John Rooney is reported to have signed with MLS and is available.

John Rooney's name is either a blessing or a curse, I suspect.  On different days.   He's the mercurial Wayne's brother and is either not quite the talent his brother is reputed to be, or is a talent in his own right but is beset by unrealistic expectations because of his brother, or his brother is not quite the talent he's cracked up to be and so John's shortcomings are really not that big a deal.   Regardless, the youngster with the big name has been in the Pacific NW training and visiting teams like the Sounders and the Timbers since last fall.   This past week there was a small piece in the paper.  (It's almost always a small piece in the paper.) that John has signed for MLS and will be available.


As a member of the Ould Guard of Portland Timbers supporters,  I find myself wondering about the calculations which might go on in the strategy room of the PTFC leadership.  If the young Rooney has any talent at all and can play decently at this level,  with the special seasoning of some 'heart',  would he be a marquee draw out of curiousity as much as anything else?  If he has no talent at all,  it's hard to believe the team would bother with him.   Gavin Wilkinson comes across as a very practical man, not unsympathetic,  but not given to flights of fancy with the club's money and limited roster slots.  Not to mention the rest of the leadership. All give evidence of a very carefully calculated decisionmaking process. And I applaud them for that.


Wil be interesting to see where the youngster lands.   Regardless,  it's got to be a hard road getting respect when your brother's Wayne Rooney.