (we'll have to wait to find out, but my feeling is that it will be the latter), the player comes to Canada with more than one kind of baggage.
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Olando was released by his last club, Tusker FC in December and has been plagued with injury problems these last few years.
Tusker are the reigning Kenyan League Champions but according to <a href="http://www.michezoafrika.com/kpl/why-tusker-dropped-crispin-olando/9725" target="_blank">reports on Michezo Afrika</a> Olando was released when he refused to sign a new contract extension, with his current one expiring at the end of the year.
The midfielder missed a lot of the most recent Kenyan season due to a broken metatarsal bone he suffered in April that kept him out for two months.
He had only just returned to the team after a previous <a href="http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-21874/mariga-has-surgery" target="_blank">lengthy spell out injured</a>.
The player suffered a hamstring injury in October 2011 and a hip and back injury in February 2012, before returning to action in April last year. He played one game, earned 'man of the match' honours and then suffered the metatarsal injury in training days later and there has also been reports of a knee injury.
This all sounds a bit worrying and hopefully the Caps haven't picked up someone to fill John Thorrington's spot on the treatment table.
He then floated in and out of the first team and wasn't in his best form, but has been described in the past as a "commanding" figure in the middle of the park, something the Whitecaps have been badly needing, and was deemed instrumental in Tusker's 2011 Championship win.
Following youth development at the JMJ Football Academy, Olando joined Kenyan Premier League side Thika United before joining Tusker FC in time for the second half of the 2010 Kenyan season. Stats aren't that readily available for his two and half years with the table topping Brewers, so we've no idea how he did.
What we have found is that he is something of <a href="http://www.futaa.com/football/article/kpl-defenders-slapped-with-the-most-yellow-cards" target="_blank">card magnet</a>, another worrying aspect for a career in MLS.
He was <a href="http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-98735/joining-tusker-not-me" target="_blank">reported</a> to be interesting top KPL sides Gor Mahia, AFC Leopards, Sofapaka and Bandari before landing his working visa and six month trial with the Caps. The first three of whom finished directly behind Tusker in this year's Kenyan championship, so he was in demand in his own country.
Olando has been on the fringes of the Kenyan national team, <i>'The Harambee Stars'</i>, and has been called up to several squads over the years, with a break inbetween. Many of this peers felt his international recall was long overdue and again although stats are sketchy at best, he has been capped and played in their 2014 World Cup campaign.
A third worrying aspect of the player is that he seems to have an attitude and has been accused of not always giving 100% in matches. Another <a href="http://www.futaa.com/football/article/the-other-side-of-midfield-diamond-crispin-olando" target="_blank">article on FUTAA.com</a> saw his Club coach address these issues and he described Olando's performances as having <i>"swayed like a pendulum"</i>.
Were the Caps aware of all of these issues after having watched his performances on video? You have to hope so.
As we've seen with some other African players that have come to Vancouver though, what you see on video, doesn't always play out the way you expect it on the pitch.
Who knows how this will play out, but if he stays healthy and turns out to be anywhere near the quality of Celtic's Kenyan midfield maestro Victor Wanyama, then the Caps may have got themselves a find for a very low risk move. It's certainly worth the gamble.
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