Feel free to move it to MLS or Revs board if you think it's better fitting there... Ex-Lion leads Boston to MLS-final TAYLOR TWELLMAN AS TOP STRIKER A former Munich Lion cared that New England Revolution from Boston will play the final of the MLS Championship againt Los Angeles Galaxy next Sunday. A 2-2 draw was enough for Revolution against Ohio's Columbus Crew after the first game was won 1-0. [isn't it wrong? was a three game round IIRC] Taylor Twellman (21) is the young man who formerly was active in the Amateur team of TSV 1860 Munich. Twellman scored 23 goals and 6 assists in this season and is the most successful MLS striker. In the last game against Columbus he couldn't play due to a knee injury, but before he played all games and was in 26 of 28 games in the starting lineup. Taylor Twellman got good chances to become MVP of the MLS. To return home Twellman terminated his contract in Munich to sign a 'mini'-contract with MLS. For less than 30.000 Euro each season he is playing for New England Revolution. "Before I returned I told Werner Lorant that we'll meet again", tells Twellman who absolutely wants to continue his career in Europe. "Germany is my favourite if it works. I experienced two hard years over there. But today I'm profiting from my time in Munich", confesses Twellman before the final in Foxboro Stadium.
This is great to hear. I'd hate to see him write off a return to Europe, especially with it looking like he has the talent to make a career over there.
I wonder if 1860 wish they had given him a shot with their first team, at least as a sub. Olaf, what do you think??
How do you figure that? Neither was happy playing only with the reserves. Both have flourished in MLS. Both want to go back to Europe, but not to languish in the reserves. They want to play. I mean, TT was quoted that he left because he was told he wouldn't get to play with the first team until he was at least 23 years old. Like Landon, TT was impatient for first team action. He didn't want to squander his time at a level of soccer that was beneath him. Just like Landon. They're two peas in a pod, my friend. Two peas in a pod.
you have to be brain dead not to notice the complete and utter differences in the way they speak of their experiences there and their future plans
Don't know about it. 1860 has Suker and Agostino on the bench, who both aren't bad strikers. 1860 needs other parts to improve first. superdave: without wanting to judge which position is better - it's absolutely clear that the difference is that Twellman by all means wants to go back while Donovan only with at least a minimum guarantee. Additionally Twellman clearly says that he developed in Munich despite of the negative experience, while Donovan rather claims to have stopped his development in Leverkusen.
Olaf, I am not sure if this is different but Landon was at D4 with BL, while 1860's reserves were in D3. Also, by ALL accounts( and I am a TT fan), TT was kind of raw when he went to Germany. Landon was a very smooth, very accomplished( though young) player, having just won the award as the best 17 year old in the world.
I'm confused -- should they be the same? Let's face it, their current options (and bank accounts) are not the same.
Twellman is the best bargain in MLS. His salary is next to nothing, but he is still one of the most exsiting players in the league. He will give MLS a few good years before heading off to Europe. I hope he sticks around until 2006. He will be valuable as a striker in WC qualifying.
1860 reserves demoted to D4 and IIRC Twellman played there a while before going to MLS. How long is MLS' contract with Twellman? I mean, some of you are thinking about Donovan buying out of a well paid contract until 2007 - Twellman is playing for peanuts and probably has a contract until 2004 maximum. Buying Twellman out of this low paid contract will hardly cost 100 K.
IIRC Twellman was the leading scorer on the D3 team at one time while only playing about half the minutes and as the youngest player. I can't help but think he would still be there had he been loaned to a B2 team as happened to Casey.
Twellman scored five league goals for the reserves in D3. In D4 he usually stayed on the bench. (nice talent recognition by 1860) He certtainly didn't have much positive to say about his time in Germany in that Boston Globe article a few months ago.
I don't think TT would go back to toil in D3 reserves. Maybe I'm wrong about that, but I doubt it. Again, TT = Landon. olafgb, you may not be aware of this, but Twellman wasn't even a committed soccer player in college. He also played baseball at University of Maryland. So I think it goes without saying (well, I guess not, jmeissen doesn't get this) that Twellman had alot more room for improvement than Landon, who came from the quasi-professional Bradenton camp. Each player left Germany and came to MLS when they realized that they really couldn't move their game forward in Germany like they could in MLS. Two peas in a pod.
Or, you'd have to remember the disparaging (and false; olafgb can give you details) statements Twellman made about Munich 1860's history with starting young players. olaf...why only $100K? I can't believe for a second MLS would sell him for that. Why such a low figure?
IIRC Twellman has said that he definetely wants to go back to Europe/Germany, but that he's through with 1860 (where he felt like he was the victim of anti-American bias and never even had a chance to make the 1st team). Is that so different from what Donvan is saying?? To me the only difference is that Donovan has to be a little nicer as they still own his contract......
This Boston Globe article from September 19 talks about Twellman's contract starting in the sixth paragraph: http://www.globe.com/dailyglobe2/262/sports/Earning_power_for_Twellman+.shtml Go REVS!!!
Thanks for the link VTsoccerfan. I'm glad to know Taylor's contract is renegotiable after each season, so he won't be vastly underpaid next year. He deserves to make the League maximum.
I didn't say selling but buying out of the contract, which would be worst case scenario if Twellmann absolutely wants to leave but MLS insists on the contract. What would happen then is FIFA playing the mediator and they do that - as law instances usually do - by taking the salary he'd earn until the end of the contract as base. With his current contract he'd earn 60K in the next two years, add some revenue and you'll be at 100K max. Consider that 30K is what a player earns in a wealthy German D4 club - and there a transfer to D1 is between 25 and 50K. As VTsoccerfan posted, the salary will probably rise, so the sum to buy him out will automatically rise as well. Let's say he's earing 300K from next season on and in the worst case scenario FIFA would establish a 750K transfer sum. But to make it clear: with a salary rise there is no reason for Twellman to leave MLS - my 100K and my whole assumption bases on his ridiculous income. Of course this only are worst case scenarios. The usual way will be that a club asks MLS and if they are not stupid they'll negotiate. Transfer sum then of course depends on the number of interested teams, etc. - so, just the usual way with a regular transfer sum. Stern John's 5M are not reachable anymore, but at least Twellman would make a sum with a M behind (1-2 I'd say)
He wouldn't go back with the outlook to play in D3, that's for sure. But he also couldn't go back and say "either I'll play or I don't come". Twellman's well aware that nobody donates him anything and that he'll have to fight his way into a pro team. With a MLS top scorer title he now of course has a standing he didn't have before. I'm not aware of it and of course he could develop more, but it's not that Donovan with 16 or 17 when he came to Leverkusen was a player on top level. Top junior level, top prospect - this of course, but at this age you're everything but a fully developed pro player. And if you're claiming that he had no development in Leverkusen, this would mean that he returned on his junior aged level to MLS - leading the league with prospect level doesn't exactly honor a leagues' standard. I mean, I don't want to start a war on who owes what to whom, but the difference between Donovan adn Twellman in this point - and I stated nothing else before - is that they respect the work on their development of their previous clubs differently. You're just adding too many things to make their situation "two peas in a pod". Of course they both returned to MLS from Germany where they didn't have the nice time they wanted to have and they both flourished in MLS, but they are simply two different persons with two different views and stories of the past.
Don't know about Twellman's statements regarding young players. All I know is the rumor that Lorant wanted him to be 24 before moving him up to pro level. Since almost exactly one year Peter Pacult is 1860's coach and today Benjamin Lauth, a 21 year old German forward prospect is regular starter at 1860. I just entered the age average and other stats of Bundesliga teams where you can verify or falsify your assumptions: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=19195