Gazza worth the risk

Gascoigne is looking to show off his skills Stateside

By Sean Wheelock BBC Sport Online

Paul Gascoigne made his first steps towards joining Major League Soccer (MLS) side DC United this week.

Gazza begins US trial

Currently out of contract, the ex-England midfielder could sign to play the remainder of the MLS campaign which concludes on 20 October.

If he comes with the right attitude then he'll be great

Tony Meola

Although the maximum salary allowed by MLS is $270,000-a-year before endorsements, established foreign stars have previously commanded upwards of $1m during the league's seven-year history.

"We are always interested in putting out the best team possible," DC United's senior director of communications Doug Hicks told BBC Sport Online.

"Paul is a brilliant footballer. We look forward to seeing him train, and determining what his goals are for the remainder of his football career."

Gazza's US dream

Although rumours of Gascoigne's arrival in MLS began to circulate in 1997, the present situation has come to fruition because of United manager Ray Hudson.

Gascoigne set for US move

Hudson is a native of Newcastle who began his professional career with the Magpies before moving to the now defunct North American Soccer League in the 1970s.

Gough had a spell with Kansas City

He has openly coveted the opportunity to bring Gascoigne to his club.

Although MLS actually contracts and pays its footballers, individual clubs can request certain players, as is the case with DC United and Gascoigne.

Likewise, a star player such as Gascoigne can demand which club he be assigned to by MLS.

Such a situation occurred in 1997 when ex-Scottish international Richard Gough joined Kansas City Wizards at the behest of former Rangers team-mate Mo Johnston.

The last foreign star to join MLS was Lothar Matthaus in 1999, in a move that proved both disastrous and embarrassing for the league.

The former German captain looked largely disinterested while appearing in just 16 of 32 league matches for the New York-based MetroStars, while claiming a number of mysterious ailments and injuries.

Matthaus was rumoured to have been paid upwards of $1.5m and given a Manhattan penthouse for his less-than-stellar effort.

Meola is a veteran of the MLS

Since the Matthaus debacle - and likely because of it - MLS has shifted its focus to attracting young and relatively inexpensive international footballers.

A prime example is 22-year-old Guatemalan striker Carlos Ruiz, who is currently tied for leading goalscorer in the MLS with 14.

The signing of Gascoigne would be a move away from that policy, although it is already garnering support throughout the league.

Sports Talk: Excitement mounting Stateside?

Even with the man who coached Matthaus during his one MLS campaign.

"I think Gascoigne is a charismatic, great player," MetroStars manager Octavio Zambrano told BBC Sport Online. "He will be fun to watch.

"I saw him at his best, and if he can have that kind of fitness, intensity, and heart, then there's no reason why he can't play great games in this league."

US and Kansas City Wizards goalkeeper Tony Meola, who has been in the league since it began in 1996, says Gascoigne's arrival could be positive.

Great success

"He will be good if he comes to play. We've seen so many foreigners in the past have come here and thought that it would be a walk in the park," Meola told BBC Sport Online.

"If he comes with the right attitude then he'll be great. The guy can flat out play."

Johnston, Lubos Kubik, Roberto Donadoni, Carlos Valderrama and Peter Novak are examples of ex-internationals who joined MLS in their mid-thirties and went on to great success and popularity in the league.

It is with these footballers in mind that DC United and the MLS remain optimistic about the future and potential of Gascoigne in the league.

Such a man capable of attracting fans and media to MLS, while still possessing the skill to dominate at this level, seems worth the risk.

Even for a man with Gascoigne's troubled history.