New St Patrick’s Athletic striker Jake Keegan spent his Sunday evening, like many sports fans worldwide, watching the Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New England Patriots. The native of New York, Keegan 27 was supporting the legend Tom Brady and the Patriots, but unfortunately for them they couldn’t add to their haul of Vince Lombardi trophies, as the Eagles claimed their first Super Bowl title with a 41-33 victory in Minneapolis.
As for Keegan, he’s getting set for a return to the familiar hunting ground of the League of Ireland after agreeing a deal to join Liam Buckley’s St Pats side for the 2018 season, although that’s subject to him receiving a work permit which should be a formality.
Keegan starred for Galway United in a previous spell in Ireland, playing 62 games and scoring 30 goals during a 2-year stint. In that time he won promotion to the Premier Division, and featured in the 2015 EA Sports Cup Final, ironically against St Pats at Eamon Deacy Park, a game Pats won in a penalty shoot-out.
The American sharp-shooter will link up with the likes of Christy Fagan, Conan Byrne and new signing James Doona as the Inchicore-based side look to put their troubles of last season behind them.
When asked how the move to Pats came about Keegan told us, “Liam rang me recently and asked me if I would be interested in making the move back to Ireland. Things progressed quickly after that.”
“To be fair Liam didn’t have to sell me very much. Pats are a great club and when I was in Ireland in the past they had one of the more free flowing attacks in the league. Playing with the likes of Conan Byrne and Christy Fagan will allow me to learn from two of the best attacking players in Ireland over the past number of years.”
Unfortunately things at Edmonton didn’t turn out like he’d hoped, following the decision to dissolve the club at the end of the 2017 season, citing the sustainability of the team and the continuous uncertainty being forced upon the NASL by the United States Soccer Federation.
He concedes that it was a tough time for many of the players, “We heard rumblings about troubles with both the club and league throughout the season but you didn’t know how much was true. For me, without any true ties to Edmonton I was happy enough to move on but some guys with families and houses there, it must have been difficult.”
Keegan is hoping to use his previous experience in the league to help him adjust quickly saying, “The one thing about Ireland is it’s a very difficult league to play in for a lot of reasons. Not many leagues around the world are like it so it might be a little transition going back into it. Hopefully I’ll draw from my experience in it and hit the ground running.”
“A quick start to the season is always important. Coming in to pre-season late will make things a little more difficult, but there will be no excuses in 2 weeks time and I will look to hit the ground running,” something which will be music to the ears of all Pats fans.
He has high hopes for the new season, which will kick-off with a real mouth-watering home clash with the Champions Cork City. He said, “Pats are one of the bigger clubs in the country and are always challenging for leagues and cups. I expect it to be more of the same this season. On a personal level it’s always about helping the team succeed. If I can score goals like I did the last time i was in Ireland I am sure that will help the club be successful.”
He concluded by saying, “I’m massively excited to get over to Ireland and get the new season started. The offseason is way too long and I am looking forward to a successful season.”
Picture Credits: St Patrick's Athletic FC, FC Edmonton.
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