It sort of makes sense. Remember, Josh Tudela sort of looks like Eddie Munster. And modern Romania includes what used to be known as Transylvania.... Homecoming? Just saying
Saw this on Twitter yesterday and they only mentioned Magee, can't imagine why he'd go to Romania (other than the pay).
Hmm, let's see ...maybe because the champions of Romania have a great history winning a lot of national and international competitions? Maybe because their fans are 100X more passionate than any MLS fans Maybe because being a soccer player in Romania gets you much more respect, recognition and fame than in the US Maybe because he gets paid way more and gets all the additional bonuses which in MLS don't exist or they are ridiculously small Maybe because those Romanian chicks are super hot and they love soccer players? Ask Mr. Toja... Maybe because the night clubs in Europe are getting crowded when our clubs are calling the last drink I've been to Eastern Europe, I've dated Eastern European chicks, and let me tell ya, if I would have the chance to go live there, especially as a soccer player, I wouldn't hesitate a minute By the way, Magee is not the one who is going to try out. It's Tudela.
I think the try out is for him to see if this team is the right platform for his inevitable domination of Europe.
Can someone translate if he is trying out or if he signed already? http://www.prosport.ro/fotbal-intern/liga-1/tudela-am-venit-sa-raman-5320851 http://www.gsp.ro/fotbal/liga-1/exclusiv-prima-poza-a-lui-tudela-cu-tricoul-stelei-171031.html
http://translate.google.com/translate?js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=1&eotf=1&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.prosport.ro%2Ffotbal-intern%2Fliga-1%2Fam-venit-sa-raman-5320851&sl=ro&tl=en looks like he on trial
correct. the Pele of Evansville is not trying out for the team; the team is trying out for the Pele of Evansville.
"The American that Steaua is trying to sign is Josh Tudela (25), a central midfielder who played his last official match last summer, for LA Galaxy. He could become the second player bought by the Bucharest side from Major League Soccer, after the Colombian left footed midfielder Juan Carlos Toja (24), bought in 2008 from FC Dallas. Tudela comes as a free agent and will have to convince the staff in the next couple of months that he deserves a contract." http://scoutingromania.wordpress.com/
i don't see how it could end well, based on what we saw of his ability here, though they will be able to acquire him for almost no money. he could provide (very deep) depth on the cheap.
To be honest, I do not see him landing a deal here, not at Steaua. I think they have enough good players in midfield and with the club looking to save money by reducing wages and releasing the big earners, I don't think they'll be interested in the guy unless he really impresses in training.
What a joke. Romania breathes soccer and their rec leagues are filled with players with more skill than Josh. Must be a publicity stunt - trying out an American, esp one that played with Beckham, gets you a sports headline for a couple days.
Skydog I think you're spot on. "Could be a 10 days adventure, nothing more", said the coach, who noticed the guy on a few DVD's, when Josh was playing alongside Beckham. My question is: did the coach got the DVD's before Becks re-signed for AC Milan? ;-)
Steaua is the most popular club in Romania and is always in the press - no need to sign Tudela for that.
Apparently, Tudela already signed a contract with Steaua. He'll get 5.000 EUR/month (what kind of wage did he had back home?) for the next three seasons. The club's bosses wait the coach to decide if he'll stay or not and only after that the contract will be signed as well by the club's president and registered. So far, it seems that he's impressing the staff and his colleagues with his determination in training, so he might have a shot at getting that deal...