Adding Faryd Mondragon through a free transfer and drafting Zac MacMath apparently isn't enough goalkeeping talent for Piotr Nowak and the Philadelphia Union.
Coming in as an on-trial player is former Trinadad and Tobago under-17 and under-20 goalkeeper Thorne Holder. Interestingly enough, Holder spent time with the University of Maryland, learning under the same system and coaches as current Union goalkeeper MacMath.
The 24-year-old Tobago native moved to Adelphia University from Maryland and had a great senior year in 2010. Starting 16 of 18 games he appeared in for Adelphia, Holder had 58 saves and let in 14 goals for a 0.77 goals against average. He was named to the All-Atlantic Soccer Conference First Team for a second year-in-a-row in 2010.
Newsday.co.tt quotes Trinadad and Tobago's Football Federation technical director, Lincoln Phillips, as hoping that Holder's time with the Union will help the young goalkeeper continue to develop:
This is a wonderful opportunity for one of our goalkeepers to enhance his development by receiving the kind of exposure in the USA. Thorne has been a persistent and hardworking goalkeeper and this could only auger well for him and the expansion of our pool of goalkeepers for the country.
With three goalkeepers already on the Union's 30 man roster (Mondragon, MacMath and backup/starter Brad Knighton), Holder has a slim chance of signing a non-developmental contract with the Union. Though MLS added six roster spots for under-24 players, the Union already have 15 players at or under 24-years of age. In addition, Nowak has stated that MacMath will spend most of his time in the newly reestablished Reserve League, leaving Holder with a hard fight for both a contract and a roster spot.