Might be jumping the gun, but we may have to be replacing Howard failry soon. Pants is a great backup (when he is not being pummeled due to lack of effort from the rest of the team), but who for #1? Don't know that there is anyone else in the leaugue at the same lever. Any news out of the college's?
The replacement will be a toss up between Kasey Keller who we would trade every player on the team for and just start all of MetroStars Black OR we can promote Otavio Zambrano into scout/player development/goalkeeper. Of course this is all just in the realm of fiction, but stranger things have happened and will continue to happen with this club.....
USA Today reports that Howard will be in the Netherlands for 2 weeks training with Feyenoord's 2nd team and with one of its farm clubs. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/digest.htm A club like Feyenoord might be the perfect fit for Howard. If he signed with them, he'd likely begin with their reserve team. But with his talent and ability I would think he'd be challenging for a spot on the 1st team in no time. And unlike the UK, work permits in the Netherlands aren't particularly difficult to come by.
What I would like to know is how many MLS players since 1996 have signed with European clubs they trained with? (It's rhetorical, answer is 0)
Hello? Mike Duhaney? Ever hear of him? Former MLS ROY now kicking it old school in Deutschland? Dema Kovalenko also got a make-good deal with St. Pauli this winter (he made bad) after a training session...a few games in the Bundesliga that subsequently ruined him for the 2002 MLS season. What's the matter Eric, don't you believe that the world is watching MLS?
Very true. However, I'm thinking there might be a little more to this than the typical training overseas stint. For one, unlike the MLS players who train with English teams, Howard is in a position to easily qualify for a work permit in the Netherlands. And isn't Howard's contract up in a year's time or so? And, as I recall, Tim has shown some interest in going overseas to play. It seems as though Howard and Feyenoord would make a great match. Howard is developing into one of the U.S.'s best goalkeepers and our country's best GK's have been quite successful overseas. Feyenoord is one of those teams on the verge of becoming a full-fledged European power, and the addition of a few key players like a Tim Howard might be just what they need to help them reach the latter stages of the Champions League on a regular basis.
So you have no basis other than a hunch that the work permit rules are less stringent? I believe Teamtalk has an open postion for an MLS editor you might want to apply for. Sorry I like Timmy alot. But he ain't making them a CL power. In fact a few years ago they had one of the best goalies in the world and they promptly sold him to Liverpool. Without getting into the Economics of World Football too much, I don't think any Dutch team will ever challenge for the CL crown unless things change dramatically.
Let's get a grip. Howard is not going anywhere and neither is Jolley. Especialy not the mediocre Steve Jolley. It's call posturing. As for Mike Duhaney, please.
What I'm saying, eric, is that unlike many situations where MLS players train with European teams, there're plenty of plusses for both sides if Tim Howard were to sign with Feyenoord. Howard is the type of high-caliber player that a team like Feyenoord might seriously be interested in, and Feyenoord is the type of quality team that it would make sense for Howard to leave MLS for. And there're no work permit problems to potentially tie things up. Howard has indicated a fair degree of interest in playing in Europe, and if you look at the options available to him, the Netherlands is probably one of the more attractive. As to which Dutch team Howard might possibly play for, well, you've got me. But Feyenoord is always one of the top teams in the Netherlands, and unless they've got a couple of world-class keepers already playing for them, I'm sure they'd probably be interested in a player of Howard's talent and potential.
Kind of on topic, well not really....whatever happened to the keeper from Scotch Plains that trained with Man U a few years ago....he went over at 16 or so....I remember reading that he went to Rutgers but, I just looked at their roster and he isn't on it anymore.....Brad Lowyns.. I guess all of the 'training' overseas talk made me think of him....
According to one source, it's a 2 week trial. But maybe something was lost in the translation. http://www.sportal.com/live_wire/st...feed/02/10/07/SOCCER_Ned-Feyenoord_Brief.html
You're living in a dream world, son. A move for Timmy could happen at some point, but if he's signed by Feyenoord before the start of the MLS season and plays, I will retire as a bigsoccer poster. Tim howard is good, but not Euro high caliber. Good lord. As for the person who said Grafer is good, well, may I direct your attention to the final game of the season. He was just freakin' awful. Paul Grafer is not a division one back up goalkeeper.
and you seriously think that they are letting him train with them without any interest in taking a look at him...riiiiiiiight!!!
Obviously it's not the first day for you off the turnip truck. Forget it, it's not even worth responding to you. You might be the least informed person on these boards.
I'm going to file this in my "favorites" list Metrogo just in case Tim signs with their club. The fewer Metro posters on this board, the better, IMO.
No you got it wrong, South Park boy. The fewer non-Metro fans on this board, the better. Here's a link to the Burn board in case you can't find it yourself: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=19 . I realize there ain't much there, but there're nice "Laugh at the Rapids" and "6,360 last night" threads...
My apologies, Mr. Lenin. It is a bit ironic, though, that a Burn fan stirs things up on the Metro board by praising a MetroStar player's abilities, while one of the Metro fans denies the obvious and says that player isn't good enough to cut it with a top team in Europe.