New Zack City: Steffen at Middlesbrough (olf Manchester City)

Discussion in 'Yanks Abroad' started by Chance, Dec 8, 2014.

  1. bballshawn

    bballshawn Member+

    Feb 5, 2014
    Delaware
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    wuuuuuut
     
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  2. kba4life

    kba4life Member

    Jun 4, 2009
    Claremont, California
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Whoa, out of nowhere. The good ol discovery claim. Probably a good move, Europe ain't going anywhere, he'll get looks if he performs well
     
  3. ChuckMe92

    ChuckMe92 Member+

    Jun 23, 2016
    Columbus, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  4. GiallorossiYank

    GiallorossiYank Member+

    Jan 20, 2011
    NJ/Roma/Napoli
    Club:
    AS Roma
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I like this move, I hope he gets PT as Steve Clark has been trash this year
     
  5. ChuckMe92

    ChuckMe92 Member+

    Jun 23, 2016
    Columbus, OH
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Helpful to his national team chances if he can beat out Clark, which I think he can. Sure, being the only American keeper in the Bundesliga sounds nice, but not as much when you're the third-stringer on a team that will surely be in a relegation battle. Freiburg's starting keeper, Schwolow, just turned 24 and doesn't look to be displaced any time soon. And Freiburg II was relegated to the German 5th division, not exactly a great level for someone who desires to be with the USMNT. The post-Howard/Guzan/Rimando keeper roles are certainly still up for grabs, and with Horvath, Yarbrough, Bingham, and Hamid all being regular starters, Steffen likely felt he had to be one too.
     
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  6. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Clark is a pretty good MLS GK, though he turns 31 next season and makes over 200K -- not that it's a crazy amount for a starter. Concussions ended Pacifici's season and Stuver is pretty untested at this level. If Steffen is as good as he is said to be, this could be a well-timed move for him and the Crew.
     
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  7. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Clark may not be Iker Casillas, but he's also not the reason they aren't winning...................................

    That's a pretty standard salary for the non-star keepers in MLS, isn't it? Seitz probably makes about that much.
    I don't really get it.

    And if I'm Steffen I only make this move if I have some type of guarantee that I'll be allowed to compete for the #1 job.
     
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  8. Maitreya

    Maitreya Member+

    Apr 30, 2007
    Providence, RI
    Clark has talent but seems quite mistake-prone (both handling and ball at feet errors). I am honestly not sure if that perception is completely fair, but I don't think I'm the only one who has it. I think Steffen has a decent shot at beating out Clark, but it's not a guarantee. I don't see why he wouldn't be given a legit chance at the job.
     
  9. Dave Marino-Nachison

    Jun 9, 1999
    Clark also signed a new contract before the 2015 season. No idea for how many years, but there must be some long-term planning going on here as well as short-term thinking.
     
  10. Gacm32

    Gacm32 Member+

    Chelsea
    Switzerland
    Nov 28, 2010
    Geneva
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Unless he becomes a starter by the end of this season, I really don't like the move at all. Something tells me they'll be selling Clark or trading him to fill in some holes on their roster.
     
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  11. soccerusa517

    soccerusa517 Member+

    Jun 23, 2009
    Ohio
    Club:
    Columbus Crew
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Clark is pretty bad. Let's in a lot of soft goals. Steffen will be backup until end of the season. Possibly challenge for the starting role next season.

    Surprise for sure. Thought he was close to their 1st team at Freiburg.
     
  12. KickballWizard

    Jun 11, 2013
    What has Steffen done to prove that he's ready to take over the starting job? I see this as a long-term move. If he can take over this year, great. But more likely, Clark holds the job until/if Steffen is ready to take it.
     
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  13. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    wasn't Clark 1 of the best keepers in Norway a few years prior to his Columbus Crew? I recall him doing well but maybe that was 2014 or 2015. can't remember
     
  14. LouisianaViking07/09

    Aug 15, 2009
    so is Steffen moving as a no.2 or a challenger to Clark? If he's coming as no2 hows it any better than a no3 on a relegation fodder club in the Bundesliga? did he have any options for a loan?
     
  15. sidefootsitter

    sidefootsitter Member+

    Oct 14, 2004
    I had high hopes for the guy. I thought he was both very athletic and fundamentally sound. Freiburg, obviously, doesn't think that. No one else in Bundesliga II thinks that either. His chances of getting to a Top 10 world league and thereby make a decent living at this craft are pretty much Lloyd Christmas's chances with Mary Swanson.

    Or, as Freddy Mercury once sang -

     
  16. Chance

    Chance Member+

    Minnesota United FC
    United States
    Apr 5, 2012
    Minneapolis, Minnesota
    Club:
    Tottenham Hotspur FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is complete speculation but I doubt Steffen came back to the United States to play second fiddle... he might not start this season but I would imagine he would be their starter in 2017.
     
  17. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Columbus wouldn't have "guaranteed" the starter role to a kid that's never played a professional first team game before. They probably told him that he'd have an opportunity to COMPETE for the starting job. And for a keeper as young as Steffen, that's basically what you're looking for.

    The negativity from some about this move surprises me. Seriously, nobody has seen this player against adult professionals. Let's see him before making prognostications about his future potential.

    Also, he wasn't leaving Barcelona. He's leaving Freiburg for Christ's sake.
    There probably weren't even any Chipotle's in Freiburg. No reason to live there.
     
  18. DeAndresHaircut

    DeAndresHaircut Member+

    Jul 24, 2015
    Pennsylvania
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He could've at least went to a good team. Damn.
     
  19. sidefootsitter

    sidefootsitter Member+

    Oct 14, 2004
    There's a place called Enchilada and another named Cancun. Good reviews too ... albeit not likely by anyone who ever had Tex-Mex.
     
  20. chrome_vapors

    chrome_vapors Member+

    Oct 15, 2010
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ridiculously fault logic and some incredibly poor assumptions here.

    It's not at all obvious that Friedberg or anyone else, didn't view him as athletic or fundamentally sound.
     
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  21. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    As always you are so right. The same story happened to that guy that I thought was so fast, great goalscorer and passer. He came back from Germany and disappeared. Probably lives somewhere in a trailer park. Don Ovan or something like that.
     
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  22. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No one discovered him. Columbus did
     
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  23. Clint Eastwood

    Clint Eastwood Member+

    Dec 23, 2003
    Somerville, MA
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Well, the Union did. How can a team "discover" a player that was a homegrown product of another team? In MLS they can! :) :)

    Kudos to Berhalter and staff. They filed a discovery claim on him in 2015, thereby claiming him if he chose to come back to the states. That whole discovery process is silly. However, clubs can use that system to acquire talent and gain an advantage. Well done. So the argument about "why go to Columbus!!?" misses the point. He apparently wanted to come back to the states, and Columbus was where he could go. This wasn't really his choice per se.

    More details, and the view from Philadelphia about this:
    http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/...-goalkeeper-prospect-joins-Columbus-Crew.html

    This article helps remind us how effed up the Union were with their goalkeeping position (and in general under Nick Sakiewicz). Worth reading just for the sheer entertainment value.

    Also confirms that at the time of his departure, Steffen hadn't spent enough time with the Union to be homegrown eligible. Of course that's not really an issue. The Union apparently didn't bother to really invest in keeping him around, because Nick was so proud of already having "three of the best keepers in the league" at the club. Never mind that having three of the best keepers in the league is a complete waste of resources in a salary-capped league.
     
  24. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

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