Great article by the Guardian about Giles Barnes - Houston's London import

quote:

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MLS is clearly still a seductive alternative to the English second tier for thirtysomethings – see Steven Caldwell, Kenny Miller, Robert Earnshaw and Andy O'Brien. But the presence of Driver and Barnes, especially at a medium-sized club in a blue-collar city, shows the progress of MLS: the league is catching up to the lifestyle. The pay is good enough, and the standard high enough, to persuade talented players in mid-career to cross the Atlantic.

Barnes and Driver are open to staying long term, but confident enough, given the league's reputation and profile, that they will be seen and offered the chance to return to Europe if their form merits it. MLS is a renaissance league, not a retirement league.

"In the scramble after the [English] season finished, boys haven't got clubs, my phone was ringing quite regularly," says Barnes. "I've even had agents ringing, [saying] 'Is there someone you can put me in touch with', blah blah blah. Some of them are profile, name players - there's Premier League guys. I had a phone call from one guy I'm not going to name who has played in the Premier League for six or seven years now. His contract is coming up, he wanted to come over to MLS and asked me what I thought.

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