Tracking the Pool: news & discussion about USMNT players’ club moves & contracts

Aston Villa is gerstrichen!

http://www.express.de/sport/fussbal...yenoord-rotterdam/-/3286/7137538/-/index.html

Who knows, this story has Mike going back to Holland.

 

Freddy is going to a good Turkish 2nd Division side. I have a suspicion that Coach Bradley sees a lot of value in Freddy, because we don't have a lot of out and out attacking mids behind Donovan and Dempsey - and would give him the benefit of the doubt if he was just simply getting consistent PT. Similar to Mix and Alejandro Bedoya.

 

Bradley's move to Villa is official http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2281108,00.html

Also, Andy Najar is going to get called up for Honduras' U-20 national team
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2011/1/31/1965846/andy-najar-to-be-selected-for-honduras-u-20-team

 

Don't forget the Champions League and the Olympics (if they still allow an overage trio in 2012).

 

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2011/01/altidore-heading-to-bursaspor-on-loan.html

Jozy goes on loan to defending Turkish champs. Good move I think. It's a decent league and hopefully we'll see what he can do with some playing time and good service.

 

Has this been a fun transfer period or what? Have we ever seen anything like this before? So many moves. So many good US players with new opportunities. So many implications for the USMNT.

It's been a blast.

 

I was excited about the prospect of regular playing time for Jozy...until I saw Bursaspor also brought in striker Kenny Miller from Rangers. I don't know his deal or what the team's existing strikers are like, but Miller had 22 goals in 25 games this season.

 

At this moment, I don't see Altidore as 90minutes player for USNT.

 

Charlie Davies potentially on loan to DC United

 

wow.

 

I'm actually stunned at the lack of discussion on this (potential) move in this forum. Am I missing a thread or something?

Either way, it's confirmed that he's joining up with DCU tomorrow, basically going on trial/medical exam for a week, and then either they'll say yes or no for a full-season loan. Deal has already been negotiated with Sochaux.

 

https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1648004

It's discussed in MLS news and analysis.

 

Fox Soccer Report just reported that Eric Lichaj has been loaned to Leeds United.

 

So, is this a summary of the winter moves for the USMNT pool?

GK: Brad Guzan (loan to Hull city from Aston Villa)
D: Oguchi Onyewu (loan to FC Twente from AC Milan)
D: Clarence Goodson (transfer from IK Start to Brondby)
D: Jay DeMerit (out of contract to Vancouver Whitecaps)
D: Jonathan Bornstein (transfer to Tigres from Chivas USA)
D: Eric Lichaj (loan to Leeds United from Aston Villa)
M: Michael Bradley (loan to Aston Villa from Monchengladbach)
M: Jermaine Jones (loan to Blackburn from Schalke)
M/F: Freddy Adu (loan to Rizespor from Benfica/Aris)
F: Jozy Altidore (loan to Bursaspor from Villarreal)
F: Kenny Cooper (transfer to Portland Timbers from 1860 Munich)
F: Eddie Johnson (loan to Preston North End from Fulham)
F: Robbie Findley (transfer to Nottingham Forest from MLS)

Throw in that Gale Agbossoumonde has apparently signed a loan deal with Djurgarden in Sweden and Davies may be on the way to DC, and that is 15 positive moves this window, with the majority of guys (11) who weren't playing (Guzan, Onyewu, DeMerit, Lichaj, Jones, Adu, Altidore, Cooper, Johnson, Agbossoumonde, Davies).

 

Well, I am not sure Davies's move is a positive one.

I would rate Edson Buddle's and Robbie Findley's to be far more so.

Unfortunately, Robbie's injured and out for 2-3 months.

 

Of course you don't.

Let's see, Davies goes from playing in the fourth level of French football to maybe playing in the top level in the US and that's bad.

But Buddle goes from playing for the best team in MLS to the worst team in the Bundesliga 2 and that's a positive for the USMNT.

I guess I shouldn't take it seriously.

 

While I don't rate MLS all that highly, MLS >>> rehab reserve assignments in France

Regular play against (very broadly speaking) "top level" players is what Charlie needs to get his old form back. It's a good thing.

(If, two seasons from now, he's still there, that's probably a bad sign for him, but at this point, it's all good.)

 

Is MLS better than the French 4th level?

Let's assume it is so.

Let's also assume that MLS is qualitatively somewhere between 40th and 60th in the World.

Why should anyone recommend that Charlie go from the 5th best league to the 40th without trying to catch up somewhere around 10-15?

I mean, if Jozy Altidore can land with one of the best Turkish (UEFA #10) clubs, surely Davies could have landed somewhere in that vicinity.

As to Buddle, don't listen to Martin Fischer, listen to Edson Buddle himself.

He says he is learning new things.

And I believe him.

 

Because with one car crash Davies went from the same vicinity as Jozy to the hinterlands. Davies is working his way back up from nowhere. Jozy has played competitive games against high level competition since October for both club and country. Just not enough to maintain match sharpness and any kind of scoring form.

The situations are about as different as they come.

And yes, MLS is definitely a step up from the 4th tier in France.

 

Bedoya training with Birmingham City

This is the last year of his contract with Orebo, and a move upwards has to be expected. It's nice to see an EPL team is taking a look.

 

Two problems.

1) There's no way he qualifies for a work permit right now. He's played in 0% of our competitive "A" games........World Cup Qualifiers, Gold Cup, World Cup, etc. In order to qualify for a work permit in the UK, you're supposed to have played in 75%. (remember that friendlies don't count) Even if he plays in a couple of Gold Cup matches (I actually don't have him in my mock Gold Cup squad), he won't be close. Sometimes you can win the permit on appeal if you've played in the World Cup like Robbie Findley. We'll see..............

I just don't get it. Edson Buddle trailed at Birmingham, and the same thing happened. He wouldn't qualify for a work permit. Do these guys have the same agent?

2) He can't go until the summer transfer window. Why is he trialing there now? Birmingham needs to take a look now in case they want to purchase him 5 months from now? Wouldn't it make more sense for Alejandro to be with Orebro & impressing in games?

 

sometimes training is just training. why train there? opportunity and to get a better feel for what his level might be.

 

Re Bedoya --This from the Guardian

Similar comments are popping up in many places. So, the reality is that every "training" session is also a trial, if there is any coach from the host club involved.

 

Most sources are describing it as a trial. (Though there's hardly anything different in all those stories.)

 

i have been told by a few people that once someone has been playing/working in the EU, it gets a little easier to get a work permit. not saying it's true, but you never know