New York Red Bulls and Miroslav Klose: a perfect deal - MLS special
Miroslav klose just can’t seem to stop scoring while donning the esteemed Die Nationalelf jersey. The forward might be a first team outcast at Bayern Munich, but his big game pedigree means Klose is still a favourite of Joachim Loew’s – much like Lukas Podolski. The German International is rumoured to be moving to the Major League Soccer (MLS) outfit, New York Red Bulls, at the end of the season.
The Red Bulls are limited on striking options following Juan Pablo Angel’s departure from the club. Angel’s contract with the club expired recently and he has moved to the rival MLS outfit, Los Angeles Galaxy. Should he make the anticipated move, Klose would be The Red Bulls’ third designated player signing after Angel and Rafael Marquez.
The striker started his club career in the 4th tier of German league system with FC 08 Homburg. In just 20 appearances, Klose scored an impactful 11 goals. After just one season, the forward made it to FC Kaiserslautern’s reserve team in the Bundesliga, and finally secured his position in the first team after a year. Klose scored 33 goals in 67 appearances for Die Roten.
The German International’s next career stop was SV Werder Bremen, where the striker truly exploded into life, scoring 53 times in just 89 appearances. His exploits with Bremen earned him interest from European heavy weights with the likes of Juventus and Barcelona reportedly making bids for his services. Bayern Munich, courtesy club president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge’s admiration, were also in pursuit of the forward’s signature.
On 26th June, 2007, Klose finally completed his switch to the Bavarians. Even though injuries have clearly hampered Klose’s stint with the Munich giants, the polish born striker has scored a decent 24 goals for Die Roten in 87 appearances.
Where Klose’s club career never really took off, his International exploits are simply legendary. Granted, Germany never won any silverware with Klose providing the goals, his 58 goals in 105 appearances are still worth a place in Die Mannschaft folklore. Golden boot at 2006 FIFA World Cup, 2nd on the list of all time leading World Cup goal scorers and 2nd on the list of all time goal scorers for Germany. The list of International honours simply goes on.
With Mario Gomez and Thomas Muller forming a telepathic understanding in Bayern attack, Klose’s first team chances have been cut short, prompting the 32-year-old to look for a career elsewhere. Lazio, Real Madrid, Juventus and Racing Santander have reportedly shown interest in landing the German International. With Klose’s contract with Bayern running out in June, the forward will be looking for a new outfit come June.
Klose is not getting any younger and chances of him signing for an elite European club are slim. His wage demands and insistence on first team football will go against him in Europe. In Major League Soccer, however, this situation is unlikely to be an issue. American outfits have gambled on 'spent' football stars in the past, offering them lucrative contracts. With Klose’s reputation preceding him wherever he goes, he’ll get his heart’s wish; first team football and a contract deserving of his status.
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