"MLSsoccer.com has learned from sources around Europe that the midfielder is also being wooed by several clubs on the continent, including one longtime Eredivisie admirer."
You guys just don't understand that some people love Taco Bell. We ALL know that it's not "real" mexican food but it is still cheap and enjoyable food.
Do you know what they use to make the ground "beef?" Fortunately our friend Mr. Diskerud is a vegetarian.
Mix, if you are vegetarian AND you like Mexican food AND you're going to San Diego, you have to check out Pokez: http://www.yelp.com/biz/pokez-mexican-restaurant-san-diego Tasty food, good location, open until 10, very popular with hipsters, punks, vegetarians, etc. (but I know it's awesome)
Although the Timbers had a poor record last season, their player pool isn't as weak as it might seem. They underperformed this year, partly due to coaching issues (with the head coach being fired and then the general manager acting as a part-time interim head coach for half of the season). With Caleb Porter being hired, the coaching situation should be much better next year, and all indications are that the 2013 Timbers will have more talent then the 2012 Timbers did. There are plenty of reasons for optimism about the future of the team, and it is likely that they will show a big improvement in performance compared to last year. Although there haven't been many young players coming to MLS from Europe, there have been significant numbers of young players who have joined MLS from other areas, especially South America. The average age of the Timbers is actually slightly younger than the average age of Rosenborg BK, so it isn't just a league for old men. There are many players who are close to the same age as Mix. I hope Mix decides to come to Portland. It is a beautiful city and a great place to live (except during the winter when it rains almost every day... but during the summer it rains much less and the weather is very nice).
Don't forget, he has a european passport. Not the same. He can find a club A LOT easier than most MLS guys... just based on that. I think he comes here in MLS as an adventure. Even if he doesn't find the success some think..he can still find someone interested in europe. The kid is talented!
Surely the coaching played a role, but I'd argue that Portland's roster was pretty lousy. Based on how much dealing they've already done, I'm guessing the club would agree.
Coming from a norwegian football fan who has seen a bit of mls this season (six or seven games), i would say from that basic knowledge that an average mls team is about the same as an average norwegian league team, perhaps even a bit stronger. However in my opinion the top two norwegian teams, Rosenborg and Molde are stronger than just about any MLS team, the distance from average to top being larger in the norwegian league (Rosenborg having more than twice the budget of the nr. 3 team). I don't think galaxy would knock out a strong Dutch team like Heerenveen or beat Stuttgart and Rapid Wien home and away.
In 2011, the Timbers came very close to making playoffs. The Timbers roster in 2012 was significantly more talented than it was in 2011, and at the start of the season they were widely expected to make the playoffs. They had the talent to get better results than they did but they underperformed. The Timbers have only lost 2 starters: left back Steven Smith, who was out of contract, and right back Kosuke Kimura, who did not play well for the Timbers anyways. All the other starters and most of the important substitutes are still with the team. It's not like they are blowing up the team, most of the moves that they are making are addition rather than subtraction. One thing that I would like to point out when talking about whether on not MLS is an upgrade compared to Norway or Austria is that what is important is not how strong MLS has been the last few years, but rather how strong MLS will be over the next few years. MLS is growing steadily stronger, and now that we have academy graduates joining the league in large numbers and a few years without any expansion drafts to dilute the player pool, the rate at which MLS is improving is likely to increase.
If he signed with Seattle, that would be okay with you? == Having that EU passport makes the soccer world his oyster. With rumors of Dutch clubs looking at him, it would be difficult to pass up that opportunity.
I agree, Dutch clubs are an excellent place for young players. After that though, Portland would be a great experience.
Well, I can't really dispute any of that but I still think it was a lousy roster. Anyway, that's enough threadjacking on my part. Happy to discuss elsewhere.
Sorry to nitpick, but he doesn't have an EU passport, since Norway is not a member of the EU. But Norway is part of numerous other European agreements, so I bet he can probably move in Europe just as freely as an EU citizen.
Does Mix have an EU passport? Do Norwegians count as local players in EU countries, or are they foreign because Norway isn't part of the EU?
It's a lot more than that. http://europa.eu/legislation_summar...t_of_persons_asylum_immigration/l33020_en.htm
Via Twitter from Portland owner Merritt Paulson (@MerrittPaulson) Paulson admitting defeat in the chase of Mix? He could be. Let the guessing begin of where Mix lands!!! The "next" option Paulson references is US Youth International Mobi Fehr who looks likely to fall to Portland via weighted lottery and coincidently trained with the Timbers most of Oct and Nov.