The Case for Klose
- Updated: January 17, 2015
Danilo Borges / copa2014.gov.br Licença Creative Commons Atribuição 3.0 Brasil
According to a report in German paper Bild, German striker Miroslav Klose, the all-time leading scorer at the FIFA World Cup, is mulling a move to Major League Soccer. If the price is right, the experienced goal scorer could be just what the New England Revolution need to become true MLS Cup favorites in 2015.
At 36 years old, Klose would clearly just be a short term investment. Yet, with superstar Jermaine Jones the backbone of the Revolution at 33 years old entering the season, the time to make a championship run may never be better than it is now. A short term move that pushes the team over edge now would be worth it.
Klose showed he still has something in the tank with two goals at the World Cup this summer. While his playing time with Lazio in Serie A this season has been limited—allegedly prompting his interest in an MLS move—Klose still has appeared in 15 games (5 starts) and has recorded three goals and three assists and added another two goals in two Coppa Italia matches. In his five Serie A starts alone, Klose has tallied two goals and two assists. Further, his retirement from the German National Team should help extend his career by eliminating trips across the globe for national team duty from his schedule.
The Revolution recently assured their strong midfield from 2014 would all return for 2015. Now, the team’s most pressing need is arguably at striker. Charlie Davies is the Revolution’s only returnee at the position, but while the Manchester, N.H. native performed very well down the stretch for the team, he only played in 18 regular season games, starting just 13 in 2014. It is still unclear whether Davies can be an everyday 90 minute starter over the course of the season, so entering 2015 without another experienced striker would be a risky proposition.
Klose has proven his ability to play as a lone striker at the highest level, including starting in that role this summer for Germany in their 7-1 thrashing of Brazil in the World Cup Semifinals and in their World Cup Final victory over Argentina. He has the skillset to hold up the ball and allow the Revolution’s creative attacking midfielders—think Lee Nguyen, Kelyn Rowe, Teal Bunbury and Diego Fagundez—to join the attack. At the same time, he’s a proven scorer, equally capable of finishing off an opportunity with his head or his feet.
If New England could get Klose in the fold, head coach Jay Heaps could rotate his strikers throughout the season to keep Davies and Klose fresh and limit injuries from overuse. For the first time in the Heaps’ era the team would have two capable, proven strikers in the mix offering unique skillsets to complement the team.
Yes, Klose would be a short term investment, but the time is right for the Revolution to be in win now mode and for that, Klose may be the answer.
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