The flight was long. The realization that the club he captained to three promotions in Scotland was so broke that he had to be let go was difficult. But on Wednesday, Chris Innes got back to doing what he knows best -- playing soccer. And that was the easiest thing for him.
"It was good to get back and playing football," Innes said. "It's been a couple of weeks since I've actually had the ball out. It was good to mix with the boys. It's hard for me to kind of get the language and the different accents and I'm sure for them as well. But they've made me very welcome and I enjoyed playing today."
After playing for 12 years in Scotland, the last three for Gretna, Innes is on a two-week trial with the New York Red Bulls. Being on trial itself is even stranger than training on an artificial turf field with a Major League Soccer club in New Jersey.
"You have to be mentally strong," the 31-year-old central defender said. "I never really anticipated going on trial anywhere because of my experience of playing in Scotland for 12 years. I never really seen this coming, but then again I could never have seen the demise of Gretna happening so quick."
Luckily for Innes, he spoke to a pair of former Gretna teammates in Kenny Deuchar (Real Salt Lake) and Tony Caig (Houston Dynamo) about their MLS experience before making the trans-Atlantic flight Tuesday. And Innes said MLS is more recognizable oversees because of the signing of David Beckham.
"I spoke at length with Tony, who had time in Vancouver with the Whitecaps (of the USL) and he spoke of great things about MLS, obviously with the MLS name getting more and more familiar with Europe and being held with a bit more respect," Innes said.
After doing some fitness work Tuesday, Innes finally got a chance to play with the Red Bulls in Wednesday's training session, playing centrally in Juan Carlos Osorio's back three with Kevin Goldthwaite on the left and Carlos Mendes on the right.
"He likes to defend, which is very important in defenders," Red Bulls coach Juan Carlos Osorio said of Innes. "He takes pride in blocking shots and winning headers. He's good in the air. I think so far he has made a good impression."
Added Goldthwaite: "He's good, talked a lot. I think he has some experience he potentially could bring to the team."
And Innes was equally impressed with the Red Bulls.
"I think the one thing you know straightaway is the team spirit," he said. "They have a great camaraderie between everybody, there's a good banter with all the different characters which is a refreshing thing to have in the dressing room. My first impression of the manager as well is exceptional. I think he's very thorough, he's got great ideas and it's a fantastic setup."
Since Innes isn't club-tied he isn't bound by the MLS transfer window, which expires on April 15. And therefore, Osorio doesn't have to rush to make a judgment on the Scottish defender. Osorio's first-choice defender was Venezuelan defender Gabriel Cichero of Deportivo Italia and both sides were close to coming to an agreement, according to sources.
"Unfortunately we couldn't sign him, so now we have to move on and look in a different way," Osorio said.
Among those the first-year Red Bulls coach is also targeting another Venezuelan, Jorge Rojas, a 31-year-old midfielder with Union Atletico Maracaibo.
"It's something we are considering, yes," Osorio said. "But it also involves another player. I'm resisting the temptation to just make a rash decision as to who I will end up signing. He's certainly a great candidate for this league and this team."
Osorio said he is also still very interested in Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Ernst Obster, and is still attempting to be able to hammer out a deal in this transfer window. And Osorio is hopeful that another still unnamed player who is out of contract will be in on a trial after clearing up visa issues.
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
