Former Louisville Cards players Murray and Charlie Campbell won’t be playing major league soccer this year, but Freddie Braun will.
Murray, who was widely considered the stronger prospect of the two, was released by Sporting Kansas City shortly after the start of training camp. He was quickly picked up by the defending MLS champion Colorado Rapids, but his tryout there was also relatively brief and he was cut loose in mid-February.
Murray’s best shot at playing in the MLS is to get on with a team in the new North American Soccer League, which is the AAA level of American soccer. A good performance in the NASL can translate into a big-league contract as injuries and poor performances take their toll on rosters. Last week he was on a tryout with the NASL’s Puerto Rico Islanders.
As for Campbell, he was one of the last cuts from the FC Dallas roster last week. Reports out of Dallas were that the team really liked his speed down the flanks and his ability to cross the ball effectively. But Campbell was hamstrung (literally) by the month he missed after injuring his hammy early in training camp. Nothing yet on his next step.
But the MLS won’t be without a Louisville presence. Freddie Braun, a four-year starter for the Cards (2006-2009), was signed by the expansion Portland Timbers after a standout season last year with their minor-league incarnation. He was an all-league midfielder as the Timbers won the league title. Braun contemporary and Canada native John Jonke, who was a starter on defense for the Cards from 2006 to 2008 before turning pro and heading for Finland, just signed with FC Edmonton of the NASL.
Anybody know of any other former Cards playing in the pro ranks?