When his attempts for offseason acquisitions failed, Juan Carlos Osorio hatched a plan. His team would tread water until the summer, and then dip into the free agent pool, signing reinforcements that will push it over the top.

On the surface, the plan had some merit: signing players in mid-season would put less strain on the salary cap because of their pro-rated salaries. Also, waiting for the summer would allow some players to become free agents, waiving any transfer fee that would have existed if they were under contract earlier that year.

Beneath the surface, the plan was full of holes. The signed players will have no preseason time to be integrated into the team; they will have to thrown into battle and gel with their new teammates on the spot. And, looking at Metro's history of mid-season acquisitions, that has rarely been successful. In fact, it has often been disastrous.

But Osorio pressed on. So in came the South American trio of Venezuelans Jorge Rojas and Gabriel Cichero, and Argentine Juan Pietravallo. And early on, the results were good.

Rojas tallied two assists on his debut and look competent in the middle of the field. Cichero looked to be a poised, physical defender who could bring much-needed stability to the Metro backline. Pietravallo was a terrier in midfield, shutting down the opposing team's top offensive threats. Metro had a terrific August, and looked poised to make inroads late in the MLS season.

Then, something happened.

Rojas, constantly shifted by Osorio between central and left midfield, started to disappear from matches. He would go for long stretches without touching the ball. Pietravallo's tenacity started to show up from all the worst sides. He turned into a walking red card, fouling and overcommitting on what seems like every play. But Cichero was the worst. Whatever poise he showed early on was gone. Game after game, he would make crucial mistakes that cost Metro dearly. In the Colorado debacle, Osorio pulled him at halftime after Metro allowed four first-half goals, of which three Cichero was directly responsible for. A week later, he was equally as terrible in a pathetic loss to Toronto. In Metro's lone late-season win, a key match against Columbus, Rojas was a late sub, Pietravallo missed with a red card, and Cichero did not get off the bench.

It can all be summarized by the regular season finale in Chicago. Rojas was nowhere to be seen. Pietravallo ran like a chicken with its head cut off, was lucky not to be red carded, and was subbed out at halftime. And Cichero? Don't get us started on Cichero.

But as DC failed and Metro was granted playoff life, it looked like the trio would have another chance to prove their worth. However, Osorio has seen enough. The much-ballyhooed acquisitions were all benched, replaced with youngsters Luke Sassano, Sinisa Ubiparipovic, and Diego Jimenez. Rojas and Cichero couldn't even make it off the bench. Pietravallo did, just in time to see Metro's lead turn into a 1:1 draw.

So as we enter what could be this final game of the 2008 season, we wonder, have we seen the last of Rojas, Cichero, and Pietravallo? Or will Osorio roll the dice one final time on his South American studs? And, more importantly, as 2008 transitions in 2009, has Osorio learned from his mistakes?

If those mistakes do not do him in this coming offseason, that is.