a tall target man, powerful in the air with the ability to lead the offensive line and lay balls off to speedy colleagues -- was tailor-made for the Bundesliga.
Like many young players in Europe, Dortmund soon loaned out Casey to gain experience: first with Hannover 96 (where he played alongside Steve Cherundolo), and then Karlsruhe. He scored seven goals in 19 games as Hannover won promotion in his first season, and 14 goals in 30 games for Karlsruhe over two seasons.
That promising strike rate though wasn't good enough to get him a new contract at Dortmund, and he was traded to FSV Mainz 05 in 2004. During his second season in Hannover, injuries had limited his playing time, and the injury bug marred his time in Mainz as well, ultimately precipitating his return Stateside.
Having made his first appearance for the U.S. national team against Poland in 2004, Casey sustained an ACL tear while playing at the 2005 CONCACAF Gold Cup as the U.S. beat Cuba 4-1. That injury proved pivotal to Casey's European ambitions. Knee problems became a recurring theme for him and he missed a lot of playing time at Mainz and was unable to find the back of the net when he eventually returned to the field.
With his seemingly promising career following the path of several other young U.S. players in Germany over the years -- quickly dismissed when the inevitable goal drought suffered by all strikers hit -- Casey looked for a new start. His first inkling was to stay in Europe, but when a trial with RKC Waalwijk in Holland didn't pan out, Casey took the opportunity afforded by MLS to revive his career back home in 2007, first at Toronto FC and then more permanently with the Rapids.
His comeback has been one of the great MLS success stories. Although his initial return still featured an another ACL rehab stint, Casey came on strong in the second half of last year for the Rapids, scoring 11 goals on the season, and earning a recall to the U.S. national team, playing 14 minutes against Guatemala last November at his home stadium of Dick's Sporting Goods Park.
The big, burly striker has stayed healthy in 2009 and been scoring goals. He leads MLS with eight goals in 10 starts this season, including a brace against the Red Bulls last Saturday.
Nearly nine years on from his breakthrough performance at the 2000 Olympics, Casey finally has the chance to make an impression on the big stage again. With Brian McBride retired from the international scene and Ching coming up lame, Casey could stake a claim to lead the U.S. forward line on Saturday night.
Like the road to the World Cup itself, Casey's career has taken some unexpected detours, but now back home and healthy, the Rapids star has a shot at shooting for South Africa.
Mark Young is a contributor to MLSnet.com.
