Tim Cahill: A Rundown of Reactions

So no one should be expecting Tim Cahill in white and red until after the All-Star break pending a physical, but that isn't stopping the internet from blowing up with reactions. Let's take a look, shall we?

Dave Martinez, writing at Soccer By Ives, breaks down the myraid of tactical changes Hans Backe is going to have to think long and hard about once Cahill is match fit.

An excerpt:

In essence, Cahill's acquisition will boost the Red Bull's offense, but also force the team to retool their starting eleven from top to bottom, compelling New York to make difficult personnel decisions on their final push towards the post-season.

Life's a Pitch's Mike Calvin calls Cahill a credit to the Premier Leauge...

Cahill has given Everton eight years, but needs to be judged over his 14 years in England. He may be 32, but he remains, at heart, the gritty, grounded teenager who left his parents in Sydney to undergo a successful trial at Millwall. He lived in digs with an uncle, on £200 a week.

Richard Jolly at ESPN's Soccernet examines what Cahill meant to Everton...

He was an irrepressible, at times irresistible, underdog who harried the moneyed. Yet it was also the beginning of the end; thereafter, only three corner flags were punched in his final 52 Everton appearances. For six-and-a-half years, however, he was the closest to a guarantee of goals from midfield outside the elite. Five came against Liverpool, making Cahill Everton's record post-war derby scorer.

SI.com's Alecko Eskandarian plays the line-up game, too, and thinks the Red Bulls have the pieces to bring home our first bit of (legitimate) silverware...

Now the pressure is on New York to deliver. Head coach Hans Backe certainly can't complain about a lack of support from ownership or management. Cahill is expected to become the Red Bulls' third Designated Player, joining Henry and Rafa Marquez. New York would match the L.A. Galaxy (David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane), Seattle Sounders (Fredy Montero, Mauro Rosales and Alvaro Fernandez), and Toronto FC (Torsten Frings, Danny Koevermans, Eric Hassli) as the only MLS teams with 3 DPs.

And as a final bit of retrospection, here's Everton's highlight reel/goodbye Tim page.