I’d just add that for all the former Crew players who are now with USL teams, every other MLS club could be looking at them, too. The fact that they’re still in USL tells you something. I might tell you MLS clubs are crappy at scouting USL talent. Or that their ceiling is a USL-C team. Another case in point, Justin Malou, first round draft pick in 2021. Stayed with Clemson his senior year and won a national championship as a starting defender. Signed a Crew 2 contract for 2022, and was a starting defender on that championship team. I don’t believe he ever played a minute in MLS. Was transferred to Tulsa in USL-C this off season.
He's not that slow. And as a youth if you mean HS age - sure. What it means is he is comfortable with ball at his feet. If you did some research on great goalies for example you'll find many played in the field until they got much older - HS age. Again - they are comfortable with ball at their feet.
Let me make my question more clear: What does playing as a striker in high school have to do with DEFENDING in a high line at the highest professional level in this country as a defender? And if he was really that good, he wouldn’t have spent the last 3+ years in the USL during the prime of his career.
And, he was a useful piece while he was here as a player not on the senior roster. Once he graduated/aged out to the senior roster, well USL was the correct spot.
Steffan sounds like he's not going to re-sign with Man City. He wants to play. USMNT's Zack Steffen: No plans to return to Man City when Middlesbrough loan ends https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-...-manchester-city-when-middlesbrough-loan-ends
I've always thought going to Man City was a huge mistake. He was never going to be first team. Wasted a lot of his career and missed the WC to sit the bench. Hope that payday was worth it.
He should mutually agree to terminate his contract then in the summer. I can’t imagine someone wanting to pay a transfer fee and his Man City wages. His lasting memory in England will be his howler v Liverpool and Mane. He’s a dude that plays in the second division. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, Americans need to quit being slaves to the EPL. McKennie left Juventus for relegation threatened Leeds. Tyler Adams left Leipzig for Leeds. Pulisic went from Dortmund where he was a pretty regular starter, to Chelsea where he was never gonna be a regular. Chris Richards left Bayern frickin’ Munich (who would probably love to have him right now) for relegation threatened Crystal Palace. Josh Sargent left Werder Bremen (in the second division, sure, but he was a starter, and Bremen is a huge historical team) for Norwich, who was always gonna be relegated. I just wanna shake these guys sometimes. Why go to all these shitty bottom of the table teams from big clubs in big European leagues who are regularly in the Champions League and fighting for titles? I just don’t get it. I did read that McKennie apparently wanted to go back to Germany, but Leeds made an offer he couldn’t refuse I guess.
One word: Eurosnobbery. It's not good enough to be playing in Europe. The current culture and climate of the USMNT fan/administrator demands that they being playing in the EPL. Anything else is just EuroMLS. Eyeroll.
Part of it may be that there are more eyeballs on EPL, but do you really think that's it. Shared language and closer culture plus more money probably plays a bigger role
Perhaps it's as simple as language and culture. But in general I agree - I think you're better off playing at a club in Germany than sitting bench in England.
Congratulations to Crew Legend Kei Kamara for scoring for his MLS Record 10th club, as he delivered a gorgeous winner for Chicago Fire last night in injury time. 140th goal, 5 behind Landon Donovan. What a player. What a man. What a legend.
I would take nothing away from Kamara if I noted that on that goal the defense basically. chose, for reasons which pass understanding, to completely ignore him and leave him so alone on the far post that he could have stopped and ordered lunch before slotting it home. Wretched defense is not entirely a mitigating factor but a factor it certainly is.
You must admit, there is something somewhat exhilarating about seeing such defensive breakdowns happen to a Phil Neville managed team.
@SanAntonioFC features a handful of recognizable #Crew96 alumni. Mohammed Abu scored this game winner yesterday as they won 1-0. ⬇️Niko Hansen and Connor Maloney also started for the USL side. https://t.co/NZkrB1aIIA— Travis Jones (@TravisKCJones) March 26, 2023
Josh Williams's dog jumped into the Goodale Park Pond king of the city taking us on a tour today #CLBvRSL | #RSL pic.twitter.com/TmTOzZ38u9— Real Salt Lake (@realsaltlake) April 1, 2023
Great tour of the Short North from Justin. He's a bit cocky and overconfident about this match, and referring to himself as "King Justin" and calling Columbus " the city that I built". Damn, we could use him right now!! Hopefully our tradition of letting former players score match winning goals, and play way better than they did in Columbus, is not in effect tonight.