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Fri, Mar

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Scott SealyFormer Trinidad and Tobago striker Scott Sealy is seeking a contract in Europe, as he strives to continue his football career.

The 28-year-old, who has scored twice in his 24 international appearances, is now a free agent following a brief stint with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

The affable Sealy, after graduating from Wake Forest University in North Carolina, United States in 2004, was selected by Major League Soccer (MLS) club Kansas City Wizards in the MLS Super Draft of 2005, before he was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in July 2008.

After completing the season with San Jose, he signed for Maccabi last February but the move was short-lived and Sealy is back home, weighing his future options.

In a recent interview, Sealy described his year as “up and down”.

“After MLS I went to Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel for four months and right now I’m in the process of looking for another (club),” he said. “I went to Turkey on a trial (with club Ankaragucu).

“The trial went well but (there were) just problems with the club at the time,” continued Sealy. “There was lots going on. There was a takeover, with a president-change and things ended up falling through. So, right now, I’m still waiting and hoping on something to get done.”

At the moment, he acknowledges that his career is on a standstill but he is eager to resume playing as soon as possible.

“For me, the most important thing is playing,” said Sealy. “I have a couple offers in Israel but it’s something that I want to take a bit more time (to) make a decision on because I have a family to see about as well (a wife and two children).

“And the deal in Israel is not the most ideal situation for them,” he continued. “So, right now, I’m just weighing the options and hopefully something else will develop somewhere, where I think I could be more comfortable with the family. And then I’ll go from there.”

He has no regrets about his dream to seek a European contract, after his four years in the MLS.

“MLS went well,” he admitted. “Me leaving wasn’t a knock against MLS or that I thought the standard wasn’t high.

“The standard is continuing to grow but I wanted a new challenge,” Sealy emphasised. “So that was the thought process behind leaving and the ideal situation was to go to Europe right away.

“But things didn’t go as planned and I ended up going to Israel. My main goal is to get to Europe somehow and try to take it from there.”

Sealy is philosophical about his chances of regaining a spot on the Trinidad and Tobago team.

“It’s a matter of playing consistently somewhere,” he said. “I think if I get myself to Europe, I think I’ll have a better chance because, no matter who’s coaching the team, they tend to lean to the European-based players a little more.

“But, with Russell (Latapy) coming in (as coach), you see a lot of players getting a chance, local players especially,” he added. “For me, most importantly, is playing somewhere consistently and, after that, I can’t control whether I get called up or not. I’ll leave that up for the coach to make that decision.”

He admitted that there is still a chance that he may return to the MLS, but he is setting his sights on the European continent. “I want to play in Europe. And that’s my goal, that’s my focus right now,” he ended.