Jay Needham Signs with Austin
February 5th, 2010 . 1:14 pm . By: Buzz CarrickSurprise I didn’t talk about it exceeds surprise he signed a USL deal. My favorite all-time SMU player, Jay Needham, signs with the Austin Aztex. Needham chose Austin despite some interest from other clubs in the US and Europe. I think it safe to speculate that the salary, security, and home state appeal were the determining factor on choosing USL over MLS, or whatever else might have been on the table. Needham started his pro career with the Puerto Rico Islanders after being drafted by DC United. Named USL Rookie of the Year as a right back for PRI, Needham moved to Alta in Norway prior to his second season. His first season in Norway Needham played center back, helping Alta stay up for the first time in their history. In his second season Needham moved to holding midfielder, was named captain, and led Alta to a club record 42 points and a 6th place finish, their highest ever. I still think he has MLS level talent. If I were to be so bold, he might fit well into the Daniel Hernandez role in the FCD set up. I also might be biased. There, all better? 8 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
I wonder how much this has to do with his eye injury.
oops. wrong jay.
I was wondering about the delay on Buzz reporting this one… I haven’t followed him at all, but from what I’ve heard it sounds like his team in Norway gave him meaningful minutes, considered a key part of their success, and still wanted him. So if he is good enough for Norway I would think he’d be good enough for MLS, but maybe the right opportunity just didn’t come up this year. I am guessing it is fair to consider him one of the top 5 defenders in USL although I don’t follow that league enough to know all players. If he catches eyes with his play in USL, I wonder if he’ll be loaned/sold to MLS quickly and Jay is hoping/expecting that to happen rather than play out 3 years in USL
Strange that he would leave that situation in Norway. playing time and captain???
I think he wanted to be back in the US, which to me is more understandable than the choice of USL over MLS. Most people view Norway’s league as a higher quality than MLS, so you’d think he could handle MLS easily
To be clear I think Jay is an MLS level talent though not a star. He was very good for Alta but be aware they are in the second level of Norwegian soccer which is probably more like the USl not MLS in quality. Alta is a very isolated place, inside the arctic circle and looong way from the weather he was accustom to in Dallas or Porto Rico. He a great guy and I wish him well.
To be clear I think Jay is an MLS level talent though not a star. He was very good for Alta but be aware they are in the second level of Norwegian soccer which is probably more like the USl not MLS in quality. Alta is a very isolated place, inside the arctic circle and looong way from the weather he was accustom to in Dallas or Porto Rico.
So is this yet another situation where MLS says, you turned down our contract offer when you were drafted, you get the same offer now? Typically it’s for guys who flame out, but that doesn’t seem to be the deal here. Are his rights still owned by DC?