HOUSTON – For years, Owen Coyle and Giles Barnes got a firsthand look at what Steven Gerrard could do in the English Premier League.
Now both are with the Houston Dynamo, and Gerrard is headed for the LA Galaxy (although not in time for Friday's clash with the Dynamo at 10:30 pm ET on UDN). And the Dynamo duo are confident Gerrard will bring the same skill level and work ethic that has powered his career up to now.
“He brings absolute quality. Steve’s obviously someone I know, and along with being a world-class player, he’s also an outstanding man,” said Coyle, who coached Burnley and Bolton Wanderers against Gerrard. “MLS and the LA Galaxy are very fortunate to have someone of that pedigree.”
Gerrard, with a legendary resume for Liverpool and England, is the type of household name that LA have been known to bring into the league. While he will not be in uniform for Houston's second meeting with the reigning champions, it is clear their most familiar duo are high on what Gerrard will bring to the league.
“He’s coming here to be successful for the Galaxy and win things and show everybody his quality,” Coyle said. “That’s the kind of man he is. It’s a fantastic coup for LA Galaxy and MLS.”
Gerrard, 34, will join New York City FC's Frank Lampard, 36, as 30-somethings to enter MLS in 2015 after storied careers in England’s top flight. The new LA man was recently given an emotional farewell at Anfield by the Merseyside club he led for so long.
After a long career battling it out in England, Barnes and Coyle have no doubt that Gerrard will bring the same tenacity and quality to MLS.
- Find more Orange news and notes at HoustonDynamo.com
“He’s still a fantastic player, and you don’t lose that passing ability,” said Barnes, himself an EPL veteran. “That’s a lot of the things people might question when players come over here for big money is their desire to win. With Steven Gerrard, it’s always going to be: He’s a winner. He’s a born leader, a born winner and he’s former captain of a great nation. To bring in someone of that caliber to the league is really exciting and fantastic for the league at the same time.”
Added Coyle: “He’s not coming here to sit back and put his feet up. I know people always levy that and try and get that leverage against the league, but I think MLS need to be applauded on this, because the individual clubs themselves have been very clever themselves in respect to signing someone that’s 31, 32 or 34 [years old]. The type of players they’re bringing – they're not coming to put their feet up; these are born winners.”
Gerrard is expected to be available for the third meeting of the season between the Galaxy and Dynamo, playoff rivals in years past, when the clubs meet in Houston on July 25.
Darrell Lovell covers the Houston Dynamo for MLSsoccer.com.
