Jermaine still has time to prove what he is made of.....He was voted Man of the Match in Dynamo's last game. He has 2014 World Cup Qualifying, Caribbean Cup 2012 in December and possibly CONCACAF Gold Cup next year...... ================================================================================
Houston accepts Geoff Cameron transfer offer from Stoke City
Published 3 hours and 33 minutes ago Last updated 1 hour and 53 minutes ago
By Brian StrausSporting News
The Houston Dynamo have accepted Stoke City’s bid for Geoff Cameron, leaving only MLS to sign off on the transfer that would send the U.S. national team defender to the English Premier League.
Stoke has offered $2.7 million for Cameron’s rights, according to the Houston Chronicle, two-thirds of which would go to the Dynamo. The other third would go to MLS, which owns all player contracts. That means MLS commissioner Don Garber and the board of governors must sign off on the move, which could happen this week.
U.S. national team defender Geoff Cameron may be on his way to Stoke City in the English Premier League. (AP Photo)
"The club is in favor of this transfer, and we are in support of it happening," Dynamo president Chris Canetti told the Chronicle. "We will continue to work with the league as they go through the process and make their decision."
Cameron, 26, has been a Dynamo regular since 2009 and has emerged as one of the top defensive players in MLS. He has the skill and range to play in midfield if necessary, but he has starred in back and was a key component of Houston’s run to the MLS Cup final last season. U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann brought Cameron back into the national team fold after a two-year absence and has used him in four games this year, including last month’s World Cup qualifier in Guatemala.
Cameron is scheduled to make $255,000 this year with the Dynamo. His contract runs through the 2014 season.
Stoke City finished 14th in the EPL in 2011-12 despite scoring only 36 goals in 38 games, the lowest total in the league.
_________________________ "Money doesn't change men, it merely unmasks them." - Henry Ford
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I watched two Houston games in person last year and I have several games on TV.
Cameron was playing a class above everyone on the field, he can play creative mid, holding mid, defensive mid or center back. Stoke City is getting a good value.
Jermaine Taylor is getting a golden chance to shine and increase his next contract value. Look for Dominic Kinnear to make JT a center back and Jevaughn playing one of the midfield anchors.
Jermaine Taylor can't play centrally in any quality team, and that is why they moved him to fullback. He is not even great there, but he is better there than in the middle where his errors can be fatal. Even a dunce like Tappa sees this.
Being a member of the USA side has helped Cameron get this transfer as well...playing in an established international side with professional players from all of Europe's top leagues, except La Liga, would help any player's game.
Is anyone in Jamaica really paying attention to what is going on in international football ?
It wouldn't appear so from the way the Reggaeboyz side is now being run.
I watched two Houston games in person last year and I have several games on TV.
Cameron was playing a class above everyone on the field, he can play creative mid, holding mid, defensive mid or center back. Stoke City is getting a good value.
Jermaine Taylor is getting a golden chance to shine and increase his next contract value. Look for Dominic Kinnear to make JT a center back and Jevaughn playing one of the midfield anchors.
Cameron has the potential to be a great player, he's got fantastic speed for a centerback and distributes very well out of the back. He hasn't been at his best playing as an attacking midfielder but I think he's capable of playing a holding/defensive midfield or centerback position at a very high level.
Taylor has actually been VERY good for the Dynamo, I've seen pretty much every start he's made this season in person. He's been confident on the ball and made very few mistakes, he's played one or two games at leftback as well as centerback. I'd bet he'll start at centerback for Houston most games the rest of the season.
A lot of people would like to see Watson play more but he's had a minor injury the past few matches. The Dynamo have recently been playing a 4-3-3 and I wouldn't be surprised to see him get slotted in at the right midfield spot soon.
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A Jamaican’s Journey Jermaine Taylor is determined to leave his mark on MLS July 18, 2012 Jonathan Kaplan HoustonDynamo.com
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This article appears in the July 18 gameday magazine. To see the complete magazine, click here.
