RT Offebacher: Sean Johnson (U-20) on trial/observation with Mainz05: http://www.allgemeine-zeitung.de/spo...05/7640872.htm Quote: Johnson kommt auf Empfehlung seines Beraters Steve Kelly, der auch den ehemaligen Mainzer und heutigen Dortmunder Neven Subotic zu seinen Schützlingen zählt und zu dem die 05er immer noch einen guten Draht haben. Eigentlich sollte Johnson mit der zweiten Mannschaft trainieren, aber nun ist die Konstellation für die 05er gleich doppelt praktisch: Sie können ein Torhütertalent begutachte und haben gleichzeitig einen zusätzlichen Torhüter im Training. Johnson was recommended by Steve Kelly who also represents the Ex Mainz and now Dortmund Player Neven Subotic and with whom Mainz maintains a good relationship. Johnson was supposed to train with the 2nd Team but the constellation for Mainz is now doubly practical: They can observe a Goalie Talent (Prospect) and have an additional Goalie in Training sessions. Note: Mueller is injured and rehabbing and Kleinheider is going to the U-21 State Tournament this week. Rep to him for the information, what do you guys think? He was the 3rd string guy for our U20's. Does this mean Perk and Lambo are that good? Or is Johnson going to be sent home? @import "http://diacache.daylife.com/_static/release-46080/v2/css/daylife/thickbox.css";
Not sure what to read into it except that if he's with Steve Kelly, he has an agent and ain't going back to school. Lambo's already got a contract, and Perk apparently is still at UCLA. Not sure it says much about his ability relative to the other guys apart from that he's a big, young YNT GK available for free. Also -- since neither Lambo nor Johnson played in Egypt, not sure we know for sure who was the #2.
He's another in our production line of huge goalies: 6'4", 220 according to his UCF bio. Hopefully Mainz likes him; that would be a good place to start his pro career.
Mainz is in the Bundesliga this year. The goalie situation there is a bit confusing. They already have three first team keepers, and are happy with that, so they probably wanted to give him a shot only for the second team; but all of their keepers injury troubles this season, they even got two keepers injured in a single game. So it's nice for them to have another keeper in training sessions, but he'd probably be number 4 or 5 in full strength, and had to compete for a spot in the reserves. On the other hand, who knows, and maybe they have injury troubles the whole season...
Hard to see a 19-year-old keeper competing for time on a BL1 squad (even a good BL2 one). He's a project- a talented one, but still a project.
According to SBI, Sean Johnson is close to signing a GA deal with MLS. We haven't heard much about trials in Europe lately, so this isn't too surprising.