OPINION
Rangers manager Steven Gerrard has revealed that the club have taken on two trialists from the USA and will sign them up as soon as possible if they impress.
As reported by the Scottish Sun, USA international Matt Polster is looking to find a new club after leaving MLS side Chicago Fire, while college star Andrew Gutman is looking to sign professional terms after leaving the University of Indiana.
“I know Matt Polster and played against him in the MLS and I know he’s a good player,” said Gerrard.
“Andrew Gutman is one from the college system and is very highly thought of, so we’re going to have a look at the two of them for seven or eight days. We’ll see how they do.
“If we like them, we’ll try and do it as soon as possible.”
This is an interesting move for Rangers, and while there is no guarantee that either player will earn a deal with the club, it is an exciting development which could open a lot of doors at Ibrox.
Football is currently booming in America, a country where many are preoccupied by other sports such as basketball and American football, with ‘soccer’ set to overtake baseball as the nation’s third-favourite spectator sport [Forbes].
The growing number of players in the USA means that the MLS is improving year by year and the national team will soon be a force to be reckoned with.
The emergence of Christian Pulisic as a mainstream star for Borussia Dortmund is helping to drive that growth, and we are certainly set to see more American players make it in Europe in the near future.
By signing on Polster or Gutman, or both, Rangers would be opening the door to a conveyor belt of talented American players to come over and play at Ibrox.
By opening themselves up as a potential destination for American talent, Rangers could be onto a game-changer here when that new generation of players comes through across the pond.