Pickens' fitness must be absolutely horrendous after not playing for such a long period of time. He really was very good in his time with the Fire but the last couple of years have been nothing short of a disaster.
How many clubs is he going to be turned down by before he finally gets the idea? Clubs just aren't interested in him at the moment. If he wants to stay in Europe so bad he needs to lower his sights: League 1, Norway, Sweden. Denmark and Belgium might even be out of reach at the moment. Or he can always just go sign with LA Galaxy...I'm sure they'd love to have him at the right price.
i could see these failed stints in various leagues detrimental to his confidence.... he needs to reestablish himself.... or at least find a steady paycheck... he should come back to the MLS... personally i think he was a bit inconsistent to venture abroad....
If he failed at Scottish teams he is not very likely to be accepted in Scandinavia. I`m actually a bit surprised i seem to remember a buddy of mine saying he was good and a possible for the US national team. But maybe i`m mixing him up with someone els.
He only missed half a year. Before that, he backed up Lee Camp at QPR. He was in the US training camps. The guy is incredibly athletic but a little raw and may have an unamiable personality. Not sure which of these has kept him unemployed for so long.
I'd wait until the January transfer to see if Falkirk is balking. If not, and if there is no other offers, then I think the gameplan is to get back in MLS. However, Chicago still owns his rights for another season. What people are missing is the fact that deals to other teams have been wrecked by Chicago already, this past season. They apparently want alot for him. Scandinavia is still possible.
Looks like we can remove him from the roles of the YAs (and the unemployed) as he has agreed to join Colorado of the MLS. http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/01/colorado-acquires-rights-to-matt-pickens.html
a little birdy in the sky here in Denver told me Bradley might be calling on Pickens. Still a Rapids player, Pickens has been absent all preseason and excused for "personal reasons". He's been on the trading block per Rapids insider. It was reported this week foreign interest was there. At, 31, Pickens has a ton to offer especially a young team needing veteran presence like Stabaek. He simply got beat out by Clint Irwin after he returned from a broken forearm. No shame in that. He's more than capable of being a #1 in MLS. The Rapids signed, this week, Joe Nasco, a NASL Best XI GK from Atlanta. That unofficially signaled an end to Pickens time in CO. The only stumbling block for Pickens is that he earned $250K last season. It was one of the main reasons that the Rapids looked (are looking) to move him. He's too expensive to be a backup. A salary in this range may be too much for cash strapped Stabaek. This may be the first of a series of trials lined up by Pickens --- who knows -- but there could easily be something to this. He would be a great pickup for them, though.
Interesting article on Pickens situation from the Denver post. We Rapids fans have seen this situation brewing for months and like always the Rapids FO just backs themselves in a corner. I am all for Pickens leaving but it could have been handled much better and faster. http://blogs.denverpost.com/rapids/...e-way-ticket-norway-rapids-bob-bradley/25646/