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SlavaMedvedenko wrote:I hear Ocho Cinco got a trial from Kasnas City.

and1GS wrote:I'm starting to get more into the MLS because of 2 reasons:

1) That's all that's on in the US.

LittleOzzy wrote:

SlavaMedvedenko wrote:I hear Ocho Cinco got a trial from Kasnas City.

Yup with the NFL locked out he was invited to be part of a four day trial.

I don't think much will come out of it but he clearly has the speed and athleticism to play, he just might not have the whole package.

Good publicity for the team, could be a distraction going into the season though.

DelaneyRudd wrote:

and1GS wrote:I'm starting to get more into the MLS because of 2 reasons:

1) That's all that's on in the US.

They are all in North America, sir.

Chad Ochocinco felt it all as he stepped out of the locker room and into the cool morning air. He was excited, nervous and anxious — all at the same time.

As roughly 40 reporters and cameramen documented his every move at Swope Park on Wednesday, the Cincinnati Bengals’ outgoing star receiver realized exactly why he was here on a four-day trial with Sporting Kansas City in the first place: to live out a childhood dream and have fun.

That’s why he bristled, at least as much a man known for touchdown celebrations and reality shows can, when asked later if the whole thing is just a publicity stunt on par with his aforementioned hi-jinks.

“Why would it be?” Ochocinco asked. “What you rather have me do during a lockout? Go get arrested, get in trouble? Act like Charlie Sheen? I’m one that never gets in trouble, I do nothing wrong. I just try to have fun.”

And for Ochocinco, the fun started the moment he stepped on the grass Wednesday. He spent the next two hours working on his technique, racing up and down the pitch, and getting reacclimated to a sport he gave up in high school to pursue a football career.

The practice was closed to the public, but a handful of fans — standing outside the fenced-in field — ate it up. They cheered when he did something good, grimaced when he did something bad, and waited for him afterward to sign autographs (which he did).

Switching from football to soccer won't be easy for Chad Ochocinco, if it happens at all.

Locked out of his day job, Ochocinco opened a four-day tryout with Sporting Kansas City on Wednesday and by the end of his first day with the Major League Soccer team the star receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals was panting for breath.

"Exactly what I expected," the six-time Pro Bowler explained. "I would be a little winded being that I haven't ran at this pace or this level since the end of our season of football. It was fun. I didn't expect to come in here and be Superman."

Ochocinco plans to go through with the tryout, and, if possible, join the MLS team. The famously spotlight-hungry player insisted he was motivated by love for a sport that was actually his first choice until his grandmother persuaded him to focus on football after the 10th grade.

"I would play for free," he said.

Wearing No. 85, of course, Ochocinco worked out with more than 40 media representatives lining the practice field, roughly 10 times the number that normally show up for a midweek workout. He moved fluidly on the cold, blustery day and was taller than almost all the professional soccer players on the field.

His athleticism was obvious and so was his soccer rust after so many years away from the game.

"The time I've had off from the game of this football has been a very long time," he said. "There's no way I can make up that ground, the years I've been away from the game. But I do have a love for it."

With the NFL in a lockout and a court fight looming, Ochocinco has said now is a good time to check into another sport. Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes said he tried to use the practice to help Ochocinco get acclimated to something new.

For much of the day, he had individual instruction from assistant coach Zoran Savic.

"He was a little bit hesitant early on, a little bit tentative," said Vermes. "But I think now he's got a good feel for what a day goes like for us. You can see he's very coachable. I wouldn't try to make any determinations at this point."