John Rooney, Wayne's Brother, Gets Trial Run With Portland Timbers

He might not be the Rooney, but he's still a Rooney. And if this Rooney continues down his current path, he just might wind up playing soccer in the U.S. before too long.

John Rooney (right), brother of English star Wayne Rooney, is currently training with MLS expansion-club-to-be, the Portland Timbers. Set to join the league in 2011, the Timbers are apparently looking at the 19-year-old midfielder as an option to fill out the roster for their debut squad.

Prior to training with Portland, Rooney also trained with the Seattle Sounders, and Rooney spoke very positively about the experience, and the MLS in general.

"I've loved it. The training's been good," Rooney told the Seattle Times in a Q&A. "I went to the [Sounders] game on Sunday, the stadium's fantastic. The fans are unbelievable. The fans are great, just as good as the Premiership standard. It was fantastic, I really enjoyed it."

Rooney might be training with the MLS clubs at the expense of a spot with a club in England, however. His former club, Macclesfield Town of England's second league, is of the assumption that he won't be re-signing with them this season.

"I made [Rooney] an offer and I haven't heard from him personally," Town coach Gary Simpson told BBC Sport. "To be honest I was under the illusion he wasn't coming back so I looked elsewhere. There's no budget left."

Should Rooney join an MLS club, his name would certainly be one for stateside fans to latch on to. But while he's still young, it remains to be seen if the offensive-minded midfielder will ever get close to the talent level exhibited by his older brother.

At this point, however, it seems to be a risk that one of the clubs in the Northwest just might be willing to take. Stay tuned.