Soccer: Portland's Gleeson could be a keeper

The club vs country debate evokes plenty of agitation but for Jake Gleeson, a call-up to play for his country nearly jeopardised his professional contract.

The 20-year-old was selected for the All Whites to play against China in March and looms as a natural replacement when Mark Paston finally gives the game away but was a late withdrawal because he was needed by his MLS club.

Often New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert would turn down a request like this because it was a Fifa window and he had every right to pick who he wanted. But Gleeson's situation was different.

The MLS operates very differently to other professional leagues around the world. Not only are they fascinated by mindless statistics and use different jargon but they also have a different contracting structure - players are contracted to the league, not the club.

Portland Timbers have three goalkeepers and, with two already injured, Gleeson was needed.

If he went to China with the All Whites, Gleeson, who is on a non-guaranteed contract (the other two are on guaranteed contracts because they have played more than three seasons in the league), would have had to drop off the roster to allow them to sign another goalkeeper as cover.

It's not as complicated as it sounds but the upshot would have seen Gleeson lose his Portland contract with no guarantee of when, or if, he would be picked up again.

Given where he had come from, he didn't want that.

Less than two years previously, he had been ready to give football away. He might have been a standout for New Zealand at the 2007 Under-17 World Cup and picked up trials with both Manchester United and Everton but he was drifting around the Wellington football scene unable to get a game.

His path to the Wellington Phoenix was blocked. He barely got a run for Team Wellington in the NZFC. And he didn't qualify for a scholarship to a US college because he had neglected his studies towards the end of his high school years because of football.

"Nothing was really happening for me," he says. "I was training with Central League clubs in Wellington but I fell into a slump and was not really going anywhere.

"It was a pretty crazy period for me and I didn't see any way I was going to make it professionally. I felt I had the tools to give it a go but didn't have the chance to prove it. I was frustrated and thought, 'if this is it, then I'll pack it in and do something else'. The next Central League season, I probably wouldn't have played or even played in midfield just for fun."

The last 12 months, however, have been entirely enjoyable. He was convinced to stick with football and got a chance when Portland wanted him for their under-23 side last season.

As a club about to be welcomed into the MLS for 2011, it was essentially a 12-month trial. Someone, it seemed, believed in him, too.

Their confidence in him was well placed. Gleeson played a leading role in helping the under-23 side win all 20 games in lifting the Premier Development League title. Even more importantly than that for him, he was offered a contract with the MLS side.

Gleeson knew his place in the world. He was signed as the Timbers' No3 keeper and didn't expect to see much action other than the occasional exhibition or reserve team game. That was until Troy Perkins and Adin Brown, both US national team players, were injured.

He's now played four MLS games, including the club's first MLS game at home in front of 20,000 rabid fans in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Fire, and has twice been awarded the MLS Save of the Week.

"I don't really take these things too seriously," Gleeson says. "The first one shouldn't have won it because it wasn't a great save. It's a public vote and I think my family and friends probably voted 100 times each for me."

The second, however, was world-class as he pushed a shot on to the crossbar to underline his potential.

Gleeson has since made way for Perkins in the starting side but is now No2 and, at 20, prepared to bide his time ... for now.

"For me, it's motivation to train and work even harder," he says. "I've had a taste of the MLS now and it's up to me to get that spot back. It's not easy, because Troy is a great keeper ... but the sooner I get in there, the better."

Portland technical director Gavin Wilkinson has no doubt Gleeson will make it. He was amazed he was even available for them in the first place.

"Signing him was probably one of my best moves," the former All Whites defender says. "I love the kid.

"We rate him extremely highly. His training habits are fantastic, his personality suits the professional game - there are so many things to like about this player.

"We think he's a keeper with a very bright future. He's still learning and will get plenty of opportunities in the future. He's someone we will continue to invest time and money in.

"I was extremely surprised he wasn't already playing professionally. It's good fortune for us. I honestly think he has all the attributes to play at the highest level possible. I have been around players like that and what he can do is unique and he is still very young."

It's why Wilkinson asked Herbert if Gleeson could forgo the All Whites' international against China. They didn't want to let him go. They also needed someone they trusted to be in goal for their first home game, a match Wilkinson described as their most important in franchise history.

"I couldn't just leave the club because they were in a bad situation," Gleeson says. "It was tough because playing for the All Whites is a dream.

"But I probably made the right decision. I'm 20 years old, so the chances of me playing for the All Whites in the future are hopefully good. I got to play four MLS games and the chance to show people what I can do.

"Looking back, I think about how close I was to giving the game away. One person believed in me to give me a chance. I think I have done okay for myself. But I still have a lot more to come."