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February 26, 2008
Two Ronnies for San Jose?
Last week, the Quakes were completely absent of anyone named "Ronnie." Today, they may have two.
As we first mentioned was in the works last week, Ronnie Ekelund officially joined San Jose's coaching staff today. Our congratulations to the Danish Gangster —that's how you do it!
Also, and this is still at the rumor stage, Toronto-based "The Score" is reporting that midfielder Ronnie O'Brien is on his way to San Jose. The story is also reported on a GolTV blog authored by Lee Godfrey.
The Score is reporting that the Quakes are giving up their first round pick in 2009 as well as an undisclosed amount of cash (i.e., allocation money).
O'Brien, 29, has played in MLS for six years. His best seasons were in Dallas, where he averaged 11 assists per year from 2004 to 2006. He's a threat in a dead ball situation and can hit crosses with accuracy and power, something like a right-footed Brad Davis.
O'Brien's career numbers can be found here.
It's worth noting that each of the Ronnies was signed by one of Europe's biggest teams. Ekelund made one appearance for Barcelona in the early 90's and O'Brien was on the books at Juventus from 1999 to 2002.
Posted by Jay at February 26, 2008 02:34 PM
Comments
You are not known for posting rumours, so this must be a done deal after "minor details" are worked out, no?
Posted by: Jorge at February 27, 2008 07:51 AM
I do try to avoid rumors, you're right. This one seemed well-sourced (a major Canadian media outlet) and, combined with the fact that O'Brien was not in training yesterday, it seemed like something worth mentioning. It still seems likely, even with the "no comment" from Mo Johnston today.
That said, I have not tried to confirm this with the Quakes, so it could all be a hallucination brought on by the Canadian over-consumption of maple syrup and Molson's.
Posted by: Jay Hipps, SSV at February 27, 2008 09:00 AM
This would be a fabulous deal! Ronnie & Ronnie! ...if it comes true, we'll be moving rapidly from an "expansion" squad to a very competitive one.
Posted by: Dylan at February 27, 2008 04:46 PM