Rumor: Carlton Cole to MLS while Dynamo rumored to be interested

The rumor mill has jumped to life this morning with report the Houston Dynamo are one of three teams interested in the services of English striker Carlton Cole. Cole recently parted ways with West Ham and is said to be eyeing a move to the United States.

According to reports, Cole has interest from other Premier League clubs, but is intrigued with a move to Major League Soccer. The Daily Mirror is reporting that Cole's preferred club would be to link up with the Los Angeles Galaxy, but it's all speculative at this point.

The other clubs who reportedly have shown interest are the San Jose Earthquakes and D.C. United.

Cole is a 29-year old striker who has spent his career in England. He started out with Chelsea, but is best known for his time with West Ham United. Cole spent the last 7 years with West Ham while scoring nearly 50 goals with the club. He also has been capped seven times with the England National Team, and spent time with the youth national teams.

In 2013, Cole has only two goals in 29 appearances for West Ham.

In regards to a future on the Dynamo, Cole could be a nice fit. Houston hasn't been able to stabilize their attack up front due to a number of reasons this year.

Giles Barnes has had a standout season as the second striker, but I don't think this was the original plan for him. Barnes likely was slated to take the attacking midfielder role this season, but the unexpected injury to Omar Cummings made Dominic Kinnear make adjustments. The problem is since Cummings hasn't been able to recover from preseason knee surgery, the Dynamo have been limited in who they place next to Will Bruin.

Brian Ching has turned into a late substitute (but a very good one), Cam Weaver has battled back injuries, Calen Carr is still recovering from his MLS Cup injury, and Jason Johnson is still young and not ready for a starting role.

Kinnear would surely be interested in more stable attacking options, but so far this year he's doing the best with what he's had to choose from.

Bruin himself has struggled without having that dedicated partner to work off of since Barnes is given a more free range to work in.

While Cummings' continued absence is a worry, the club appears patient with their investment and in no rush to push him too far. In fact, Kinnear told MLSsoccer.com's Darrell Lovell recently that Cummings underwent a second surgery and would be shelved a bit longer.

With that being said, it's hard to imagine the Dynamo going after Cole unless they don't think Cummings will play this year. Additionally, where does the money come from for a guy like Cole? Would he be a designated player or would his salary be more in line with Barnes or Andrew Driver?

With several teams reportedly interested, it's hard to gauge where this rumor will go. In the meantime, we can discuss. What are your thoughts on Carlton Cole's interest in MLS and where do you think he'd fit in best?