Jake Gleeson
Jacob Christopher " Jake" Gleeson ( born June 26, 1990 in Palmerston North ) is a New Zealand soccer player. The goalkeeper plays since 2011 in Major League Soccer for the Portland Timbers.
Career
Gleeson was in 2007 for the New Zealand contingent upon winning the U-17 Football Ozeanienmeisterschaft and also graduated at the U -17 football World Cup 2007 in South Korea two games. He fell in the 0:7 defeat to Brazil on a British talent scouts who offered Gleeson sample training with Manchester United and Everton. But unlike his team-mate Chris Wood (West Bromwich Albion ) and Lance Heslop (Aston Villa ) it was not enough for a move to England for Gleeson. After winning the championship in 2007 with Western Suburbs in the Central Premier League, got his career in the following years to a halt. From 2008 to 2010, the young keeper played only sporadically for Team Wellington in the New Zealand Football Championship, the top division of the country. End of 2008, the goalkeeper with the New Zealand U -20 team at the U-20 Football Ozeanienmeisterschaft part, reached with his team but behind Tahiti and New Caledonia, only the third place and therefore also missed qualifying for the Junior World Cup in 2009.
In spring 2010, learned Gavin Wilkinson, coach of the U.S. professional club Portland Timbers and former New Zealand national team, the interests of the Seattle Sounders to the goalie talent. Gleeson subsequently received by the Timbers an offer, 2010 for the second team to play the Portland Timbers U23 's in the USL PDL and move up the possibility for the following season in the newly formed team in Major League Soccer. Gleeson took the offer and dominated the U-23 team league. The team won all 16 games of the regular season and remained in the Championship play-offs without defeat. By a 4-1 win in the finals Timbers were the first team in the league history, won all season games.
In February 2011 he received along with U-23 team-mate Freddie Brown a professional contract for the MLS team. Gleeson's development was also the New Zealand coach Ricki Herbert is not hidden, the nominated goalkeepers for a friendly against China in March 2011 for the New Zealand national team. The Timbers Gleeson was scheduled early in the season as the third goalkeeper, but for the season opener because of an injury he sat by Troy Perkins on the bench and said, therefore his international participation from. Finally to his league debut, he appeared at the second game against the Toronto FC after Perkins substitute Adin Brown injured in the half-time break had to be replaced. Gleeson was also in the following match days in the starting lineup and played inter alia the first home game in MLS history of the club, a 4-2 win on 14 April 2011 against the Chicago Fire SC.
Although for outstanding saves in games against Toronto and FC Dallas each received the award Gleeson "Save of the Week", he had to leave the preference Perkins after his convalescence.
On 5 June 2011, he debuted in the New Zealand national football team in a friendly against Australia, when he replaced in the 0-3 defeat for the last 13 minutes Glen Moss.