http://www.planetfootball.com/article.asp?id=118571&cpid=8&title=Manchester+United+trial+American Info on Spector: DOB 3/1/86 http://www.soccer365.com/US_home/National_Teams/page_22_38843.shtml http://www.imgacademies.com/soccer/default.jsp?newsId=9509&info=9 I'm sure Sandon or one of the Youth MNT people can add much more than me.
This is certainly an intriguing development. While I wouldn't be surprised if Spector was a little out of his depth at ManU, I also wouldn't be surprised if he did well enough on his trial to earn an offer. After Freddy, Spector is, according to the people I've talked to, the best player currently in residency in Bradenton. Not just the best defender, but the best player. Attacking players like Guillermo Gonzalez have nice numbers, and some of them, like Gonzalez, will make very good pros. But, right now, Spector is the prize. He's a center back who is supposedly not done growing who is said to read the game quite well and be very strong 1-v-1 and in the air. I know MLS has approached him and he is considering other European options. I also know he has visited Notre Dame and Virginia so he's keeping his college options open. That said, if they make an offer, I just don't see how you say "no" to Manchester United. It will be interesting to see what happens. BTW, I love how the English media tries to apply typical British phrases to the unique situation of US youth and college soccer like "is on the books of Soccers FC", like he's on their payroll or something.
http://www.ussocceruk.com/modules.p...e=article&sid=127&mode=thread&order=0&thold=0 The story actually comes from Chris Bergin over at www.ussocceruk.com. (I'm sure the thread will now be filled with "Chris sucks" v. "No, Chris rules" posts). He usually teases the big stories several days/weeks/months in advance, but this one came right out of the blue. Good work by him to break it so quickly. Let me give it a shot: I'd rather play for a team that has a shot at winning something this year. I'll be signing with the Metros, thank you very much.
Sounds good to me... I hope that they realize what they have and sign him. We need some more players to work their way through a European system all the way to the top like JOB did, especially defenders. I know some guys that played vs. Spector a few years ago and they said that he was unreal... totally dominated the center of the defense with size, touch and positioning.
I saw Spector play once this summer with a ten man FIRE Reserves side. He didn't hesitate to come forward from the central defense with the ball and made some nice runs up the middle that should have been rewarded by his teammates with the ball. Size and instincts aside, he was as good as anyone on the CFR with the ball at his feet, including Grabavoy. It wouldn't surprise me at all to see him stick with ManUre.
I talked to both Jonathan and his dad before he left. He has had offers from MLS and also had some interest from Manchester City, Inter Milan, and some German clubs. I believe he left Sunday, November 3 but I am not sure when he returned or if he is still there. He seemed excited to go and he appeared pretty confident. But I am sure he was nervous, since only a handful of American players have ever gotten an opportunity to try out for the world's most famous club. I really hope he did/does play well there and he impressed Man U. I played with him the year before he left for Florida (we went to the same high school). He was by far the best player in our area and one of the best in the state, even though he played the whole season with an injury (I think it was a strained abdominal or groin). He is an amazing player and he is gonna be a big name in United States Soccer for a long time to come.
Another Sockers Product Yes, Spector is a very talented player. St Viator HS has really good coaching and of course Sockers FC has the Richardson's, where he played club ball. He has been in ODP in Illinois since he was 13 if memory serves.
Read an article today which confirmed that Spector has been offered a four-year deal by Fergie on the strength of his one-week trial. The original was in a London paper which is not available online, but there is confirmation in the following link (near the end): http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/soccer/sfl-rusnak02mar02,0,6151353.column?coll=sfla-sports-soccer To get a deal after a one-week trial for a European football player is quite amazing. For a young American to catch Ferguson's eye is nothing short of incredible. I will be looking forward to the summer...
Not to diminish Spector’s accomplishment any, but there is precedent here. Both Jovan Kirovski and John Thorrington played at United’s youth academy. Either way, best of luck to Spector. Hopefully, he will be lining up in front of Tim Howard some day in the not too distant future.
Dave, I neither said nor intimated that it would be a disgrace, only that other Americans have followed a similar path.
Fair enough. By way of explanation, I tend to get irritated whenever people cluck "Don't forget Kirovski etc. etc. " whenever the topic of a new American at ManU comes up. I don't see it as particularly meaningful context for a number of reasons. However, if all you were doing was pointing out that other Americans have been at the club before, well, cool. You might add Jemal Johnson (now Blackburn U-19s) to that list. Also notable is Jeff Baicher -- he was there for a few months in the early 1990s and apparently the old San Francisco Bay Blackhawks (I think that's right) refused to sell him.
Poor analogy with Kirovski. He had just completed an outstanding season with Man Utd's reserves, averaging nearly a goal per game, and Ferguson wanted to offer him a contract. Unfortunately, it all fell apart due to Kirovski's inability to obtain a work permit, a problem that Spector won't have to worry about.
I will try to clarify my statement once again. My original statement was in response to RedCherubibi, who wrote: To get a deal after a one-week trial for a European football player is quite amazing. For a young American to catch Ferguson's eye is nothing short of incredible. I just want to let him know that Spector would not be the first American in the ManU youth program. I was not attempting to project Kirovski or Thorrington’s career trajectory on Spector. I don’t see how one would have anything to do with the other.