Jurgen Sommer

because he sucks. That's as simple as you can put it.

 

I don't think it was that simple. He was a good player a good leader on the squad. I would say that some of the bigger factors in his release were the fact that his salary was so high and also that he was plagued by injuries over the last few seasons. To simply say he sucked is just wrong in my opinion.

 

Well he did suck, he was horrible last yr, and Reis is better an Adin is 100 times better than Sommer

 

look at the games last season that he blew, especially the home lost to the Fire. That proves my point.

 

"I don't think it was that simple. He was a good player a good leader on the squad. I would say that some of the bigger factors in his release were the fact that his salary was so high and also that he was plagued by injuries over the last few seasons. To simply say he sucked is just wrong in my opinion."

Excellent explanation. His form had been in decline over the course of the last few seasons, injuries no doubt being some part responsible. Factor in a high salary and the play of Adin Brown, and the Revs couldn't afford to hold onto him as a back-up, and one who by some accounts, wasn'treally in a possition to push Brown.

Getting Reis was an excellent move for the Revolution, and is capable as they come when it comes to goalkeepers in MLS.

 

Sommer was once a fine GK, and thought to be third in line for the US nets behind Keller and Freidel. It's easy to forget that fact. Many Rev fans were optimistic when we signed him.

Age and injuries change things. Even Zach Thornton's day in the sun seems to be in the past with the MNT. Such is a GK's life.

 

The contrast between Sommer's play in '01 and '02 may have been even greater than that for Zenga between '97 and '00. On those rare occasions when the '01 Sommer was healthy, he pretty much got to everything. Last year, on the other hand, he more or less played himself onto the bench. I don't know if it was a cumulative effect of all his injuries, Father Time catching up with him, or just a real bad slump, but he didn't even make some of the routine saves.

 

Sommer does not suck. The fans that wrote that must have hopped on the Revs' bandwagon last year. Anyone who saw Sommer play in a Rev's shirt prior to '02 would appreciate how well he played for the club. He had some great performances and kept the Revs in some games in which they should have been blown out.

Last season he began the year as the #1 keeper. His on-field performance in the first couple of games was pretty good, nothing spectacular, but his form quickly eroded. I believe he got hurt after a few games, was forced to miss a game or two, so Brown got his chance and quickly gained confidence. Then we all saw Brown stand on his head during that final playoff push, then again in the playoffs.

Sommer was probably making a good salary, and the club was no longer willing to pay him that much for his services. His inability to stay healthy for a full season, his poor performances last year, and the fact that Brown proved himself worthy of the starting role, all meant that Sommer had no chance this year.

I'll miss the guy. One of the best Revs.

 

ive been a season ticket since 00. Sommer is not good. I remember games where he blew it for us, which complimented our record. Flashback to the 00 season. Causey played half the season, which brought the revs to the top of the table in the eastern conference. Sommer got healthy, and the revs started to lose. Sommer's fault. El Gato was so much better then him. A great guy off the field, but sucked as a keeper in a Revs uni.

 

Sommer was probably the Revos best player in 2001 before he got injured. Unfortunately, he never remotely came close to returning to that form and his cap number was too high for a backup.

El Gato? A headless chicken.
JMMUSA, open your eyes son.

 

Once you're over 30 and you've had a few major injuries, it's unlikely you'll ever stay injury-free for very long. Not to mention that when you've torn up both knees and an achilles, you're not likely to retain a lot of quickness, particulary when you're a big guy like he is.

It's a shame that we have to denigrate the records of all who pass through the organization. Sommer was USA's 3rd best behind Keller and Friedel (talk about an obscure role) and played pretty well in '01. Last year, through injuries, shaky defense, etc. he wasn't up to the task, an unfortunate ending to an impressive career.

A lot of things changed between 1st half and stretch run last year, a lot more than the GK. If there's one thing that a keeper needs from his defense, it's predictability. When teams were able to attack straight up the middle, like they were against our makeshift lineup, the keeper is left to look foolish. Confidence suffers and some "must" saves get muffed.

Don't give me no Causey, he blundered his way through 2000 and wasn't qualified to carry Sommer's shorts. I give him credit for making himself a good backup keeper with limited "natural" abilities, but that's it. El Gato was very good at many of the aspects of goalkeeping (his distribution was superb), but clearly had some serious flaws to his game.