Ryan Meara [Archive]

Sullivinho

01/05/2012, 2:25 PM

Ryan has made contact and wants to play for us.
He was already an Irish citizen and it was just a matter of getting his passport which he has now.

Fair play to him, very positive.

6ft. 4, U-21, first-team regular. A reason other than Robbie to watch MLS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AGWcADj1UhE

DannyInvincible

01/05/2012, 2:29 PM

Interesting and promising development. I wonder what influenced his decision. Could Robbie's move to the MLS have contributed in raising our profile over there? Maybe we'll see more Irish Americans declaring in future. Would be a fantastic source of potential; not to release the FAI of their responsibilities at home, of course.

AlaskaFox

01/05/2012, 2:30 PM

Some interesting comments on the MLS post about him:
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/01/kick-meara-pledges-international-future-ireland

paul_oshea

01/05/2012, 2:47 PM

I'd only pick him if he pronounces his surname the Irish way.

Sorry, not trying to ruin the joke, but how else can you pronounce me-ra? With no prefixed O' it can't be pronounced mara....even if the yanks just cut it off anyway.

irishFan86 writes for that sometimes, perhaps he can shed some more light on his quality?

CraftyToePoke

01/05/2012, 2:56 PM

Interesting and promising development. I wonder what influenced his decision. Could Robbie's move to the MLS have contributed in raising our profile over there?

Or will being Irish as opposed to Irish American smooth a path for a move to Europe at all ? Don't US players still hit work permit issues sometimes? I could be very wrong on this and concede in advance if so. Welcome aboard Ryan, great to see and hopefully Robbie was a factor also.

Stuttgart88

01/05/2012, 2:58 PM

Oh eff off Paul. Mara or Meera. Duh. It doesn't need an "O".

God, to think the football gods decided to award you a ticket.

Anyway, I think I'd have made all those saves that Sully linked above. Seriously.

IsMiseSean

01/05/2012, 3:03 PM

Could Robbie's move to the MLS have contributed in raising our profile over there? Maybe we'll see more Irish Americans declaring in future.
Good point that. I reckon it had something to do with it. He probably also sees playing for Ireland as a better chance to get a move to England/Scotland.

paul_oshea

01/05/2012, 3:08 PM

Dodge

01/05/2012, 3:12 PM

Or will being Irish as opposed to Irish American smooth a path for a move to Europe at all ? Don't US players still hit work permit issues sometimes? I could be very wrong on this and concede in advance if so

Once he has an Irish passport, whether he plays for Ireland, the US or anyone else wouldn't matter. He'd be a citizen of the EU and entitled to work where he liked (Several brazilian internationals have Portuguese passports, Argentinians with Italian passports etc etc). All treated exactly the same way as if born in Ireland

DannyInvincible

01/05/2012, 3:12 PM

Or will being Irish as opposed to Irish American smooth a path for a move to Europe at all ? Don't US players still hit work permit issues sometimes? I could be very wrong on this and concede in advance if so. Welcome aboard Ryan, great to see and hopefully Robbie was a factor also.

He wouldn't necessarily have had to declare for Ireland in order to claim his entitlement to Irish/EU citizenship by virtue of his Irish grandparents.

AlaskaFox

01/05/2012, 3:32 PM

Good point that. I reckon it had something to do with it. He probably also sees playing for Ireland as a better chance to get a move to England/Scotland.

This could well be it. A move to Europe would be more likely if he's in the Ireland squad.

However, maybe he's just very Irish. There's loads of Americans for whom "heritage" is the most important thing.

Olé Olé

01/05/2012, 3:40 PM

Given that many Irish-Americans seem to attach a lot of pride to their Irish heritage, it's quite surprising at this stage that more (other than Joe Lapira) haven't declared at this stage.

I think the point about Robbie is a valid one. He's the first Irish international to play in the MLS, while Ronnie O'Brien was seemingly in fine form for Dallas and didn't play for Ireland during this period. With Robbie there the door has been opened perhaps.

If this had been explored in the past who knows what players would have declared for Ireland. Names such as Clint Dempsey, John O'Brien, Brian McBride, Brek Shea and Michael Bradley spring to mind immediately, whether or not they are even eligible. I remember reading Landon Donovan isn't eligible on the basis that his father is Canadian (unsure of his ancestry after that).

