In what looks like it could be a fantastic bargain pickup for the Vancouver Whitecaps, the Cascadia outfit have signed Eric Hassli, a French forward who has played most recently for FC Zürich in the Swiss Super League. Hassli is a big 6’4″ target forward with a solid goal scoring record, and according to Zürich paper NZZ, Hassli has already left the team to move to Vancouver. According to the report Zürich were willing to let Hassli leave for the start of the MLS season because his contract was about to expire anyway. Hassli is expected to sign a four year deal with the Whitecaps.

Vancouver were in desperate need of a striker, so Hassli’s signing comes as pretty big news. Rookie Omar Salgado is the only true center forward that the team currently has on their roster, so Hassli would make a massive addition to the team. The Frenchman has spent his career between France and Switzerland, proving to be an effective player for multiple teams. NZZ described Hassli as a fan favorite, and it will be interesting to see if he can gain the same level of popularity in the Pacific Northwest.

UPDATE: Vancouver have officially announced Hassli as the clubs first designated player.