Rumors spread like wildfire on Monday afternoon concerning the Crew's apparent interest in Portuguese midfielder Deco throughout the internet. On Tuesday, from the confines of his office at Crew Stadium and not somewhere in Florida, President and General Manager Mark McCullers dispelled the hearsay regarding the club's negotiations with the former FC Barcelona stalwart.
"We are not in discussions with Deco," McCullers stated. "He's a well-known player, but not somebody we're in discussions with or would probably be interested in during this transfer window."
Though not interested in Deco, McCullers did not deny a possible move to improve the Black & Gold during the summer transfer window.
"We've said previously that we're always looking to improve," McCullers said. "We always have our ear to the ground, eyes open -- not just during the transfer window, but throughout the course of the year and in the offseason.
"Obviously everybody has their eyes set toward this transfer window, and there are some things we could do and we'll look at all alternatives."
Coming off an impressive 2-0 win against the Eastern Conference-leading Montreal Impact, McCullers is hopeful the Crew can move into a playoff position following the return of Chad Marshall, Josh Williams and Danny O'Rourke from injury. The Black & Gold currently sit in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings on 20 points, just three points out of third place ahead of Saturday's home tilt with the Chicago Fire.
"I thought it was a huge win [against Montreal]," McCullers explained. "I talked to Bobby [Warzycha] that morning and told him 'I feel good about tonight' for whatever reason. Coming off a bye week [in MLS play], getting Chad, Josh, Danny and a few others back on the roster, we would just get a different kind of energy.
He continued: "We have some unsettled business with Chicago in my opinion. The match in Chicago [on April 20] was disappointing and certainly the recent Open Cup match was too.
"We have a lot to play for and we are not that far out of third place -- or even second place -- in the conference. Now would be a good time for us to find our form and play like the team I know we are."
