London City midfielder bidding for spot with Scottish pro
team
Kathy RUMLESKI = London Free Press Soccer Reporter
July 15, 2000
London City midfielder bidding for spot with
Scottish pro team
By KATHY RUMLESKI -- London Free Press
A London City
midfielder has joined a growing list of Canadian Professional Soccer League
players who are heading overseas for professional team tryouts.
City
rookie Ryan Thomson, 17, caught the eye of Aberdeen of the Scottish Premier
League and has left for his tryout.
City manager Harry Gauss said
Thomson will be gone a minimum of three weeks but hopes to stay permanently.
"He figures even if Aberdeen doesn't like everything they see in the
package, there should be a Scottish team at some level that will keep him."
Gauss said the Kitchener native has the skills and size (six feet, 165
pounds) to be a professional player, but he may not be ready for a Premier team
yet.
"What holds him back is the fitness at this level that he's going
to. That's going to be an issue."
Three Toronto Olympians -- Elvis
Thomas, Brian Bowes and John Matus -- are travelling to Greece for tryouts with
three First Division teams.
CPSL leading scorer Leo Marasovic of Toronto
Croatia has a three-week tryout with NK Split of the Croatian National League.
"It's really hard to crack their lineup and the competition is very
fierce, but the opportunity to train with NK Split on a daily basis is great. I
know it will improve my overall soccer skills," Marasovic said.
Olympians coach David Gee is happy his team is getting international
attention but he'll miss Thomas, a midfielder, Bowes, a goalkeeper, and striker
Matus in his lineup.
The three Olympians will practise with Athens teams
Panionios and Ethnikois Astras and then will travel to Patra in southern Greece.
Olympians president Tom Katsavrias believes this exposure overseas will
bring more scouts to Canada to look at the talent here.
Gauss said
professional teams take a look at City players because the club is known to
scout and develop young talent.
"We're getting a major look because we
keep producing the rookie-of-the-year for the league. They know that we pick up
a lot of the young talent."
A London player has won the rookie award for
the last three seasons. London also had the top rookie in the last two years of
the former Canadian National Soccer League, which became the CPSL.
Although Gauss is sorry to lose Thomson, he has a replacement ready to
go.
Paul Victor arrived from the island of Dominica this week and will
play tomorrow in London's Cup game against the Olympians at Birchmount Stadium
in Toronto. "This one is a diamond," Gauss said.
Victor, 16, is the
youngest member of the Dominica national soccer team. The national team coach,
Kenrick Emanuel, played for City last season and sent Victor to London for some
experience.
City was forced to cancel its Cup game last night against
the Glen Shields Sun Devils due to flood conditions at Cove Road field. It has
been rescheduled for Aug. 4.
Posted on Jul 15 2000 , 05:16 PM
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