If you are trying to unravel the mystery that is Jermaine Taylor, the first problem you encounter is: Where to begin? Do you start with the imposing center back who strikes fear in the hearts of opposing strikers the minute he steps on the field? Or how about the wide-eyed 20-year-old who captained Jamaica to the Caribbean U-20 title in 2005? Or let’s step back further to the 10-year-old boy who would risk beatings from his mother to play soccer with his friends instead of going to church on Sundays.
Wherever you choose to begin, the story starts and finishes with the game of soccer. But that was not always the case for Taylor.
“[Soccer] was never something I loved,” said Taylor. “I loved cricket. One day, we were on a pitch across from our house playing a cricket game, and when the match ended the boys started playing soccer.”
No one in Taylor’s immediate family had played soccer before. Taylor’s father was heavily into dominoes, and as a youngster, he recalls traveling all over to play dominoes with his father.
But once that 10-year-old boy discovered soccer, dominoes and cricket could not compare. Taylor played every day with his friends and three younger brothers and shortly after joined his school team.
“When I was in high school, my coach told me that if I kept playing hard, I could play for the national team one day,” said Taylor. “I never thought I could get to where I am now, but when he told me that, I decided to put more thought and effort into it and see where it could take me.”
Where it took him was a contract with Jamaican first division club Harbour View and a spot on the youth and senior national teams. Playing for the national team is a memory that Taylor will not soon forget.
“It was awesome,” Taylor recalls of his first time suiting up for the Reggae Boyz. “It was my first time playing in front of a crowd of 25,000 people. I believe it was against Panama in Jamaica. A couple weeks after that we had World Cup qualifiers and I was in those lineups as well.”
It did not take long for Taylor to make his mark on the national team. With Taylor anchoring the defensive line, Jamaica won the 2005 Digicel Caribbean Cup. His play earned him time in Gold Cup matches, World Cup qualifiers, and eventually the opportunity to wear the captain’s armband.
“It was an honor being able to wear the captain’s armband,” he said. “It was a great opportunity to work in a leadership role and help my country.”
Although Taylor had made a name for himself as one of the preeminent players in the Caribbean, it was not until late in 2010 that he caught the eye of Major League Soccer and Houston Dynamo head coach Dominic Kinnear. In the 2010 Caribbean Cup, Taylor anchored a Jamaican backline that allowed three goals in 510 minutes of tournament action and defeated Guadeloupe in the championship match in a penalty shootout.
“An agent had originally recommended him to us,” Kinnear said. “He was strong and good on the ball. We knew he had played for Jamaica a number of times, so with his experience playing at the international level, we knew he would not be put off by anything coming his way.
“We also had the opportunity to see him play in a friendly against Costa Rica. He did very well against [forward] Bryan Ruiz, who currently plays for [English Premier League club] Fulham.”
After two months of negotiations, the Dynamo purchased Taylor’s contract from Harbour View. The transition from Jamaica to the U.S. was made easier for Taylor by the presence of former Harbour View teammate and fellow countryman Lovel Palmer, who signed with the Dynamo prior to the 2010 season.
“You always want to be around somebody you are used to and comfortable with,” Taylor said of Palmer’s presence on the Dynamo. “You are always going to make friends going to a new team, but it’s nice to have someone around that you can talk to initially. Coming here and seeing Lovel,was a big boost for me.”
Mid-way through the 2011 season, the Jamaican pair was joined by a third countryman, midfielder Je-Vaughn Watson. Although Palmer is no longer with the squad, Taylor and Watson remain close friends and share an apartment in Houston.
“When I’m in Houston, I like to cook a lot,” the five-foot-ten center back said with a smile. “Je-Vaughn isn’t a big fan of cooking. He loves to eat more than he loves to cook, so when we are home, I do the cheffing and he does the eating.”
