Great clips there eirebhoy. He's definitely worth a shot.
Anyone know anything about Tony Schuller? He's supposed to be a very talented player in the DC United underage team. I heard he's from Washington but has declared for Ireland.
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Great clips there eirebhoy. He's definitely worth a shot.
Anyone know anything about Tony Schuller? He's supposed to be a very talented player in the DC United underage team. I heard he's from Washington but has declared for Ireland.
we should be lookin to get as big a squad as possible in so when we get an injury or two we are in less of a total crisis than we usually are
I've been watching a lot of O'Brien since he came over here to MLS. He doesnt play a pure winger role for Dallas, and while he is an attacking right-ish midfielder he can pop up anywhere on the field. Broke his leg a few years ago against the DC United scum. Has a knack of scoring a few nice goals.
He is probably rated about number 10 or so of all midfielders in MLS. Put it this way, if he was a citizen, Arena would have capped him by now and Arena is no slouch when it comes to evaluating talent. Whether he would like to play for Ireland, I am not so sure. I know he had some past issues with Kerr and in an interview last year gave the impression that he is happy with what he has got in Dallas.
For for moving to the Metrostars, I don't think that is going to happen. There is talk of a trade between Dallas and the Metros but that is Honduran Amado Guevara for US kid Eddie Johnson who you will likely see in the world cup. O'Brien is being mentioned as part of that deal but I don't think that will happen. Plus we already have Youri Djorkaeff who does a similar role for the Metros.
As I have said before here I think O'Brien should be given a friendly or two to see what he has got. It's hard to tell if his great performances for Dallas will translate to playing well for Ireland as the style of game is different and the pace of MLS is much slower than typical English-style games.
BTW if anyone has more questions on MLS, let me know.
Cheers for the update Metrostars.
I don't know if you'd be able to answer this but if I was going to watch a full Dallas match on this site, what one would you recommend to get to see a lot of O'Brien?
Don't know him but didn't we give a game to a US born & based centre-half in an under-17 (?) game last year?Quote:
Originally Posted by TheJamaicanP.M.
check out the 8/6 game against the Metrostars.Quote:
Originally Posted by eirebhoy
From The FAI site re the U-18 teamQuote:
Originally Posted by Stuttgart88
Michael Keohane (IMG Soccer Academy, USA)
Born in the USA, Michael Keohane qualifies for Ireland though an Irish father. Based with the IMG Soccer Academy in Florida, he is a top goalkeeper who has been involved in US underage development squads.
Thanks!
I think he's worth a punt, to be fair he has played for Juventus who are a class act. I think he's worth a shout, as the Major Soccer League isnt too bad these days. Playing all over the world in different climates and leagues with different styles of play can give average players an edge in terms of experience.
I'd let the lad have a proper run in some friendlies and see how he does.
That's a great clip of him scoring by rounding the 'keeper. I haven't seen an Irish player round a goalie with such aplomb since Gary Breen against Malta :)
Ronnie for Ireland. Maybe not, but what a goal
http://media.putfile.com/Ronnie-OBrien-GOTW-3
That's got a fair few views, where did you see that posted? :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Donegalcelt
:rolleyes: I'd really need to start reading older posts. Hope you don't have a copyright on that!
Rumers Stateside are that Ronnie O could be on his way to NY Red Bulls (formerly Metrostars).
If Ronnie didn't get called up to play for his country when he was with Juventus, no matter how good he is there is no chance he will get called up playing for Dallas Burn/FC or whatever handle they have this season. Amazing goal right enough though!
Ronnie scored another nice one last night:
http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/sights/
page down to "04/29: O'Brien ties it for FC Dallas"
he may have played for juve, but he also failed at longford and bray. much as im delighted that he has resurrected his career, bear in mind he failed in the EL TWICE!Quote:
Originally Posted by cfdh_edmundo
'Twas back in the day though RTID and a lot of water has passed under the proverbial bridge since. I expect he'd be the best player in the eL by a country mile were he to sign for any of its clubs now. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by Roverstillidie
:ball: PP
he may be an EL and juventus reject ... but that was all years ago. you can't judge him on his form from the past.
his form over the last few years, and this season so far, seems to warrant a look at the least. what happened to Stan's world wide web, he seems to fit the bill perfectly
Unless he relocates to Europe, having him in the team for qualifying matches is essentially useless.
Jet-lag and the general tire of travel renders top players fairly average.
Trust me, I live in Canada and follow the national team. Their European based players, who are their top players, really struggle with the travel involved in getting over here for qualifiers, after weeks of top-tier football that is tiring enough as is.
O'Brien, if he was good enough, would only have practical value in big tournaments.
But what about Brazil, Argentina, USA whose best players all play in Europe? They all qualified easily enough.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
As I've said before, Ronnie should be given a look. But it wont happen because football doesnt exist outside of Europe according to most people in Ireland/Eurosnobs.
