Excellent for Meara. Getting reps at that next level would be good for him. I only wish he'd choose the U.S. though. If he does play for Ireland, and plays well, it will be interesting to see if he has a dip in form. A lot of MLS guys who start to realize they can make money overseas start playing like $hit. Hope that doesn't happen.
This Ireland call up came out of nowhere. Honestly seeing what we have from the so called future US gk's in Hamid and Sean Johnson, Meara isn't that far behind them. Off topic here but Hamid shouldn't be anywhere near the national team. He is young but guys like Kennedy, Pickens, and Rimando are older but are much more deserving of callups.
I agree that he shouldn't be on the US radar as of now but he was called up for the U-21 team not the senior squad. I'm sure he'll be good for the US u-21 or u-23 squads.(Although they were eliminated) Won't be bad for a few matches in the winter to gain some EXP
What a game tonight! Anyone who still doubts this kid's talent has a double digit IQ, we're past the point of talking about his potential and should be talking about how he is one of the top goalkeepers in the league at the moment. He brought in every single ball that came into the box tonight and pushed every single shot to a safe area of the field.
Yeah, he dealt with those Beckham/Donovan crosses like an EPL vet, and few other keepers in the league would've had a chance on that Juninho strike (as evidenced by the fact he's scored so many like that). Good to see if you're a MNT fan given the recent disappointments from Johnson and Hamid. If Meara keeps this up, he may well be on his way to achieving what Howard has, or more.
Philly Union = Bayern Munich ?? But in all seriousness due to his position and age Meara should be here for a few more years. Goalies have a much longer shelf life than positional players
Not to draw the comparison, but I will anyway. Howard was here for 4-5 years. I think it would be a good idea for Meara to stay on for at least 3 seasons. Not sure what his contract details are, but I'm willing to bet they're similar to Tim Ream's: 3 year deal at a low cost. Starting for the Red Bulls for 3 years and then making his way to Europe at around 24/25 years old seems like a very good plan. There is no reason for him to leave unless he's going to get playing time in a better league. MLS is improving every season and if we're on par with Sweden (as Backe has said) there's no reason for him to leave unless one of the big leagues comes calling or Red Bull low balls him when his contract is up.
Usually standard MLS contracts for draft picks have 2 years plus 2 option years and if he continues to progress in the next few years hopefully he can get a boost in pay with a new contract. But let's also not get ahead of ourselves with thinking about him moving to Europe. He is still a rookie.