The veteran Bundesliga goalkeeper decided to continue his career in the MLS.

Oka Nikolov, the former Macedonian national team goalkeeper who became a fixture in Eintracht Frankfurt, decided to leave the Bundesliga side to join Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS). The 39-year-old keeper was part of the Frankfurt based club since 1991 when he joined their youth academy from Darmstadt, becoming the most loyal player in Germany.

With the move to the Philadelphia Union, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of playing in the United States. Philadelphia was a recent addition to MLS, having formed in 2008 and has yet to win a trophy.

“We’re excited to have a player with Nikolov’s experience and leadership join our team. We think he will provide excellent depth and mentorship to our young goalkeepers.” Union manager John Hackworth told the club’s official web page.

The MLS season is active at the moment and Philadelphia currently finds itself in third place of the Eastern Conference.

Born in Germany, Nikolov opted to represent the country of his origin, Macedonia, but played in only 5 games, all of them being friendlies. He would have played many more, but due to a strict German law, he couldn’t obtain a Macedonian passport unless he dropped his German passport.