Metrostars

01/05/2012, 5:49 PM

Considering he is just out of college, he has made an impressive start to his career. NY was on the fence about getting a new goalkeeper after Frank Rost retired last year and even after they picked Meara in the draft, the expectation was that they would still go and get a more established goalkeeper. But I guess he impressed the coaches in preseason and they decided to stick with him. The team has let in a bunch of goals so far but that is more due to their porous defense than Meara. In fact he's kept the team in a number of close games with his play.

He still has a lot to learn but he's good on crosses and seems to be fearless.

Predator

01/05/2012, 6:04 PM

I can see him getting a half against the Danes and that'll be it. McLoughlin has been the first choice 'keeper for King despite competition from (initially) Branagan and Quirke, and later McCarey.

Of course, I could be horribly wrong.

Metrostars

01/05/2012, 6:44 PM

Apparently not....

“I got called in for the U-21s, but the Red Bulls would rather me stay here and focus on continuing to win games here,” Meara told MLSsoccer.com following Tuesday's training. “My main focus is here as well. We have a great team and I think the goal is the MLS Cup, so that’s all I’m focusing on.”

The camp and games fall during the international break at the end of May and beginning of June, but FIFA regulations do not require the Red Bulls to let Meara go since he is being summoned for a youth team competition.

That, however, does not mean the 21-year-old has no interest in international soccer.

“Any player wants to push themselves and see how far they can go,” said Meara, who is eligible to represent Ireland through his grandparents. “It’s an honor to be considered for Ireland, but like I said, right now, I am focused on what’s going on here with the Red Bulls.”

Fresh off recording his first clean sheet as a professional this past weekend, Meara revealed Ireland first touched base with him during the preseason, and that he has not had any contact with anyone in the US Soccer organization.

Born in Yonkers, N.Y., Meara is eligible to represent the United States, and he has previously expressed an admiration for US men’s national team goalkeeper Tim Howard. Still, he was noncommittal when asked if he would play for the US.

“Every player wants to play international soccer,” said Meara. “But for me, I’ll cross that bridge when that comes.”

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/05/01/red-bulls-deny-goalkeeper-meara-u-21-euro-qualifier-call

Manblue

01/05/2012, 7:01 PM

Based solely on the footage posted above, they can keep him,,, looks bang average

Predator

01/05/2012, 7:03 PM

“Every player wants to play international soccer,” said Meara. “But for me, I’ll cross that bridge when that comes.”

Evidently, Meara does not consider playing for Ireland "international soccer".

irishfan86

02/05/2012, 12:02 AM

To be honest I haven't watched much of the Red Bulls lately so can't comment on his ability. That said, if there's one area that I feel MLS is just as good as any league around it's between the sticks.

As watchers of English football know well, North American trained goalkeepers are some of the best around.

If Meara is getting a chance to start for one of the clubs with the greatest resources in MLS at just the age of 21 it says a lot.

It's worth bearing in mind that the previous goalkeeper was Frank Rost, a German classified as a "Designated Player," so if their manager, Hans Backe, is going with Meara in the period immediately following Rost's departure I think that's also a positive.

Now for the downside: Backe is notorious for getting players to agree to put club before country. He convinced Joel Lindpere to retire from Estonia (although he did come out of retirement for the playoffs against us), and I think a lot of MLS clubs understandably want nothing to do with European call-ups given they often clash with the league's summer schedule and mess with sleep patterns, etc.

Anyway, can't hurt to have another option but with Westwood around I think we're set for quite some time in any event. Until Meara verifies his status as a "good Catholic boy" I won't hold my breath...

SkStu

02/05/2012, 12:40 AM

All stinks a bit of career progression as opposed to Irish pride to me... (though he does suggest the FAI approached him)

theworm2345

02/05/2012, 12:51 AM

No thanks.

cclinton

02/05/2012, 1:08 AM

He still has a lot to learn but he's good on crosses and seems to be fearless.

