http://goal.com/fr/news/29/ligue-1/2009/06/27/1349638/ligue-1-un-autre-américain-à-rennes With Rennes set to lose M'bia to the market, Clark is exactly the sort of player they would be looking for to fill that hole.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Goal.com seems to have gotten a little less extreme as far as transfer rumors this year, but IMHO the jury's out until at least July 1... then we can see about their track record. Anyone know Clark's contract status with Houston?
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Rennes seems about the right level for Clark. I don't think Houston would want to sell until the winter window though. If this rumor is true and Rennes is interested (regardless of whether or not a transfer materializes) it's good to see another club catching Yank Fever. The French League is a nice spot and I'd like to see it turned it another significant YA destination.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I don't believe they have them like they do in the UK, although there's probably a limit to how many non-EU foreigners each team can have. Perhaps if he acquired his T&T passport (through his dad) he could get in under the Cotonou Agreement. Anyone know how these things work in France?
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Rico's games is more suitable to the French league than Adu's. He is physical and high energy.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Despite the red card against Italy, I would be very surprised if Rico's play in the Confederations Cup didn't get him some serious attention from some mid-level clubs in Europe. Clubs like, say, Rennes.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I should know more about this than I actually do. I'll get on this; let me ask around and I'll see what I find out.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes If this is true, I think it says a lot about what the club thinks of Bocanegra. They like Clark, but are also probably more willing to look at him because of a good experience they've already had with another American. Similar to Fulham... Our guys are still out there blazing trails.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes If Rennes is interested or any other EU club for that matter, Clark should think about it. Because he does not want to go to a european team and be sitting on the bench. He would have a better chance of been on the USMNT for WC(if qualify), if he stayed in Houston. As apouse to, going to europe and not playing.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I should preface by saying I haven't seen much of Clark other than the last few weeks. Certainly it could work out well, but Clark is far more pure defensive than M'bia who covers the whole field. Of course Rennes are rumored to be targeting a big name forward (one name is Odemwingie, which I find unlikely, but there were others) so they may be looking for a more pure defense option with offense from elsewhere.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes And staying in Houston doesn't hurt your team's chance to win the MLS Cup, eh?
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Honestly I am more of a USMNT supporter, Houston is one of my favorite MLS teams. I want MLS teams to get better so USMNT can improve even more. I think American players moving to Europe would help tremendously. If Clark does get interest from Europe, he should go to a places were for sure he is going to play. and not sit on the bench, like Adu, Altidore
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes no UK style workpermit. It gets a little tricky after that, and even I am not 100% clear (and I mainly follow Ligue 1) The official restriction is 4 foreign players. Obviously EU players are exempt, but so also are almost all other UEFA countries. I know all of Scandanavia and Russia are exempt. Additionally there is an agreement providing exemptions for African, Carribean, and Pacific Island players. The long story short is that few teams will have trouble with the foreign restriction, and in the case of Rennes I think Bocanegra and Inamoto are the only ones. If Clark qualifies for a Trinidadian pass that should give him an exemption.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I think over the length of the season, Rennes had some trouble scoring goals, from what I saw. So it would be good for them to get some help in the offensive department regardless of what they do with Clark or M'Bia.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Clark isn't getting any younger and he needs to look to his own financial future. He's 26 years old and he make 250k at Houston right now. to give himself some comfort and financial stability after soccer I think it would be wise for him to try and get over to Ligue 1 as soon as possible i'm not knowledgeable about ligue 1 salaries but i would imagine they range more in the 750k range
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes If after this performance in the CC I can't see him better than the fourth best CM after Jones, Bradley, and Edu. Therefore, he has got to get better and go to Europe.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I for one thought Edu was outstanding when Rangers finally gave him a chance. Before his injury was publicized I had him bumping Clark out of the Confederations Cup roster. Bradley is a lock, and Feilhaber is basically a lock. Combined with Edu's rising star and Jermaine Jones choosing the United States, in my mind Ricardo Clark (and to an even greater extent Sacha Kljestan) have to move to Europe to stake a claim with the backlog in the US central midfield. Bradley - Borussia Moechengladbach Jones - Schalke 04 Edu - Rangers Feilhaber - Aarhus Torres - Pachuca Clark - MLS Kljestan - MLS And Rennes would be a great spot to choose.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes Except there's that terribly annoying point that Edu has looked average (or worse) against the likes of Trinidad and Tobago, while Rico has been outstanding against Spain and Brasil. And the fact that when Clark plays, the nats play well. And the fact that apart from the Old Firm, there isn't a team in Scotland who would consistently challenge for MLS Cup (and no, I'm not being hyperbolic or speaking out of ignorance, I've watched PLENTY of Scottish football), so it's not like Edu was playing top notch competition every week. But whatever. I have no ill will toward Mo, or anyone who has worn the US shirt, but the yearning for players who have failed to deliver the goods is absolutely absurd on these boards. Clark is the destroyer for the nats until someone comes in and outplays him, and that hasn't happened yet. Jones has the resume to make it seem likely to happen, and Edu has the potential to do so eventually, but as of this moment, Rico is #1.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes This kind of sentiment is exactly what's wrong with soccer analysis in this country. Players don't 'stake a claim' by their club team, they stake a claim by being the best player for a given position at a given time. Didn't we just disprove this, watching Landon Donovan throw out another outstanding performance? It will be better for Ricardo's bank account to move abroad, and his standing as a club baller. As a national team player, it is likely of no benefit for him to move, and possibly a detriment.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes I love watching Rico in MLS, but a move to Europe (depending on which league) might help him improve his ball control and decision making in tight spaces. I do think Clark has a role to play with the national team, and the Confederations Cup has proven that. It's also telling to me that, despite effectively being a replacement on the roster for Maurice Edu, Bob Bradley trusted Clark enough to make him first choice against Italy, Egypt, Spain and Brazil. And Clark likely would have started the 2nd group stage match against Brazil ahead of Sacha Kljestan if not for the dubious red card. In the past month (including the Honduras WCQ), Bob Bradley has shown that he trusts Ricardo Clark more than Kljestan, Jose Torres and even Benny Feilhaber. It will be interesting to see what happens with Clark once Jermaine Jones enters the mix.
Re: Ricardo Clark to Rennes That's when he was getting virtually no playing time for Rangers, IIRC. I'm not taking anything away from Clark, who can be an absolute monster defensively. I just think that Edu has the tools to compete with Clark in terms of covering ground and making tackles and that he's more composed on the ball and offers more going forward. Clark's probably more reliable, but Edu has a higher ceiling.