Granted it is not a great league but still produces some good players. But discounting it completely is a very blind approach. And Ronnie is probably in the top 20 players.
are they mutually exclusive? :pQuote:
Originally Posted by Tuff Paddy
USA got to the quarter finals with a team of mostly MLS players 4 years ago so it cant be all that bad
I watch a bit of MLS and while it is not a top league, Metrostars evaluation of it seems to be fairly accurate.
There are great talents to be found there, but its main problem lies in the fact that there isn't a big market for home-grown soccer/football in North America. A lot of North Americans will watch a game between European sides from time to time, but they have little to no interest in football involving primarily American born players.
I'd rate the league as somewhere between mid-championship to mid-league 1 standard.
Never has a player with so little talent got so much publicity
This fella could teach David Beckham a thing or two
if we hadnt voted him time man of the century, would this thread exist?Quote:
Originally Posted by hoops1
Nail on the head there Metro, you are correct. Eircom players have more chance of a cap. If O'Brien was any good he wouldn't have 'retired' to the MLS.Quote:
Originally Posted by Metrostars
As you say in the Big Apple - ENOUGH ALREADY.
I was in the US a while ago and saw the Metrostars. Not a great game. Then I went to California to see the Earthquakes and it was the most exciting game I've seen in years. Their passing that day was better than half of the teams in the Premiership, and their athleticism was fantastic. They're not aftaid to shoot from outside the box, either.
It'd be interesting to see some MLS teams upagainst eircom League teams.
I saw an U10s match yesterday, Kevins v Shels, their passing was excellent and their athleticism was fantastic.Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimokita
rovers toured the us about 12 years ago, dished out some serious hidings....Quote:
Originally Posted by Shimokita
ahh sure theres no point going then so! boot could well be on the other foot this time one may assume...Quote:
Originally Posted by Roverstillidie
Read an article about him in the Sunday Times a few years back. It was basically singing his praises but stated that he was never going to be selected for Ireland while Kerr was in charge. I'm not 100% sure but I've a feeling that the article mentioned an incident that happened between him and Kerr while he was manager of the youth teams. Is that correct?
eL reject ?
as far as i know he was at middlesborough for a few years, they released him and he signed for juventus for 2seasons. i dont think he is a reject of the eircom league however.Quote:
Originally Posted by Roo69
Yeah i was thinking that, i know Ronnie from schoolboy football, a year below me at the same club and had a feeling he never played in the eL. I know Bray tried to sign him on loan a few seasons ago in the MLS off-season but he got injured. Was released by boro, went to juve then on loan to a few lower leage italian clubs and a swiss club as well. Played in a champions league qualifer for Juve with del perio up front if im not mistaken.Quote:
Originally Posted by livehead1
He also went on loan to Dundee United a few years ago and barely got a game from what I can recall which doesn't inspire confidence in him. Footballers thrive on confidence though so if he's been doing well I don't see the harm in having a look at him, he could be a different player by now.
if mark hughes hadn't came along at blackburn we could also be saying, stephen reid...he was at blackburn a couple of years ago but hardly played a game and was useless. its true players can change.Quote:
Originally Posted by drinkfeckarse
Today, it doesnt really matter what he did at Juve, Boro, Dundee United etc. That's a few years ago. How is he doing now does matter.
I've watched him play in MLS the last few years and he has done really well. I would include him for a friendly to see what he has got.
Ronnie O'Brien makes the MLS All-Stars squad to play Chelsea at the weekend. Didn't Celtic play a MLS All-Stars selection recently? I don't think O'Brien featured in that.
Metrostars - any comment on the strength of this All-Stars selection? My boss, a US soccer enthusiast, reckons that in general the MLS All-Stars would be better than the US national side.
If O'Brien can get in the best in US selection, then surely he can get in the best 23 of the Irish selection? At least he has to be given a chance. You'd hope that Stan or someone will look at a tape of this game at least. The squad also includes a Richard Mulrooney who I hadn't heard of previously but a quick google search shows he has 14 US caps. A defensive midfielder apparently.
MLS All Stars - Complete Roster:
Goalkeepers: Troy Perkins (D.C. United), Joe Cannon (Colorado Rapids)
Coach: Defenders: Eddie Pope (Real Salt Lake), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Chris Albright (Los Angeles Galaxy), Bobby Boswell (D.C. United), Josh Gros (D.C. United)
Midfielders: Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Christian Gomez (D.C. United), Dwayne De Rosario (Houston Dynamo), Freddy Adu (D.C. United), Pablo Mastroeni (Colorado Rapids), Ronnie O'Brien (FC Dallas), Richard Mulrooney (FC Dallas) Forwards: Jaime Moreno (D.C. United), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Nate Jaqua (Chicago Fire), Alecko Eskandarian (D.C. United)
Coach: Peter Nowak (D.C. United)