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Union sign former Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Nikolov

OkaNikolov1 (Eintracht)

By DAN KARELL

When news spread that long time Eintracht Frankfurt goalkeeper Oka Nikolov had terminated his contract with the club and was bound for the United States, many signs pointed to the Philadelphia Union.

On Tuesday, the Union confirmed the rumors, announcing the signing of the 39-year-old Nikolov on a free transfer. Per club and MLS policies, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Outside of starting goalkeeper Zac MacMath, the Union have not had as much goalkeeping depth as they had hoped for. Nikolov will be able to step right into the number two role at the club, and could even potentially challenge for the starting spot depending on performances. Nikolov made over 400 appearances for Eintracht in his 22 years with the club, including 229 appearances in the Bundesliga.

What do you make of this signing? Do you see MacMath continuing to be the number one?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Zac, I know we are name brothers, but young keepers just suck. It takes years of experience to become a good keeper. Zac should be playing as much reserve football as he can.

    Reply
    • Yeah! Screw young goalies! Let’s sign that clueless old coot who did color commentary for the local telecasts of Union games last season. Go Union!

      Reply
    • “We’re excited to have a player with Nikolov’s experience and leadership join our team,” head coach John Hackworth said in a statement. “We think he will provide excellent depth and mentorship to our young goalkeepers.”

      Sounds like MacMath is still the starter for this team.

      Reply
  2. When it was announced he was coming to an unidentified MLS club I was sure it was RBNY. Looks like they missed out on Frank Rost 2.0.

    Reply
  3. Hopefully he can get Zac to learn how to communicate, organize his defense, and make better decisions as to when to come off his line. Zac’s best year was his rookie year and i believe that Mondragon’s leadership played a big role in that.

    Reply

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