Joe Cole recalls John Terry’s leadership at Chelsea: “Like an older brother”

Joe Cole is enjoying his resurgent football career with the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The ex-Chelsea man talked about the impact John Terry had during their time as Blues.

Joe Cole played seven seasons for Chelsea, winning three Premier League titles and three FA Cups. He then bounced between five clubs in six years as he struggled to return to full fitness after injury. At age 35, he has his career back on track with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he will captain the club for the 2017 season.

Cole arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2003, and John Terry was one of the first to greet him. The two were about the same age, but Terry’s maturity and leadership at the time is one of Cole’s enduring memories of the captain.

"[Terry was] like an older brother. Chelsea will miss that. They are a well-run club but forget everything he does on the pitch, it’s the unseen things as a captain… [T]o have an eye on everyone else in the club is remarkable. You can’t quantify that. He was a younger man then, as well, and to have that empathy — that’s one of a million things the club will miss. – Daily Mail"

Cole teased the suggestion that Terry would love life in Tampa Bay. He pointed out that any club in the United States would be happy to have him. Cole’s Tampa Bay Rowdies are moving from the North American Soccer League to the United Soccer League for the coming season. Remember, that has nothing to do with promotion or relegation. The move is sort of lateral because, well, it’s complicated and for another time.

Cole’s presence, success and enthusiasm with the Tampa Bay Rowdies will be a significant part of their campaign to enter Major League Soccer. High-profile players like Cole, or player-owners like Didier Drogba at Phoenix Rising (also in the USL), are becoming part of many teams’ strategies for *ahem* “promotion.”

Next: Everton vs. Chelsea: Predicted XI for the Blues at Goodison Park

MLS is the first tier and the most likely destination if John Terry chooses to play in the USA. However, lower-tier clubs may expand their pursuit of players like Cole, Drogba or Terry as part of their growth. Those players would then enter MLS with their clubs, instead of joining an existing MLS team. This could create deeper ties between the club and the marquee athlete, since they are part of that progression rather than being the old guy collecting a few more paychecks.