Tim Cahill plays much, much larger than his 5′ 8″ frame
The Red Bulls get a shot in the arm with Tim Cahill’s move to the MLS on a £1m transfer. At Everton and as a Socceroo, Cahill is best known for some outrageous goals emerging through a thicket of tall defenders to score via one of the hardest noggin in the business. He is not a half bad set piece taker having shared those duties with Mikel Arteta for the Toffees. And his goal celebration involving a punch up with the corner goal only cements his legendary status.
Cahill established himself first at Milwall as a big game player scoring the game winning goal against Sunderland in the FA Cup semi-finals in 2004 to take the S.London club to their first final since 1945. Man Utd however proved to be an insurmountable obstacle and they lost, 0-3. Moving to Everton thereafter he proved to be an instant hit becoming the club’s top scorer and the club’s player of the year and was nominated for the 2006 Ballon D’Or. He was David Moyes’s poster boy for unearthing hardworking gems in a career which lasted 7 years and 56 goals for the Toffees. 31 of them have come from headers. One of his lasting accomplishments before leaving was to equal legend Dixie Dean’s record of scoring in three Anfield derbies. No wonder he’s a club favourite.
As an international, Cahill shone for Australia in the 2006 World Cup scoring a brace against Japan in a 3-1 victory. Four years later, he scored one of the more memorable goals of the 2010 World Cup against Serbia in trademark fashion.
He joins the Red Bulls at the top of the Eastern Conference, a team that leads in goal scoring in the division with 37 and his inclusion should add many more to that total. Their game will really open up with a proven goalscorer from corners and free kicks.