The newest Red Bulls designated player could pass, trap and shoot in Major League Soccer for years to come, and yet might not ever have a more difficult match physically than the one he pushed through last week.
Newly arrived into the country, with just one Red Bulls practice behind him, Cahill went the full 90 in temperatures well into the 90s down in Houston, where it also tends to be quite muggy.
The plan was to pull the former Everton man at some point after halftime, but you know what they say about the best laid plans; injuries and some odd circumstances saw the Red Bulls burn through their allotment of three subs before their Goodison Park transplant could be removed.
So take that, Cahill. You’ll play 90 minutes – and you will like it!
The Aussie international wasn’t complaining. He talks about that and lots more in a good piece from Roger Bennett at ESPN.com.
One interesting bit from the story is about Cahill’s new home ground in Harrison, N.J., still-shiny-new Red Bull Arena. We all think of England, where his former club is based, as the place where soccer is everything it should be.
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But according to Cahill, even some of the venerable brands in the highly honored Premiership are now chasing Major League Soccer in terms of facilities. He wasn’t 100 percent impressed with the hard ground under foot at BBVA Compass Stadium, but he certainly fancies some of the swell stadiums here.
Your next chance to see Cahill is just hours away, as Hans Backe’s team faces Houston on the NBC Sports Network. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET.