Peter Canero is 25 years old, in the prime of his career and he's played professionally in Scotland and England, all of which is slightly different from the foreign player prototype in MLS.
But Canero said he was looking for a change of atmosphere and he's found one with the MetroStars.
Canero came up through the youth ranks of Scottish club Kilmarnock and played there until 2004, when he earned a £250,000 transfer to Leicester City. He moved onto Dundee United last year before signing with the MetroStars.
After several youth caps, Canero earned his first full national team cap with Scotland against Denmark on April 28, 2004.
"I don't know, maybe I thought this was a lifestyle/career change for me," he said. "I played in England and Scotland since I was 17. I've played seven or eight years in these leagues and I just felt, and I spoke to [Metros coach] Maurice [Johnston] about coming over, it was time for a change. I've known about the league coming up and the players who were coming over [to England] and their standard. I just felt now is the time to try it."
Canero said his signing with the MetroStars came as a bit of shock to some oversees.
"A lot of people back home gave me a lot of shtick on both sides of the border, Scotland and England," he said. "But I felt coming over to the States was the best thing for me and obviously playing with the MetroStars, which is one of the best teams in the league, I just felt I've got to give it a go. If I look back and feel it wasn't what I thought, I can always look back and say I've tried it."
But he said playing for Johnston, a legend in Scotland and a fellow native of Glasgow, is why Canero gave MLS a shot.
"Mo is the main reason why I'm here," he said. "Speaking to him and what he's said about it is what persuaded me to come. It was a big decision for me but I trusted Mo."
Canero arrived in New York on Monday, went out with teammates in Manhattan Tuesday and had his first training session with the club Wednesday.
"I'm impressed. Everything I've seen so far has been really good," he said. "It is really what Maurice said to me. So far, so good."
While he is just getting to know most of his new teammates, Canero does have a bit of history with Youri Djorkaeff. He played against him in the English Premier League when Djorkaeff was with Bolton and in the UEFA Cup when the French World Cup champion played with Kaiserslautern and Canero was with Kilmarnock.
"It's been quite funny," said Canero of his connection to Djorkaeff.
Although he came up as a fullback, Canero is expected to provide pace down the right flank, which was evident in Thursday's training session.
"Him and [2005 No. 1 SuperDraft pick] Marvell Wynne will be very dangerous," Johnston said. "Both defend and both can move forward. Both have pace and they'll be exciting to watch. [Canero] is an intelligent player, he's not shy, he gets his tackles in and he works hard every day."
Dylan Butler is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