From what I saw in an MLS game a few weeks ago vs Columbus, this would be accurate. ..got a lot to learn and is brave. He really does need to play a lot more club games so that we can see if there's true potential for the level we would want for him. He's at a tricky point as to whether he should come over for a U21 call-up because he really needs to consolidate his club position. (The fact that he is not being released is unusual for an mls club. The league itself has many examples of it's players putting country before club and games not being canceled, although most are full team callups. )

I have to laugh at comments such as has Robbie playing for LA had an effect on raising our profile. --- we really don't have much of an opinion of ourselves sometimes. WE are bigger than that. Lads like Meara, and there are many of them, are totally immersed and highly knowledgeable about the game. I've not read all the links in this thread, but I did read a few weeks ago that Meara has played gaa. I doubt his "Irishness" is defined by an Irish U21 camp call up. That's entirely not needed anyway (in this context) - there's gks playing in the epl, who started out with New York team and with Columbus.

DannyInvincible

02/05/2012, 1:40 AM

I have to laugh at comments such as has Robbie playing for LA had an effect on raising our profile. --- we really don't have much of an opinion of ourselves sometimes. WE are bigger than that.

I suggested it might be the case. Admittedly, I haven't a clue what sort of profile we have in the US, but. surely if it was one of any great significance, we'd have benefited a bit more from the Irish diaspora there than just one-cap-wonder Joey Lapira.

Have we had many Irish Americans play for us over the years?

tricky_colour

02/05/2012, 1:43 AM

Fair play to him, very positive.

6ft. 4, U-21, first-team regular. A reason other than Robbie to watch MLS.

He must have been watching Pat Jennings and learned the one handed save technique!! (at 1.13)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjbe6AMMsyI&feature=related

tricky_colour

02/05/2012, 1:55 AM

I suggested it might be the case. Admittedly, I haven't a clue what sort of profile we have in the US, but. surely if it was one of any great significance, we'd have benefited a bit more from the Irish diaspora there than just one-cap-wonder Joey Lapira.

Have we had many Irish Americans play for us over the years?

Not that I can think of.
One reason would be they are not good enough, another reason to be considered is how much they could make financially
for playing for the USA, a third would be the time zone difference and distance you would have to travel.
It's a fair trot across the Atlantic and back. Especially for those on the west coast, a 7.30pm kick off here is
a 2.30am kick off of a USA player.
So if you see Robbie nodding off during a match you will know why, mind you the time difference in Poland
for him is -9 hours so he will be kicking off at 4.30 am in his local time so by the end of the match he might
start to wake up.

AlaskaFox

02/05/2012, 8:32 AM

Sorry, not trying to ruin the joke, but how else can you pronounce me-ra? With no prefixed O' it can't be pronounced mara....even if the yanks just cut it off anyway.

irishFan86 writes for that sometimes, perhaps he can shed some more light on his quality?

MARE-uh allegedly:
http://www.newyorkredbulls.com/news/2012/01/red-bulls-draft-goalkeeper-and-fordham-product-ryan-meara

So probably like Mayor-a, not mara, or meera.

Stuttgart88

02/05/2012, 9:04 AM

Pual, the moral of this episode is never underestimate Americans' ability to find a new pronunciation for a foreign name.

Co-lin Powell FFS.

Charlie Darwin

02/05/2012, 12:01 PM

The different pronunciations isn't really surprising. The name O'Meara is from Tipperary - you can see why Americans, for instance, would hear immigrants pronouncing it the Irish way but hear it Mare-ah or Meer-ah because of the Munster accent.

cclinton

02/05/2012, 12:59 PM

never underestimate the ability of the Irish to think pronunciation should be one way, and their way only ;-)

strangeirish

02/05/2012, 1:08 PM

Pual, the moral of this episode is never underestimate Americans' ability to find a new pronunciation for a foreign name.

Co-lin Powell FFS.
That's because he's an a**hole...

Metrostars

02/05/2012, 2:26 PM

BTW, La versus NY at the weekend should be interesting with Keane versus Meara.

Closed Account

02/05/2012, 3:18 PM

Keane hasn't travelled to Seattle for tonights game, hope he's fit for weekend

***Update*** ESPNLA Soccer writer Scott French has confirmed that Robbie Keane did not travel with the Galaxy to Seattle as well. Would be interesting if Pat Noonan is given the start tomorrow, considering his Sounders history.

fionnsci

02/05/2012, 6:10 PM

Based solely on the footage posted above, they can keep him,,, looks bang average

What should he have done? Made dramatic dives for each routine save? He wasn't tested in that video, there's no way of knowing how good he is from it.

fionnsci

02/05/2012, 6:17 PM

DannyInvincible

02/05/2012, 6:40 PM

Interesting on the pronunciation side of things, comes up with McClean too. I don't think that it's that his name is to be pronounced McClane, it's just that that's how McClean sounds in a Derry accent? Then again, that's all that different pronunciations are anyway, regional differences.

