It has been two days since Major League Soccer's secondary transfer window opened. The window will close August 6, which means the Crew has less than four weeks if it hopes to find outside help for the 2014 season.

After today's training session at the Crew's facility in Obetz, coach Gregg Berhalter said the staff continues working on trying to upgrade the roster.

"Obviously you want to be thorough and do your work and get good value, so it's something that we're working through," he said. "It's not an easy proposition."

It has been two days since Major League Soccer�s secondary transfer window opened. The window will close August 6, which means the Crew has less than four weeks if it hopes to find outside help for the 2014 season.

After today�s training session at the Crew�s facility in Obetz, coach Gregg Berhalter said the staff continues working on trying to upgrade the roster.

�Obviously you want to be thorough and do your work and get good value, so it�s something that we�re working through,� he said. �It�s not an easy proposition.�

During the offseason and preseason, the Crew upgraded its defense by signing the likes of Michael Parkhurst and Giancarlo Gonzalez. Since then, both Berhalter and Crew investor-operator Anthony Precourt have gone on record stating that the next priority is finding a consistent scorer.

Today, Berhalter said the Crew has talked about adding �a player or two,� before adding, �It�s just (about) adding the right guy.�

Therein lies some of the Crew�s struggles. Both Precourt and Berhalter have consistently said that there is money to spend under the salary cap but that it has to be for the right type of player who fits into the Crew�s vision. Precourt has even gone as far as to say that a second designated player to complement Federico Higuain would be on the table given the right situation.

I�ve heard that the search for a goal scorer is paramount within the Crew�s front office right now. There is a sense that this year�s team, while still being possibly a year or two away from being a consistent powerhouse threat, has a strong defense and spine through the midfield that just needs a reliable striker to put balls in the net to be a legitimate playoff contender. After trading Dominic Oduro to Toronto in early June, Jairo Arrieta is the only player with extensive MLS experience at forward left on the roster.

Arrieta has three goals in 15 appearances including 12 starts this season and just one goal in his last nine games – although he had one called back Friday at Colorado after replays showed he had been wrongly flagged offside. The staff is pleased with Arrieta�s work ethic and positive attitude, but the Crew still needs more production at forward.

The problem – if you want to call it that – is it seems that Berhalter is being methodical about this search much like he has been in all aspects of the job since taking over after last season. I get the sense that the Crew has a lengthy checklist of criteria it is using to weigh potential signings, and finding the right guy – at the right price, too – is not easy. I�ve heard that the Crew has looked at literally hundreds of potential candidates.

It�s why the source who told me the Crew could be close to signing someone last week said things could still happen with that player, albeit perhaps a bit slower than others are hoping.

So for now, it seems the Crew will continue to do its due diligence and try and find the best player who best fits both Berhalter�s vision and Precourt�s budget. Will it happen before August 6? If not, I�m not sure it will be for a lack of effort.

ajardy@dispatch.com

@AdamJardy