In Trinidad and Tobago, sports commentators say national team coach Francisco Maturana turned his training camp two weeks ago into a virtual American Idol. The coach, who played in the World Cup with Colombia, invited dozens of players from around the country to a pre-camp, just to get an impression. Among them was Scott Sealy, the striker Maccabi Tel Aviv recently signed, who debuted with the team on Monday against Maccabi Netanya.
"I play with only one striker, and I'm looking for someone with more power and presence," Maturana told Sealy before sending him home. The press wasn't surprised, considering Sealy was up against Sunderland's Kenwyne Jones.
Sealy might not have been Maccabi's first choice for a midseason acquisition a year ago, but times have changed. "Given financial restrictions, he's the best we could bring," said Avi Nimni, the team's manager.
For the 27-year-old, playing in Israel is a detour along his hopeful road to Europe, but then again he has not followed the typical path to soccer stardom. He actually started his professional career as a freestyle swimmer on Trinidad and Tobago's national team. At 15, Sealy made the transition to soccer in the local league and later starred in college with Wake Forest in North Carolina.
After college, he played with Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards, scoring a respectable 30 goals in 96 appearances. He was traded to the San Jose Earthquakes in the middle of the 2007-08 season. While he only scored twice in 14 appearances, the west coast club wanted him back this year. According to Frank Yallop, the San Jose head coach, Sealy is a "cunning guy who knows how to score and pass."
However, Sealy made it clear he wanted to "play in Europe and make more money."
Sealy's dream didn't come true - no English Premier League club made him an offer. Ironically, the fact that no team owns him makes it easier financially for Maccabi to sign the striker. It took Nimni just one practice to see that Sealy was the best among the three players trying out. Tonight, local soccer fans will get to see how he rates compared with the rest of his new teammates.