Huckerby to visit San Jose next week
By Jay Hipps · June 27, 2008
Yesterday may have been all about the Spain/Russia semifinal in Vienna, but today is all about the Quakes. (We’ll also note that Houston and Dallas delivered the draw we hoped for yesterday, which means the Western Conference is still as tight as ever.)
The Mercury News is reporting today that the Quakes are still pursuing former Norwich City star Darren Huckerby, who will visit both Toronto and San Jose next week. If you’re just tuning in to this story now, we’ll note again that Toronto filed the first claim on Huckerby through the MLS Discovery process, which means they get the first opportunity to sign him. If Hucks says no to the artificial turf of the Great White North, San Jose gets a chance to enter negotiations. (It’s too bad the Quakes don’t have a home game next week. The team is certain to be giving him a tour of the facilities and Buck Shaw really comes alive when it’s full of fans.)
The Merc’s story also mentions Francisco Lima’s trial with the team, a story our own Jeff Carlisle broke on Tuesday, and the new injuries to Jovan Kirovski and Gavin Glinton, a story we broke ourselves that same day.
We haven’t mentioned Lima yet here on the solar-powered soccer blog, so let’s address him now. Yes, he’s 37, and that’s old for most athletes. We have to remember, though, that it’s not old for all athletes. Preki was 40 when he won the MLS MVP award back in 2003, so it’s not impossible that Lima can still contribute. (He did play in 36 games for Brescia in Serie B during the 2007-08 season.) We didn’t get out to practice this week to see him, so we personally have no opinion on whether or not he can contribute, but just because a guy is 37 doesn’t mean he’s past it. (Hey, Carlos Valderrama played in MLS until he was 41, and all he has to show for it is a 22-foot bronze statue outside his hometown stadium, complete with his trademark hair. Although, come to think of it, Valderrama ran only slightly faster than the statue by the time he retired.) In any case, Lima is getting good reviews from Quakes GM John Doyle and, we understand, from Fox Soccer Channel’s Christopher Sullivan, so we will defer to their expert judgment on the matter.
That’s it for today. Look for a pre-game press wrap tomorrow morning.
nice it’s about time we start hearing something.! to bad lima is a def. mid you mentioned right? ’cause gray is doing great in that position. also, about huckerby it’s going to be tough to compete w/ toronto and a real stadium , as uppose to a glorified high school field that we have. hopefully he doesn’t like turf as you mentioned.
Lima is a holding mid, yes, and I agree that Gray has looked good there. When I interviewed Frank Yallop on June 4, he said that he thought the team needed a d-mid, but that was just before Gray’s first start, so his play may have changed Yallop’s thinking a bit.
I have to disagree with you about Buck Shaw, though. I think it’s a great venue for players — the turf is fantastic and the supporters can really influence a game because it’s so intimate. BMO Field only looks impressive when it’s full of fans, or from the one camera angle when you see the Toronto skyline. Otherwise, there’s not much to it. And yes, the turf…