BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. -- Costa Rican forward Paulo Wanchope expects to make his MLS debut for the Chicago Fire on Saturday against the Columbus Crew.
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"This is a great, great challenge for me," he told reporters in Chicago after a training session Monday. "Coming here gives me confidence. ... I know I can improve. I know I can recover my level of game and hopefully score a lot of goals for Chicago."
Wanchope's new coach shares that optimism.
"He is a proven goal scorer, who has scored goals at the top level," Juan Carlos Osorio said. "I've seen it in the premiership and at the World Cup. He will be a great attribute for us."
Wanchope, who signed Friday with the Fire, worked out with the team last week but did not play in Sunday's game at Toronto FC.
He's the second top international player the Fire has added in July. Cuauhtemoc Blanco of Mexico made his debut for Chicago against Toronto.
The striker has seen action in 72 games for the Costa Rican national team, scoring 45 goals -- the second most in Costa Rican history. He played most recently with FC Tokyo, scoring three goals in 11 games.
Wanchope, who turns 31 Tuesday, began his professional career in 1994, playing for CS Herediano until 1996. He then went on to play for Derby County, West Ham United, Manchester City, Malaga CF, Al-Gharrafa Sports Club, Rosario Central and FC Tokyo.
