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Salgado to train with Fulham

OmarSalgado1 (ISIPhotos.com)

Vancouver Whitecaps striker Omar Salgado, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2011 MLS Draft, will train with English club Fulham once the current U.S. Under-23 national team camp in Germany finishes up this week, sources told SBI on Tuesday.

Salgado, a 6-foot-4 striker with deceptive speed and impressive technical ability, will be training with the London club for the next two weeks. The 18-year-old U.S. Under-20 standout recently secured a Spanish passport in September, making a potential move to Europe easier if an offer is made to Vancouver for his services.

Salgado was seldom used by the Whitecaps in his rookie season, managing five starts and 14 total appearances for the expansion side, producing a goal and assist in 501 minutes of action. He made an impression on the reserve team level, finishing among the league leaders in reserve team goals.

Comments

  1. Why does it have to be either or? Instead of a big problem with one, why can’t there be a moderate-sized problem with both Soehn/Whitecaps and Salgado?

    In any case it’s his first year, remember before FIFA approved it there was a chance Salgado wouldn’t see ANY MLS action this year until September (his 18th birthday). He got in 500 minutes, a goal, an assist, and led the reserve league in scoring. If you were told that’s what he would do on draft day, you wouldn’t take it?

    He needs to mature both mentally and physically: be patient, put on a few pounds of muscle. Even comparing him to Jack McBean (ooh interest from Scotland!) is a joke. His ceiling is far beyond that if he grows into his body and doesn’t look as awkward as a newborn calf.

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  2. Frankly i don’t think you know what you are talking about. Vancouver does have the luxury to bring him along slowly, and frankly they don’t have much of a choice because he’s not shown he deserves any more time then he got. They have at least 2 starters ahead of him in terms of strikers, and arguably 2 others who are at the same level as him currently.

    Part of the problem is attitude and part of the problem is physical. The MLS is a physical league and for a player who was 17 years old (he turned 18 last September) who is 6’4 and 170 lbs it was obvious watching him get bounced off the ball that at least another 10 lbs were needed. On top of that Salgado’s attitude this season has been terrible at times, complaining to the local media about playing time and how frustrated he’s been, getting into shoving matches with teamates at practices.

    I don’t think anyone in Vancouver expected him to perform like a starter this last season. When he was drafted Whitecaps management said the reason they drafted him was cause they expected him to be the best player in time once he’s developed.

    Your assumptions are obviously made from afar with little or no attempt to back them up with facts.

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  3. Bla bla bla kid needs to keep his ego in check keep his head down and stay in MLS and work his way up. He will be “Omar who?” until he does something with the first team. The history of pro soccer is littered with the discarded carcasses of thousands of top “prospects” abandoned in ditches on the side of the road.

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  4. At this age, coaching, and the ability to be coached is all-important. If Soehns made those comments, he should not be a coach, or at least a coach who teaches younger athletes.

    Then again Salgado is not a soccer prodigy. He is big and quick and has some technical skills, but his soccer head. at least at the MLS and pro level, is not there yet. As a seventeen year old, this is to be expected. Going to Fulham, to train and learn is a “good thing”, but getting a pro contract for a European team,means you have a better chance of being “warehoused” on a reserve team, than by actually making a first team and playing. He would get better odds of improving lay by being a part of a team that will bring him along.

    You can look at the Galaxy and Bruce Arena, as an example. How many of the key players on the team were starting as rookies? An attribute of a good coach is his ability to “see” when a player id good enough to fill a role, OR can benefit by experience.

    Arena started Jack MsBean, a 16 year old up front for the Galaxy in only two games this year. For a half, against, and this truly is a baptism by fire: Manchester City and in the last game of the season he started and finished the whole game against a first team Houston where is he scored a goal and looked dangerous all game long. BUT, he gave up the ball constantly and was caught offside three times, in each case giving up possession that was needed a what was largely, for the Galaxy, a reserve squad as they rested the regulars. But Arena knew of his potential (and so do the Scottish) who because of his parents heritage have approached him for a switch, at least for their youth team. Arena has chosen to go slow and bring him along slowly.

    Vancouver does not have the luxury of “bringing along slowly” their first round draft pick, and unfairly expected him to perform for them his first year.

    That is a “rookie” club mistake.

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  5. Like!

    Good way to get exposed to the top tier without the pressure of money, loans, or signings that would typically go with the training.

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  6. Huh, What does this comment even mean? Vancouver was an expansion team. So yeah, chemistry might be a work in progress. And the idea that this 18 year old kid would have started for another MLS side and bagged a bunch of goals is bollocks.

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  7. Shea with Arsenal?

    Ream with Arsenal or West Brom?

    Now Salgado. Is it just me, or we seeing really good pairings of club to player in the “training session” department?

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  8. they get a chance to evaluate a player they deem a young talent. Or perhaps someone at Whitecaps knows someone at Fulham.

    Johnson gets to train at Man U b/c the goal keeping coach is friends with someone in Man U’s setup.

    On the other hand, Brek Shea is a talent that will require a large bid to require his services. He’s gathering interest from a large number of teams. His month long training stint is a chance for Arsenal to evaluate him and deem if he’ll be worth an investment without concerns of shooting him down or putting the ball in MLS’s court.

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  9. It’s obvious there is a benefit to MLS players training with Euro clubs over the break to stay sharp/in shape and learn a thing or two. But what is the benefit to the club? Why do all these clubs volunteer to let MLS guys train with them for a month or two? Is it just a cheap way to evaluate talent? And do the players earn room and board or do they pay their own way while there? Just curious.

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  10. hope to see him leave vancouver, I really wish he could go to a different MLS team. It was clear Vancouver thought they could just bring in anyone and make them work.

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  11. Tommy Soehn said he had a bad attitude but most around in mos agree tommy is the one with bad attitude and is generally not qualified to lead a club.

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  12. hopefully he polishes some of his talents at Fulham but he can’t be moved along too quick. He need to develop. I’ve also heard he has a bit of a poor attitude so hopefully that straightens out too.

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