I got this link from Nofanalone.com. It's an interview with a man loved on this board, Jeff Plush. For those worried about Cooke leaving he said this... One Brit who decided Denver was the place for him, skiing or not, is Terry Cooke. Cooke is a former Manchester United winger who lived with Beckham when they were trainees at Old Trafford. "I just like it because it's different here," Cooke said. "In England, football can get very political but here I can just get on with things. I couldn't be happier in this part of the world and I see myself staying once my playing career is over."
Step one, attract a world class athlete with the promise of world class skiing. Step two, have them sign a contract that forbids skiing. Yea, good luck with that Jeff.
Maybe it's because I live in Colorado and choose to, I don't see why Denver is viewed as such a hard sell. Not every player chases the limelight, and not every player loves the big cities. Somehow Colorado's managed to hold good players for the Broncos, for the Avalanche, and the Nuggets over the years. Hell, if they thought about it Stan Kroenke and Phil Anshutz could live anywhere in the world, but they're in Denver. As for the skiing, I'm not sure any of the Colorado teams allow it.
It was a good article, and Jeff Plush would make my day if he can strike a Italian player by the likes of Totti or somthing in that area. TH14 is a solid player, but is 30. I would like to see a young player come and marvel us with his talent, and playmaking ability...
I think the article makes a good point. A lot of Americans are familiar with Denver, if for no other reason than John Elway, and I think a lot of people understand that the quality of life is pretty good in Colorado. But this sell isn't to Americans, it's to Europeans or South Americans. For many who don't live within the US borders, Denver is an unknown because it's not LA or NY, the heavy hitters as far as American cultural influence. So even the argument that the Broncos, Avalanche or Nuggets don't have a problem attracting players isn't valid, because almost all of the players those teams are looking for are Americans (or Canadians). Living in Spain for a year and a half, I found myself explaining Colorado to a lot of people because if it wasn't NY or Hollywood, they didn't really know much about it. It's not to say that everyone is that way, but the general knowledge about Colorado and Denver is pretty low. It's like asking an American to go and play in Spain, except they have to go to Bilbao or Zaragoza or Malaga. Those cities are great, but for the typical American, when they think of Spain, they think of Madrid or Barcelona. I actually liked Plush's argument about an Italian or Frenchman, that could work. Even a German would feel at home in Colorado's mountains.
One discontent Frenchman does not mean all of them would be that way Fact of the matter is it is a bit more difficult to bring people from foriegn countries to Denver for the reasons listed in the above posts. But it isn't impossible. Many players out there would welcome what Colorado has to offer. I would argue that for many people, once they experience the Denver/Colorado scene, coming to the Rapids would be a better choice than New York or LA.
[Groucho Marx] Well they certainly don't have to worry about getting their picture in the paper! [/Groucho Marx]
Personally I think, based on comments by former players and the typical scuttlebutt, that the difficulty of getting and keeping a DP has less to do with Denver and more to do with the Rapids organization...
Denver doesn't seem to be an issue for the Avalanche's foreign players. Maybe KSE could persuade Milan Hejduk to say nice things about Denver to Pavel. Any of you Newcastle fans know what's become of Nobby. He'd be a nice addition to the squad. Seems he's a quiet guy who lets his game speak.
The NHL is the premier hockey league in the world. If MLS shared that distinction, I think things would be easier for the Rapids.
Dom FC is spot on...... what a lot of Horse sh**. An MLS soccer player who gets injured in a skiing acident is dead meat with team management, and he stands to lose a lot of money to boot. So let's get real about why he can't, or won't, pay to get the best players here in Denver. IMHO....This is a cheap attempt to make people in Denver think he's out there looking for just the right guy, while the rest of the teams in the League continue to sign the best players available. Oh yeah, Plush might also want to visit South America. The last time I looked around the world for ski vacations, I think I found that they have some very nice ski resorts in the Andes. And as I recall, some of the countries down in that part of the hemisphere have produced some pretty good soccer talent, who just might want to play for the Rapids in a great cosmopolitan city like Denver. Maybe he thinks he is the general manager. If so, that's one of the problems and someone needs to tell him his job is to sell seats... Some of his comments could be considered as denigrating to aneducated, well traveled, South American.
Jeff would know more about it then I would, but the two times I've been in Europe conversations would go like this: We're are you from? America. Oh...which part? Colorado. Colorado...I love Colorado, it's so beautiful, kinda reminds me of Switzerland. It's nothing like Switzerland. Oh... Just kidding.. Blah blah blah blah Point is most people know at least the basics of Colorado. Also in places like Australia they don't like New York and LA but love Colorado saying we live similar lifestyles. That's a generalization of course, but still I run a lot of people around the world who know or are interested in Colorado. Were almost as cool to them as Canadians. Besides, for the right amount of money, anyone will move anywhere.
Colorado's home-field disadvantage http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news;_y...vrYF?slug=ro-rapids082807&prov=yhoo&type=lgns