Manchester City Star’s Move to MLS’ Colorado Rapids Is an ‘Opportunity’ to Regain His Confidence, Argues Pundit

The standards are sky-high at Manchester City. With 5 Premier League titles in the last 7 years, ‘world-class’ is the only word to describe Pep Guardiola‘s side. Even the Manchester City bench has the quality to play for other top teams as seen with the examples like Gabriel Jesus & Zinchenko. The players seem to recognize this fact as another Manchester City star has completed a move away to MLS side Colorado Rapids in a bid to regain some rhythm and confidence. It seems like his fate was sealed nearly 20 months ago.

In a rare twist of events, Man City is not top of the Premier League with Liverpool 5 points ahead. With the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, and Doku back from injury, Guardiola will be hoping to push his side another gear up. Hence, opportunities don’t seem plenty for fringe players.

Steffen’s move is claimed to be vital for his USMNT prospects as he ‘needs to be looked at’

Signed in 2019, goalkeeper Zack Steffen played just 2 PL games for Guardiola’s side in 4 years. MLS veteran Herculez Gomez on ESPN FC gave his thoughts on the transfer. The pundit said, “I think for Zack Steffen this is Zack Steffen thinking to myself, ‘Listen I tried it. I tested it. I’ve not gotten the offers. I need to play in Europe. Realistic offers for City, for myself in the championship.'” However, the pundit was adamant that the 28-year-old was more than good enough for European soccer. As per the pundit, Zack’s motivation is to gain confidence and showcase his skills in a bid to establish himself in the USMNT.

The expert further explained Zack’s thinking, “If I (Zack) want to be part of the US Men’s National Team setup with these goalkeepers who I think are struggling, if I want to be there I need to play, if I want to be there I need to be looked at. This is an opportunity.” The 29-cap international was not even called for the last USMNT games. The key moment in Steffen’s Man City career was the FA Cup match against Liverpool in 2022. Chosen ahead of Ederson, his mistakes were pounced on by Liverpool who won the game. While Ederson remains the number 1 in sticks, could the sale of the US international prove costly to Pep Guardiola & Co.?

Has Man City repeated their transfer mistake?

In the summer, the Sky Blues sold highly-rated attacking midfielder Cole Palmer to Chelsea. The attacking midfielder barely played for the first team but has been amongst the league’s best players at Chelsea. Steffen might not be as young as Palmer, but he has all the ingredients to be a world-beater in his position.

Read More: “It’s Time to Say Goodbye” – Manchester City Star Bids Farewell to Club En Route to MLS’ Colorado Rapids

The USMNT international has a staggering 89 percentile save success rate in penalty kicks, which is amongst the best in the world. Moreover, he is very dominant in the box and ranks in the 90 percentile for stopping crosses. Although not as good with his feet as Ederson, the USMNT star offers a different skill-set which Man City would have found useful.

Is the move to the MLS the right one for Zac Steffen? Tell us in the comments below.

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