http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/2004-01-28-convey-beasley_x.htm This article is dated yesterday, but I didn't see it posted here. From Convey, "Obviously I'd love to play in England this summer."
It would be tough to replace Bobby's 2 goals and 1 assist. Beasley on the otherhand would be tough to replace for the Fire. If Bobby wants to go get schooled in England so badly let him go.
What an informative article. That is completely shocking that they want to go to Europe. I never saw it coming.
What a misleading headline. It made me think Convey's problems were solved since he and Beasley could get Euro passports...
I expect the topic of passports is a sore spot for young Bobby: http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562132585 "U.S. captain Bobby Convey was unable to play (in a U-20 qualifier against Haiti) because he didn't have his passport."
So is Bobby planning on joining some pick-up games across the pond, because as far as I know, which isn't very far, summer is about the only season when football ISN'T being played in England... I guess pre-season training could be during the summer...
This article raises several questions and concerns for me. The last sentences mention that players will start to wait until they're free agents to move to Europe. Isn't this really bad for MLS. We need that transfer money for salary and facility upgrades. Second, DMB's agent is clearly blaming MLS for not getting him a move to Europe. How much were we asking Middlesborough and Ajax for him? Is MLS asking for high transfer fees because they'd like some stars sticking around and developing the league? If I were in charge I'd try to get as many of the young players as possible on loan deals with European teams over the offseason. I realize the recent transfer window problems prevent that.
What an entirely worthless article. I learn more about the business of soccer from BS than from that article. Passports??? What passports? This article brings up the possibility of the two players getting a "passport" to play, then says a "...work permit, which is a prerequisite for non-European Union workers to be employed." must be obtained. Then the article doesn't address how Bobby and Beasley are going to get their work permits. You can sign all the contracts to play that you want, you still have to qualify for that WP. And if Bobby's appearance #'s don't get him there yet, I wouldn't think anything in his play since last summer has "distinguished" him any further than since he last applied. I'm gonna sleep on it and then write USA Today a letter accusing them of Shoddy Journalism. This article offends me. It's almost like a posting on a message board... Thx, Jay!
I think the key point here is that Bobby still really want to go to England and he wants to go ASAP, which for him, is August. There had been some speculation, at least here on BS, that playing for Peter Nowak or playing central midfield, would motivate Convey to want to stay and put going to Europe off for awhile. Instead, we have the guy Nowak says he wants to quarterback our offense saying he still wants to bolt the first chance he gets. See ya. "Thanks for the memories guys and sorry about leaving you in the lurch before the playoff crunch starts, but hey, the Premier League beckons and I'm meant for bigger things than what MLS has to offer." So, what does that mean for DC United? Well, for the sake of argument, let's assume three things things: That there are still Premier League teams that want Bobby and are willing to pay the transfer fee MLS sets for him; that he can get his work permit this time; and that the U23 team qualifes for Athens. The Olympics start in mid-August. Figure they'll have a camp similar to the World Cup team in advance of leaving for the tournament. That means Convey is outa here sometime in mid-to late July. That's great for him, but where does that leave United and should the team count on him being the playmaker, arguably the most important position on the team, if he's only gonna be available for three and a half months of the regular season? Personally, I would be much more comfortable if United went out and got another playmaker BEFORE the season starts and let Convey play alongside him in a five-man midfield or let Bobby play outwide in a 4-4-2. But, to have Convey running the show when we know he's outie the first chance he gets is, IMO, foolish.
FYI - Journalists don't get to write their own headlines. They have people who do that separately from the actual writer of the article - thus the person doing the headlines often has no clue about the subject matter and simply is seeking an eye catching combination of words...