Kansas City native Will John has signed for MSK Zilina, immediately joining a team in the midst of a title race which expects to enjoy European competition next season.
"I have signed a contract to the end of summer with an option to sign for two more years," John told YA.
The former Kansas City Wizard had gotten to see several destinations in Europe, with short stints in Denmark with Randers and in Serbia with FK Cukaricki Stankom followed by a trial-run with Finland's JJK.
Despite his recent travels, the invitation from Zilina came as a surprise as his future seemed destined to be several hundred miles south, closer to the sunny shores of the Mediterranean.
"I had some interest with some nice clubs in Croatia and before I came out here I thought I would be signing in Croatia."
Zilina has been the most successful club in the Slovakian 1. Liga over the last decade, having remarkably won the league title four times in the previous seven years. Their success has made them regulars in both the UEFA Cup as well as in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League.
Their most recent UEFA Cup run came to an end in December, when they placed fourth in the group stages despite having pulled off one of the competition's most remarkable upsets of the season in beating Aston Villa on the road.
This recent success hasn't escaped John, who is relishing the opportunity to play for a team which will allow both the challenge of aiming for a league title as well as the chance on the European stage.
"The facilities are great, stadium is excellent," John said. "I didn't know much about the Slovakian league but after seeing what they've done in the league and Europe it was easy to accept the invite out."
With league action suspended for the weekend, John got the first chance to take the field with his new teammates on Saturday morning in a test featuring members of the first and second team squaring off.
Even having just joined the team days before, he is confident of making a good impression at his new home, as well as already getting an initial idea of where he'll have the chance to make his contribution on the field.
"It was a great outing for me," the former Under-20 star says, adding, "I'll be playing some as a winger and in the middle."
Zilina are currently second-place in the standings, with four points separating them from first-place Slovan Bratislava.
The resumption of the domestic league last weekend after their long winter break was postponed due to heavy snow throughout the country, however John is ready to join Zilina's fight for a fifth title this decade when league action finally gets underway on Saturday.
"I'm extremely excited as you might guess and now that the snow has stopped for two days I'm pretty happy about that as well."
While the snowy environment of Slovakia may lie off the usual beaten path for American players, John leaves no question that he sees this move as a positive step for his career and development as a player.
"Everything here is very professional and it's a great club for me to grow as a player, and that was what is most important to me."
Zilina's league campaign gets back underway on Saturday when they host Dukla Banska Bystrica, however the quest for their first-ever Slovakian Cup continues on Wednesday night when they face league leaders Slovan Bratislava in the first of two legs in the quarterfinal round. |
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