While Taylor serves as a valuable member of the team off the field, helping to keep his Jamaican teammate nourished, he has also proven his worth on the field. In the past two seasons, Taylor has played in 27 games and has tallied two assists. For a man who prides himself on being a professional, it did not take long for Taylor to endear himself to his teammates.
“He is a great guy,” Dynamo captain Brian Ching said. “He is definitely one of our better defenders. You knew from the start that he was a competitor, that he was going to come in and help us, and he has.”
Although Taylor had played primarily center back and central midfielder in Jamaica, with an influx of central defenders on the Dynamo roster, Kinnear opted to try his hulking center back on the flanks late in 2011 and again in the early portion of 2012.
“It was difficult,” Taylor said of the transition to outside back. “I always tell myself, ‘Wherever the coach wants me to play, I’ll play.’ This was my first time playing left back and right back, and sometimes playing both positions in one game. It’s hard, but I told myself I was ready to take on the challenge and fill that role, and so far I think I’m doing well.”
Most recently, however, with the Dynamo moving to a 4-3-3 formation, Taylor has found himself back in a comfortable role in the center of the defense.
“I enjoy playing center back because it’s my natural position,” Taylor said. “It’s where I’m most comfortable playing. I like to be in front of my goalkeeper and I never liked to get scored on.
“When I came here last year, I was just trying to get used to the transition and the speed of the game in the States. I think I’m there now and I just need to keep focused and do my thing.”
What he needs to stop is the ball watching and losing the ball in possession. He cut down on the loss of possession, now him need to reduce the ball watching and stop letting people be open in the box.
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Lincs,
He is learning to play with his strengths, while limiting his weaknesses, he is maturing into a solid professional balla, whose team is always in the hunt for trophies.
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Houston Dynamo (11-5-7) No team is playing better right now than the Dynamo, a club hitting on all cylinders and getting contributions all over the field. The key to continuing that form lies through the middle of the field, where Jermaine Taylor has excelled as Geoff Cameron's replacement in central defense and Ricardo Clark is being brought back (pending the approval of Cameron's UK work permit that will be the final step in his move to Stoke City) to reprise his role as alpha dog in central midfield.
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Dynamo's Taylor a game-time decision vs. Sporting KC November 6, 2012 Darrell Lovell MLSsoccer.com
HOUSTON – Houston Dynamo center back Jermaine Taylor is a game-time decision to suit up in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinal series against Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday (9 pm ET, MLS Live) after he returned to training on Tuesday.
The Jamaican international and Dynamo starter hurt his left knee in the 44th minute of Sunday’s opening leg trying to stop a Graham Zusi strike. After trying to return, the center back lasted 10 minutes before being lifted for Andre Hainault.
“As far as [Jermaine] goes he’ll be a game-time decision,” head coach Dominic Kinnear said. “We’re going to give him an extra day to see how he feels [Wednesday].”
LISTEN: Houston's Brad Davis on ExtraTime Radio
Taylor sat out Monday’s training but was back involved in running and passing drills before the club was scheduled to depart for Kansas City on Tuesday afternoon.
Kinnear said that the club would take an extra player in case the defender cannot go.
Taylor started 26 games during the regular season for the Dynamo, his second in the league.
The conventional option to replace an injured Taylor is Hainault, who was Houston’s Defender of the Year in 2011 and started 24 games during the regular season this year.
“He did great. It was an easy one with one guy missing in the backline,” Kinnear said of Hainault’s impromptu performance on Sunday. “Andre’s been there before. He’s tough. He’s prepared and he’s ready. So it was easy and I thought he came in and played well for us.”
Said Hainault: “It feels pretty familiar. I don’t feel to out of place there. Jermaine’s a tough guy and hopefully he’ll be back. It shouldn’t be too much drama for the Kansas City game.”
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
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There goes JT again with his one mandatory mistake every game. How can a central defender only tackle with the leading foot? That goal scored because he didn't lay out and go for the block.