Nothing to do with the accent. The Derry accent can distinguish between the "cleen" and "clane" sounds quite easily. I would imagine that its pronunciation as "McClane" is rooted in the pronunciation of it's Gaelic origin; Mac Gille Eathain.

SolitudeRed

02/05/2012, 7:01 PM

Interesting on the pronunciation side of things, comes up with McClean too. I don't think that it's that his name is to be pronounced McClane, it's just that that's how McClean sounds in a Derry accent? Then again, that's all that different pronunciations are anyway, regional differences. Anyway as a rule, however someone pronounces their name is how everyone else should say it too - Tim Cahill.

sorry for thinking aloud!

In Belfast people would pronounce it McClane too so it isn't down to the Derry accent! PS what is going on with this forum and a new found obsession with how names are pronounced :confused:

Sullivinho

02/05/2012, 7:50 PM

PS what is going on with this forum and a new found obsession with how names are pronounced :confused:

Hmmm, a major tournament imminent and the bulk of discussion turns to the minutia of name pronunciation..

George Hamilton's aliases have been well and truly exposed! 'Paul O'Shea' indeed.

Stuttgart88

02/05/2012, 8:13 PM

Those of us who have actually heard Paul speak would realise why pronunciation is an issue. His cover is still in tact.

Olé Olé

02/05/2012, 10:06 PM

Anyway as a rule, however someone pronounces their name is how everyone else should say it too

Been watching too much 'Keeping Up Appearances', have we? :D

tricky_colour

03/05/2012, 2:42 AM

Is Paul O'Shea pronounced Paul O'Shay or Paul or O'Shia?

paul_oshea

03/05/2012, 9:39 AM

Those of us who have actually heard Paul speak would realise why pronunciation is an issue. His cover is still in tact.

Yes We do, We speak the QE, rather splendid old chap.

Eminence Grise

03/05/2012, 3:31 PM

But do we all write it, old chap? And can anybody who is forthright claim their cover is 'in tact?'

(Yes: it's a dull day at the Grise building of gainful employ - would much rather this thread was about Rooney Mara...)

DannyInvincible

03/05/2012, 7:29 PM

It appears Meara was keen to accept the call-up but his boss, Hans Backe, decided to block it, viewing it as "stupid" for some reason: http://www.onceametro.com/2012/5/2/2994809/somebody-at-the-fai-really-****ed-hans-backe-off

"I just told him we will turn it down," coach Hans Backe said.

"He wants to play; I don’t want [it], so that’s why."

...

"It’s stupid. I’m not commenting on it," Backe said.

Sounds rather harsh on the young lad.

Irwin3

03/05/2012, 8:52 PM

"It’s stupid. I’m not commenting on it," Backe said.

What an idiot. Makes a ridiculous comment and then says I'm not commenting on it... Moron.

cclinton

23/08/2012, 10:31 PM

Meara needs hip surgery so is out of the remainder of the MLS season

DannyInvincible

18/12/2012, 10:30 PM

'Ryan Meara signs new deal with New York Red Bulls': http://newyork.sbnation.com/2012/12/18/3781892/ryan-meara-signs-new-deal-with-new-york-red-bulls

Ryan Meara, the Fordham graduate who started 18 games for the New York Red Bulls last season before being sidelined by season-ending hip surgery, will return to the Red Bulls next season. The team announced Tuesday that Meara has signed a new contract.

"Ryan, a local boy, has impressed our coaching staff and has the potential to be a top goalkeeper," said Red Bulls Sporting Director Andy Roxburgh. "He is recovering well from his injury problem and should be fully fit to join the first team squad in preseason training. We are delighted to sign him on a new contract."

Meara was an early contender for MLS Rookie of the Year before being injured. He surrendered 1.50 goals per game in his 18 starts, compiling a 9-5-4 record. The Yonkers, NY native set the shutout record earlier this year for a rookie goalkeeper, not conceding a goal in 321 minutes while helping the Red Bulls to a five-match winning streak.